An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce

In â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge†, Bierce starts her short story on the edge with Peyton Farquhar, a 35 year old planter from the south, standing on Owl Creek Bridge with his hands tied behind his back and a noose around his neck. There are soldiers from the north surrounding him. Two soldiers, one on each side of him, take away the plank in which he is standing on. Falling to the water, Farquhar focuses his last thoughts on his family, while also having hopes of freeing his hands and diving into the water below. A flashback occurs and readers learn that Farquhar and his wife were sitting on a bench one night when a soldier, who looked as if he was from the south, rode by asking for a glass of water. As the Mrs. goes and gets the†¦show more content†¦Farquhar goes into the forest after being tossed onto land. He travels all day long. Bierce states that â€Å"The forest seemed interminable; nowhere did he discover a break in it† (Bierce #). If he could not catch a break this means he had hope in himself that he could make it out. After traveling all day, he was worn out and tired, but â€Å"the thought of his wife and children urged him on† (Bierce #). Farquhar thinking of his family is the greatest sense of hope he has throughout the story. His family supplies him with the most hope. When he finally reaches home, he sees his wife and cannot stop explaining how beautiful she looks. â€Å"He springs forward with extended arms† (Bierce #), hoping she will meet his. Even though this is where he realizes that all of his actions have been false hope, he still has hope of touching his wife when he extends his arms out for her. From the very beginning of the story, Farquhar has hope that he can get off the board he is standing on and dive into the water, which symbolizes freedom for him, so he can get back to his family. A soon as the two sergeants step aside and drop the board, readers are given the thoughts of hope that run through Farquhar’s head: â€Å"If I could free my hands,† he thought, â€Å"I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take to the woods and get away home. My home, thank God, is as yet outside their lines; my wife andShow MoreRelatedAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce1283 Words   |  6 Pages 1. â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† by Ambrose Bierce Theme: Time can be the perception of each person at each different event in their life In this story one of the key factors is time and how Farquhar sees it.While mere seconds for the soldiers can be hours for the man about to be hanged, time is perceived to be different for each individual, â€Å"Its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell.† The idea that time can feel slower at one point and faster at anotherRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce1283 Words   |  6 Pages 1. â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† by Ambrose Bierce Theme: Time can be the perception of each person at each different event in their life In this story one of the key factors is time and how Farquhar sees it.While mere seconds for the soldiers can be hours for the man about to be hanged, time is perceived to be different for each individual, â€Å"Its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell.† The idea that time can feel slower at one point and faster at another throwsRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce1538 Words   |  7 Pagesshort story â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† by Ambrose Bierce, was a farmer who was rejected from enlisting in the army. The story takes place during the Civil War in the South. Peyton came from a highly-respected family in the southern state Alabama. He was devoted to the southern customs. Peyton unfortunately was unable to enter the war due to certain Circumstances. One day a soldier comes to Peyton’s home. His wife and he help the solider learning about Owl Creek Bridge. Pretty much theRead MoreThe Occurr ence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce Essay1189 Words   |  5 PagesBlurred line between Reality and Illusion In the story â€Å"The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† by Ambrose Bierce Peyton Farquhar a southern planter is being hung on a railing above the Owl Creek Bridge for interfering with the railroad posted by confederate soldiers. Within minutes before his execution Farquhar begins to have vivid hallucinations about breaking free and escaping. In his story â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,† Ambrose Bierce’s theme describes the perception of illusion vs. realityRead MoreAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce1071 Words   |  5 Pagesthe fictional short story, â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge†, author Ambrose Bierce tells the story of a man who finds himself in such a situation. Part one begins with an unnamed fugitive and a group of Federal Union Soldiers standing on a railroad bridge in Alabama. The story takes place during the American Civil War. The man is a civilian plantation owner who is awaiting execution by way of hanging. As he waits, the man stares down at the water below the bridge thinking about the ways he couldRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce1171 Words   |  5 Pages14 03 November 2014 Blurry Lines Between Reality And Illusion In â€Å"An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge† by Ambrose Bierce, the story of a man by the name of Peyton Farquhar whose unlawful actions landed him in a heap of trouble is told. The story is split into three sections which goes back in forth between the past, the present and Farquhar’s falsation of both. By taking the approach of using symbols throughout the story, Bierce gave the opportunity for the reader to feel like they are apart of theRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesJustifiably Bitter Bierce Ambrose Bierce led a relatively full but tragic life. After losing his sons Day and Leigh to suicide and alcoholism respectively, his wife left him for another man (â€Å"Ambrose Bierce†). His struggles with death and the inequity of life are evident throughout his literary works. â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† illustrates many of the power struggles that Bierce was fighting throughout much of his life. Much of the first half of the story focuses on the conflict betweenRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce1266 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† is a dubiously vivid and emotionally charged short story genre written by Ambrose Bierce, Originally published in 1890 by the San Francisco Examiner and later collected in his book â€Å"Tales of Soldiers and Civilians†, scholars and critics of his work conclude that this tale is â€Å"Bierce’s most anthologized story.† (Blume 211) Bierce’s experience as a Union Officer and veteran of the Civil War amplifies the credence of transpiring circumstances within its setting. ConsequentlyRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce Essay1499 Words   |  6 Pages For readers, there is a certain level of engaging and compelling material that is demanded from a story, for the time spent reading to be justified. The narrative structure in Ambrose Bierce’s â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge†, if to be fully understood requires and deserves a vast amount of attention to detail. Once the narrative structure behind the plot is acknowledged and comprehended, only then can the story truly be justified for what is it is: a complex, multi-layered and cleverly deceivingRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce947 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† was written by Ambrose Bierce. In the story, the main character, Peyton Farquhar, is standing on a railroad bridge that is twenty feet above the water while his wrists are bound behind his back and a noose is tied to his neck to a beam overhead. Two other soldiers from the Northern army, a sergeant and captain, were around him waiting for execution. There were also sentinels standing besides them. Many infantrymen led by their lieutenant were standing assembled