An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce, proposes the idea that human individuals have no control over their lives, and even solace found in the imagination is limited by their helpless reality. Bierce, through fighting amidst the horrors of the Civil War, developed a pessimistic disposition towards humanity. Being a local color writer, Bierce depicts his scenes with the utmost attention to detail, and structures his short story around specific settings that he uses to allegorize…

based on. For example, Ambrose Bierce penned the short story titled “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” which follows the hanging of Peyton Farquhar, a Southern plantation owner who faces execution during the American Civil War for attempted sabotage of the Union Army. Miraculously, the rope snaps as he is hung and Peyton manages to escape, but it turns out that Peyton’s escape never occurred as he hangs dead at Owl Creek Bridge. Often considered an American classic, it is no surprise that…

Hidden Clues “An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, foreshadows the horrifying ending through a variety of literary techniques. Foreshadowing is an indication of a future event, which Bierce does by using imagery, paternal plot elements, and allusions. In this short story, Peyton Farquhar is in the process of being hanged for attempting to burn the bridge at Owl Creek; during his hanging he is dreaming of his escape back home. In Farquhar’s dream stage, Bierce foreshadows…

Peyton Furquher in Ambrose Bierce’s An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge pays the price for being a heroic and courageous citizen by being suddenly sentenced to death. Peyton shows his courage by having devotion for the south with an intention of destroying the owl creek bridge. Although he is aware that it might cost him his life and also his families’ life, he was willing to do that. Peyton’s ultimate destiny is to be hanged for attempting to burn the bridge, but there is a plot twist. The…

A detachment of one’s surrounding and substituting it by a visionary fantasy, usually happens because like most people The main character wishes for fulfillment that he does not have in his life. In Ambrose Bierce’s An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Peyton Farquhar is struggling between the life he has and what he wants. The events taken place come from dire need to show himself and others how loyal he is to the southern cause during the Civil War. For this response he puts himself in a…

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,…

The short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is taken place in Northern Alabama during the Civil War, and the protagonist whose name is Peyton Farquhar attempts to be a hero for the Confederacy and burn the Union’s stronghold at Owl Creek Bridge. Unfortunately, he fails and is charged with treason for the reason that a Union Scout disguised as a soldier lures him into committing the act. As Farquhar is awaiting and engaging in his death, the readers figure out one of the themes; an…

An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge Analysis "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, is a short story with an extraordinary plot twist. The author uses time to manipulate the readers thoughts and perspective. While reading a story, the reader can't distinguish a difference between real reality and perceived reality. The way the sequence of events is presented in this story, makes the reader question Peyton Farquhar's…

The life and death of Peyton Farquhar is portrayed in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. Through the use of compelling storytelling and vivid imagery, Ambrose Bierce takes the reader on an adventure like no other. Beginning moments before his death, Peyton Farquhar recalled his life, fantasized about escape, and unfortunately greeted death at the bitter end. The story began with Peyton Farquhar awaiting his execution. He viewed his surroundings and commented on the private…

Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” ends with this stark imagery: “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of Owl Creek bridge” (151). This line presents a cold, distant, and annotative description of death; there is little to invoke the representation of the life that has been lost. Yet, Bierce’s narrative up to this point has succinctly painted the picture of that life, its final moments and its desire to keep…