An Occurrence at Owl Creek

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek”

Ambrose Bierce short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek” tells of Peyton Farquhar, who is a farmer who owned slaves, and devoted to the South’s cause is about to be hanged for trying to burn down the union bridge. Bierce use of time, deception, and reality to tell a story that keeps the reader’s attention. Bierce also demonstrates that death is inescapable no matter how you try to escape death.

Bierce starts with Peyton standing on the bridge awaiting his execution. Peyton facing his executioners as they make final preparations. During the last moments of Peyton’s life, Bierce shows how time slows, and your mind wonders as Peyton starts to day dream, when a “Striking sound which he could neither ignore nor understand.” (CH1, p2) Bierce shows how distorted Peyton’s mind is becoming moments before being hung. A loud gut wrenching sound that grew louder with each second. As time was nearing his death, the sound intensified and grew further apart. The loud, deafening sound had Peyton feeling like his ears were going to explode, and caused him to flinch at each stroke. Peyton’s mind wonders with each stroke where this sound is coming from as he stands on the plank. The sound is the “ticking of his watch.” (CH1, p2)

Bierce shows while Peyton’s awaiting certain death, he sees the soldiers standing on a slope in a line formation at “parade rest,” motionless and “sentinels that might be statues to adorned the bridge,” whom are motionless. He is showing that the Federal soldiers carry out orders from their commanding officer. They carry out the execution with no words spoken which would have the reader think that they have hung individuals before and that it is natural since no words are spoken. He also has the reader asking why the line of soldiers on the slope watching the execution of a civilian that tried to burn the bridge. He has the reader