Examples Of Romanticism In An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

Rejection of Romanticism Writers of the late 19th century have reproduced life’s faithful representation of society through the literary movement of Realism. As a movement that portrays reality as closely as possible, writers purposefully denounce the previous literary movement of Romanticism. Romanticism is defined as “the predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules and over the sense of fact or the actual” (Holman). It is evident that Bierce, the author of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Louisa May Alcott, the author of My Contraband reject Romanticism’s sense of idealism or optimism throughout their stories. Like other authors of the time period, both authors outline the truth of society and its “ugliness” that was initially …show more content…
For instance, in The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Peyton Farquhar, the protagonist of the story wanted an opportunity for distinction to help the Southern cause during the Civil War. Originally, Peyton wanted to be an individual due to the fact that his arrogant personality prevented him from participating in the war effort. Thus, Peyton burns down a bridge in hopes of preventing a northern advancement. However, this idea of individuality is ultimately eradicated when Peyton faces the consequences and is hanged for interfering in the war. Although Peyton was a patriot, his patriotic actions rejected society’s compliance with the norm. Most individuals who knowingly knew that their punishment would be death, would not act in such a manner but rather follow the rules of war. In addition, after the noose breaks, Peyton is able to survive bullets from above and untie his restraints as he swims in the water. His success illustrates Romanticism's unrealistic aspect of optimism as he survives such perilous events. However, such unfeasible events are discarded when it was all an illusion and Peyton is abruptly