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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

 

            In author Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, the reader is given several hints to the stories dark and inevitable ending. This foreshadowing manifests itself in the form .
             Within the first few paragraphs, Bierce paints a vivid account of the landscape surrounding the inevitable ending of death by hanging for the main character of Peyton Farquahar, a well-to-do planter from Alabama.
             Bierce then spends several pages trying to convince the reader, quite effectively, that Peyton's hanging may have indeed had a different outcome than expected. That the hanging rope had broken, and he was eventually reunited with his family; far from the reaches of the northern soldiers.
             The first hint of Peyton's actual fate is introduced as he has apparently fallen from the bridge as the northern soldiers attempt to hang him. As he enters the water, Bierce tells us that Payton keeps sinking until the light from above is merely a gleam, and states " How distant, how inaccessible" and then continues to sink even further into darkness. Not a very likely scenario considering that Bierce purports Peyton to have fallen into a creek. Thereby showing us Peyton is slowly dying of the hanging that has actually taken place. And what Bierce is stating is more of a dream than reality.
             This is further supported by the statement from Bierce that as the light has almost completely faded, it again starts to grow brighter as he feels himself rising in the water towards the surface with some reluctance; as he has become "comfortable" in his current state. .
             Bierce then goes on to describe what Peyton first sees after reaching the surface of the river. As he looks to the bank, he sees everything with extreme clarity. Bierce even goes as far as to describe how Peyton can see the bugs on the leaves of the trees and the "Prismatic colors of the dewdrops upon a million blades of grass". These visions are not those of someone who is still of this earth, but those of an individual whom has past on from the mortal world.


Essays Related to An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

1. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce is the author of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." ... "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a perfect example of this transition of styles as it combines elements of both romanticism and realism to create a story that can be far-fetched while still believable at times. ... It then goes on to Section II, where it tells us how he found out about Owl Creek Bridge, and what could happen if a civilian interfered with anything dealing with the bridge. ... He then drops the last few feet to his death, being hung off the Owl Creek Bridge. ... In the end "An Occurrence at Owl ...

  • Word Count: 1504
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

2. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

It is my opinion that the book version and the movie version of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" are almost identical with a few minor differences. Both versions contained the same plot - a man standing on the bridge, about to be hanged and foreseeing what the outcome would be if the rope broke as he is dangling in the air. The book gives a lot of detail so that the reader can almost depict the "occurrence." ... One would also not know why the man is standing on the bridge about to be hanged, where the story takes place, or when. ...

  • Word Count: 301
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Red Convertible And Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

COMPARE AND CONTRAST Dissecting the short stories, The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich, and An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, by their use of characters, settings and points of view, and plot structures to help distinguish how the writers illustrate their short story. ... The main character is Peyton Farquar in, An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge. ... An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge takes place at the time when our nation was divided, during the Civil War. ... An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge starts out with the action and detail that demands a reader to continue...

  • Word Count: 1504
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The first and most important characteristic of a story is its plot. A good plot holds everything together and is as important to a story as air is to us. Poorly written plots are almost like throwing away the entire script. Dialog is not a necessity, but a good dialog can establish everything abou...

  • Word Count: 312
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

5. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

All of which are viewed through the eyes of Peyton Farquhar, in Ambrose Pierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.... Which is exactly what led to his execution on Owl Creek Bridge. ... Throughout the story of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" a shift in narration is noted, switching from third person limited to first person when the act of executing Farquhar is carried out. ... One of the most important literary elements that allows the reader to arrive at the theme of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is conflict. ... In brief, "An Occurrence at Owl ...

  • Word Count: 875
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

6. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"," by Ambrose Bierce, was published in 1890 and depicts the inner workings of a man's thoughts and values just prior to being executed by way of hanging. ... With that skill set under his belt, Bierce is able to make "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" an accurate external description, from observation and documentation, a subjective view of human nature which is ethically ideal and a clear example of literary realism. In, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"", the brightest depiction of realism is the eerie detail of every aspect in nature and Civil War...

  • Word Count: 1169
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" it's about a man named Peyton Farquhar awaiting to die, but the story makes it seems that he escapes. ... The time is the middle of the Civil War, and Farquhar's plantation lies thirty miles to the south of Owl Creek Bridge. It is his hope to arrive at the bridge well before the Union Army does, and use the driftwood scattered about the area as kindling to burn the bridge down. ... Peyton Farquhar, standing on a bridge with a noose around his neck, awaits his death from hanging. ... Ambrose Bierce in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" devel...

  • Word Count: 766
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Br

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", producer Robert Enrico delivers an inspired story of profound reflection, one that explores the meaning of life and one man's unique journey to find inner peace. ... The plank is pulled from beneath his feet, and in an instant, Peyton is reborn, baptized in the waters of Owl Creek, waters that seem to release him from his past. ... But as the plank is pulled from beneath his feet, Peyton miraculously begins a journey into the next world, falling into the deep waters of Owl Creek. ... Peyton's journey through the sometimes calm, sometimes rocky...

  • Word Count: 723
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Occurance at Owl Creek

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge I enjoyed this story very much do to the military aspect of it. ... He lied about how many people were guarding the bridge he said "only a picket post half a mile out, on the railroad, and a single sentinel at this end of the bridge" (Ambrose Bierce, 169) but in the beginning of the story it mentioned that there was "a single company of infantry in line, at parade rest", (Ambrose Bierce, 167). ...

  • Word Count: 436
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School