Ambrose Bierce Essay

Columnist, short story writer, and poet Ambrose Bierce is remembered for his veracity and his acrimonious prose style. Bierce has evidently won the superlative for causing the most havoc when it came to his authorship. The bad-tempered bravado of his gazette writing and his former appalling naturalistic war fiction led to him obtaining the appellations “Bitter Bierce” and “The Devil’s Topographer.” Antagonistic derision seemed to flow through Bierce’s writing, from his raging literary smites in his weekly editorials for the San Francisco Chronicle to his cynical veracious connotations in The Devil’s Dictionary, the cringing barbarity in his Civil War stories, his ghost stories, and science fiction parables. Although Bierce wrote impeccable …show more content…
Bierce held nothing back as he unapologetically approached topics that are not naturally suited for dinner table discussions. Bierce was an iconoclast as he targeted incompetent elected officials, debauched communal establishments, the illogicalities of war, and futile ideologies. The Devil’s Dictionary is one work by Bierce that challenges all of the listed themes stated above. The Devil’s Dictionary is a lexicon composed from the innermost knowledge and observations accumulated by Bierce during his time served in combat and as a columnist. Bierce did not refrain from using his literary prowess to vilify any ideologies. From government officials to matrimonial relationships, no person or belief was left unscathed in The Devil’s Dictionary. For instance, in The Devil’s Dictionary, Bierce defines lawyer as “one skilled in circumvention of the law.” To expound on this definition, Bierce is simply exposing the fact that due to lawyers being well informed of the law they are able to get about it. With this definition, Bierce is exposing the reality of the court system and all its injustices. Some other term that Bierce knew would have some unease in many households is marriage. Bierce notes in The Devil’s Dictionary that marriage is “the state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, making in all, …show more content…
I arrived to the conclusion that Bierce was demented and that he releases his acrimony towards humanity by composing literary publications; however, now I must admit my inaccurate misconception. My estimations of Bierce have without a doubt increased for the better. After understanding his biography in its entirety and analyzing some of his works in depth, my perception of Bierce has increased to the point of high taste. Rereading and dissecting Bierce’s works conveyed a deeper message. Underneath Bierce’s flaw of bitterness, he exhibits his true intentions as a writer. Beneath the stench of hatred that Bierce discloses all throughout his works, lies a vision of a person who has served his country holding on to a tenuous faith in the mental stability of mankind. Bierce is writing as a mortal who has been smitten by the infinite forms of folly and indiscretion enacted by the human race. In conclusion, Bierce’s flawed nature of resentment that is gained from being fetched to a breaking point from the idiocy of humanity is what enhances his work. Through his display of bitterness, Bierce shows the world that he is indeed a tremendous