an occurance at owl creek bridge
...ngly, splashed into the water: An appalling plash within two yards of him was followed by a loud, rushing sound…which stirred the very river in its deeps! A rising sheet of water curved over him, blinded him, strangled him! The cannon had taken a hand in the game. As he shook his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the deflected shot humming through the air ahead, and in an instant it was cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond. At the end of the story, when the plot turns 180 degrees and we find out that Peyton has, in fact, been hanged, we are amazed that this could have happened. However, when we analyze this sudden turn, we realize that all through the story we have been subtly forewarned of Farquhar’s demise. For example, when he looks through the bridgework toward the water, he notices how slowly the water seems to be moving. This is only one example of time seeming to almost stand still for Peyton, and thus alerts us to the difference between real time and the internal clock Farquhar thinks is real. Another example of Bierce’s use of foreboding is when Peyton Farquhar is in the process of being hanged and the author states, “…it seemed to him [Farquhar]…” It seemed like he had broken free from the bondage of the rope—it only seemed that way to him. When one rereads the story carefully, it is easy to see how such a small clue in that one word “seemed” could be so very important. Another amazing aspect of this story is how closely the author makes us examine this horrible situation. This clearly relates to the story’s theme, which makes us think of Bierce’s short biographical notes in our text. Bierce fought and was wounded in the Civil War, a war which jaded him...