Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a suspenseful story about the reality of time and death during the United States Civil War. Bierce divided the story into three sections to tell the story of Peyton Farquhar’s life and how he would be hanged by Union soldiers. Farquhar was a wealthy slave owner who, supported the southern cause because he wanted to maintain his lifestyle. However, after a confrontation with a Union soldier dressing as a confederate soldier, Farquhar would be hanged. The story was designed to keep the reader’s attention, by going into the mind of Farquhar minutes before he was hanged. Before the hanging, he would start to dream about how he would escape and return back to his family. Bierce
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However, as Farquhar was walking the plank, the second setting would take place. Farquhar would have flashbacks about his past and how he would escape. In these flashbacks, the reader would learn that Farquhar was a slave owner from a highly respected Alabama family and was devoted to the Southern cause. Farquhar was a soldier at heart but, due to a imperious nature, it prevented him from joining the Confederate army. Also in these flashbacks, the reader learns the reason why Farquhar would be hanged. Farquhar was tricked by a Union scout dressed as a Confederate soldier into trying to burn the Owl Creek Bridge, a Union post. As the story stated, “the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction. That opportunity, he felt, would come, as it comes to all in wartime.” (Bierce 3). This means that he was willing to risk his life for the opportunity to help the south.
One of the biggest theme in the story is how Farquhar wanted to escape death. As the moment of his hanging arrives, he deceives himself into believing that he has escape his execution and has went home to his wife. In Powers’s words, “Peyton Farquhar, whose lively sally into the dream world, albeit brief, permitted him to taste emotions long sublimated, but undeniably vibrant and powerful, once they surfaced and allured him to shore.” (Powers
However, as Farquhar was walking the plank, the second setting would take place. Farquhar would have flashbacks about his past and how he would escape. In these flashbacks, the reader would learn that Farquhar was a slave owner from a highly respected Alabama family and was devoted to the Southern cause. Farquhar was a soldier at heart but, due to a imperious nature, it prevented him from joining the Confederate army. Also in these flashbacks, the reader learns the reason why Farquhar would be hanged. Farquhar was tricked by a Union scout dressed as a Confederate soldier into trying to burn the Owl Creek Bridge, a Union post. As the story stated, “the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction. That opportunity, he felt, would come, as it comes to all in wartime.” (Bierce 3). This means that he was willing to risk his life for the opportunity to help the south.
One of the biggest theme in the story is how Farquhar wanted to escape death. As the moment of his hanging arrives, he deceives himself into believing that he has escape his execution and has went home to his wife. In Powers’s words, “Peyton Farquhar, whose lively sally into the dream world, albeit brief, permitted him to taste emotions long sublimated, but undeniably vibrant and powerful, once they surfaced and allured him to shore.” (Powers