Ambrose Bierce

Improved Essays
In Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” a man named Peyton Farquahar finds himself on the end of a rope, waiting to be hung. Bierce provides vivid details and imagery to give a realistic view into Peyton’s world, despite it being merely the hallucination of a dying man. The story begins with a descriptive illustration of the Federation army soldiers surrounding Peyton, the river below, and the rope and post (Bierce 318). Painting these vivid surroundings, the author immerses the reader within the mind of Peyton from the beginning of the story. Bierce continues to use this technique when describing the soldiers further away, detailing how they hold their rifles (318). Peyton’s nervousness and stress is portrayed

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