Plot Manipulation in Ambrose Bierce’s
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
In Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author deftly manipulates the plot in order to suspend the reader’s disbelief and to keep the reader engaged in the story. The reader, along with what might be described as the soul of Peyton Farquhar (a man hanged by soldiers), is led to believe that Farquhar survives the plunge off of Owl Creek Bridge and the subsequent tightening of the noose. However, as the reader comes to discover by the end of the story, Farquhar does not survive; the events that occur after the fall do not take place in reality. This essay will trace the plot and discuss points where Bierce has manipulated it to achieve this effect. …show more content…
This is an example of foreshadowing; at the very end of the story, as stated previously in this essay, the reader learns that Farquhar is dead: “his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of Owl Creek Bridge” (405). Writing that Farquhar “was as one already dead” (401) allows Bierce to get away with what comes next in the story (Farquhar getting free and being swept down the stream to home) while simultaneously never lying to the reader about what has happened. There is a similar example of Bierce manipulating the plot that follows shortly after Farquhar falls from the bridge. After a moment of unconsciousness, Farquhar becomes aware again. “He knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream” (402). This line is both clever and significant. It is important to note that it is not the narrator directly telling the reader this information; the line does not say “the rope had broken”; the inclusion of the “[Farquhar] knew” is critical. By filtering this sentence through Farquhar’s mind so discreetly and cleverly, Bierce absolves himself of any dishonesty towards the reader; the reader will only realize that Farquhar is essentially an unreliable narrator only after they finish the
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
In Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author deftly manipulates the plot in order to suspend the reader’s disbelief and to keep the reader engaged in the story. The reader, along with what might be described as the soul of Peyton Farquhar (a man hanged by soldiers), is led to believe that Farquhar survives the plunge off of Owl Creek Bridge and the subsequent tightening of the noose. However, as the reader comes to discover by the end of the story, Farquhar does not survive; the events that occur after the fall do not take place in reality. This essay will trace the plot and discuss points where Bierce has manipulated it to achieve this effect. …show more content…
This is an example of foreshadowing; at the very end of the story, as stated previously in this essay, the reader learns that Farquhar is dead: “his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of Owl Creek Bridge” (405). Writing that Farquhar “was as one already dead” (401) allows Bierce to get away with what comes next in the story (Farquhar getting free and being swept down the stream to home) while simultaneously never lying to the reader about what has happened. There is a similar example of Bierce manipulating the plot that follows shortly after Farquhar falls from the bridge. After a moment of unconsciousness, Farquhar becomes aware again. “He knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream” (402). This line is both clever and significant. It is important to note that it is not the narrator directly telling the reader this information; the line does not say “the rope had broken”; the inclusion of the “[Farquhar] knew” is critical. By filtering this sentence through Farquhar’s mind so discreetly and cleverly, Bierce absolves himself of any dishonesty towards the reader; the reader will only realize that Farquhar is essentially an unreliable narrator only after they finish the