An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay

As he is or so to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the rear of the neck a blinding white light blazes each(prenominal) around him with a sound like the shock of a cannonthen all is darkness and silence. Ambrose Bierce has a unique instruction of captivating readers attention and it is perfectly shown in his short explanation An Occurrence at schnoz brook Bridge. The story tells about a man in southern Alabama during the elegant War, which is about to be hanged by a group of Union soldiers.This man to be hanged is identified as a gentleman named Peyton Farquhar who attempted to destroy the Owl Creek Bridge, the same one they atomic number 18 standing on. Suddenly, the get snaps and he falls into the river where he somehow manages to swim ashore in order to evasion from the Union soldiers. As he pulls himself ashore, he now starts the long journey home. After walking all day and night without feeling the road mode beneath his feet he arrives home and as he is about to hug his wife, he feels a strong pain in his neck and hears a loud noise.Farquhar was now dead by hanging, and all of his escape was just a dream of his. It is set in the Owl Creek Bridge in Alabama where Peyton Farquhar is about to be hanged early in the morning. The unit story happens just in one day, even though the author mentions flashbacks of Peytons past. On one side of the creek there is forest and on the other is a group of Union Soldiers. There is a cannon hiding in a line of trees and the soldiers are preparing to execute Farquhar with a rope around his neck.There is only one main character in the story and three secondary characters. Peyton Farquhar is a plantation owner who comes from a soaked family from the south. However he is a strong supporter of the Southern cause. He is arrested and is to be hanged by the Union soldiers because he attempted to destroy Owl Creek Bridge so that the Union soldiers wouldnt pass by his hometown. There is alike Mrs. Farquhar, Peytons wife who was a small but significant affair in the story. She is the one who alerts Peyton of the arrival of the Union soldiers to their town.The groups of Union soldiers include executioners, a Lieutenant who gives the final orders there are sentinels, officers and also soldiers along the shore. There is also a Union Scout, which is mentioned in one of Farquhars flashback, who is a soldier that rides onto Farquhars plantation asking for a glass of water wearing companion gray. He later on turns out to be the one who warns the Union soldiers about Farquhars plan to burn down Owl Creek Bridge. The story is divided in three move.None of them are written in first person. Most of the story is told in a third person prognosticate of view. The storyteller can observe events but cannot enter the mind of ant character and cannot change ant of his or her thoughts. However in some parts of the story, the write up changes to omniscient third person point of view. We know this because the author takes the reader inside Farquhars mind to show how his mind interprets reality. When it comes to talking about the theme, Peyton Farquhar denies reality. He avoids it.This is why he enters into the delusional state of mind. While being hanged he dreams that he escapes after the weight of hes body breaks the rope and he swims to safety, and long after he returns to his home. Even though this dream lasts only seconds, in Farquhars mind it lasts the whole day. This could be a way of the author to say that Farquhar refuses to accept the reality that is going on during the civil war, where even gentlemen like him who support the Southern cause can be victims of what the cruel Union soldiers can do.The story was published in 1891 right after the civil war in the United States of America. Bierce tries to express how the cruelty took place during the age of the Civil war, how slaves were treated and condemned. By Farquhars character Bierce expresses how anybody who opposed the Uni on to support the Southern cause was seen as a rebellious person no matter his social position. There is a controversy between critics when it comes to categorizing this short story into a literary form. Some critics say that the story is a narration it has a beginning, a middle and an end.However some critics believe that because of the ending, the story is more of a thriller, suspense or even mystery. Bierce uses a unique way to shift from different tones during the story. He changes from an authorial realistic voice, to a fantastic tone in order to immerse into Farquhars mind. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a very interesting story with a surprising twist. Ambrose Bierce uses many different techniques to show the reader how brutal and savage the Civil war was like and how people was treated. This short story changed the American culture.