An Inhabitant Of Carcosa By Ambrose Bierce

--These words gives a clear and rational explanation of McCandless’s decision to venture into the wilderness. It shows that he was allured to the wild journey because of the pleasure it would provide him, tempted by a primal desire that could not be fulfilled by a mere human.

Ambrose Bierce’s short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” and the film version directed by Robert Enrico share some similarities but mostly the differences between the two works. Both the short story and film can be compared and contrasted in relation to the emotion, detail and perspective. One is at an advantage, reading the short story before seeing the film because the story gives a better idea of what is happening and who the protagonist really is. In other words, the short story helps in providing the reader with key details that are not mentioned in the film.

“There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs.” This is a quote from George R.R. Martin, an American novelist and short story writer. This quote captures the concept that Ambrose Bierce presents in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Throughout this story, it is clear that Bierce is not keen on war. Bierce is not keen on war and believes it strips the humanity out of people.

Throughout history, people encounter a stage in their lives where they feel the necessity to assert their independence and challenge their abilities and self-worth. In the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the author shares his understanding and kinship with the main character, Chris McCandless, a young man who thrusts himself into a life of solitude and a harsh environment during his search for meaning to his life. Krakauer depicts himself and McCandless as modern day transcendentalists with an abundance of competency, resourcefulness and skills as naturalists. Although McCandless chose to experience a life of solitude and face the hazards that nature presents, his lack of preparedness prevented him from completing his endeavor successfully.

Chris’s passion for the wild began in his childhood. His father, Walt, would take him hiking every year since the age of eight. Theses backpacking trips ignited a longing for adventure that was unquenchable. In chapter five of Into The Wild, the author, Jon Krakauer writes, “McCandless was stirred by the austerity of this landscape, by its saline beauty. The desert sharpened the sweet ache of his longing, amplified it, gave shape to it in sere geology and clean slant of light.” Krakauer refers to Chris’s passion for nature to guide the reader toward a better understanding of his character. For someone who is not entranced by wilderness like McCandless was, it helps to understand how he became infatuated with it. Chris respected nature to such an extreme that when he was dying in the

The title plays an important role in catching the reader’s attention. If the title is interesting or compelling enough, one will be motivated to read it; otherwise, the story may never be read, resulting in a loss to both the author and the reader. In Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author grabs the reader’s attention with a “creepy” title, indicating a bad happening on the Owl Creek Bridge. Peyton Farquhar, a planter who supports the Southern cause during the Civil War, is on the brink of execution by hanging. The title sets the eerie tone of the story, which appears to be about a hanging, and the setting, which appears to be a bridge.

After two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution…. Ten days bring…him to the great white north. No longer poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.” –Jon Krakauer on ‘Into the Wild’. Chris valued nature over everything. Enjoying nature, breathing deeply, forgetting all the problems and conflicts that exist in civilization, feeling the tranquility that gives its essence, the energy that nature gives to the human being, the peace that gives to the mind and much more for Chris was a complete sensation. Chris got inspired by Jack London, an American novelist, who wrote "To Build a Fire" where he quotes "Empty as the mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed the changes in the creek, the curves and Bends and timber jams, and always sharply noted where I have placed his feet. " Saying how a man in pure nature does not put thoughts that are useless in the mind, as most in society do now, stagnate in thoughts without any benefit. Man in nature focuses on survival, using his experiences to survive, being aware of his surroundings. Chris McCandless wanted to experience the same thing, so he decided and went to Alaska and challenge himself.

Ambrose Bierce’s short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” illustrates a theme of illusion versus reality distorted by the human mind. In the story, a man named Peyton Farquhar is about to be hanged on a railroad bridge towards the end of the American Civil War. Farquhar, a Confederate citizen eager to help the Confederate States of America’s cause, ventures out towards Owl Creek Bridge at the advice of a Union scout in disguise. Unbeknownst to Farquhar, Union troops captured the bridge and surrounding territory, and upon capturing Farquhar, elect to hang him on charges of being a Confederate spy and sympathizer. As he is being hanged, however, Farquhar is able to escape his fate by falling into the river below. He manages to return back to his home, only to find out the entire experience of escape was an illusion created by his own imagination. The story concludes with the revelation that he actually died on the railroad bridge. Farquhar’s mind was able to create a whole new reality for himself. This reality was vivid, and it seems real to the reader until the very end of the story. The hallucination also spanned hours, yet in reality time passed for only a few seconds. Ambrose Bierce’s story demonstrates the impeccable powers of the human mind and its ability to distort time and reality for itself.

Understanding oneself is one of the most important factors in living a free life, and living on the road can be a big part of this process. In the novel, Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer writes about a boy who ventures into the wilderness and inevitably learns more about himself on a journey right before he dies. In order to avoid his problematic family, Chris McCandless journeys into danger where he meets people who help him learn more about the world. Although he does eventually meet his end in Alaska, he leaves the world without worries or regrets. By living on the road and in nature, Mccandless is able to live the life that he wants and be free from the clutches of society. While living on the road can prove fatal, it allows a person to find themselves and avoid the problems of society; therefore, people should look to nature in order to better understand themselves.

Throughout the book “Into The Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the reader is exposed to Transcendentalist themes, motifs, and elements that were present in Chris McCandless’ journey to live in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless’ independence established that self-reliance leads to a recurring pattern of physical and emotional hardship for both the individual and who they interact with.

Masculinity. When people see this word they tend to associate its meaning with anything that is associated to men. This leads one to wonder what defines a ‘man’. Why are we associating these traits to this ‘man’? What is so special about the ‘man’ that makes us associate these terms with him and thus associate masculinity with them? The United States society that we live in today may seem to be making people pay a steep price for masculinity, but one does wonder was it always like this? Actually no it was not. Today dressing up as a women or ‘acting like a girl’ reduces your masculinity and makes people view you in a negative light. Cross-dressing in general is frowned upon. Men are very in limited in what they can express and how

The wild is a place where people are able to realize that the things that seemed important are just temporary in a world this big. Many people go into the wilderness looking for freedom from either their surroundings or their own lives. The wilderness while providing freedom also brings total isolation to any person who is seeking it which is not the best if you ask me. Another thing I learned from reading this book is that a person’s identity is a very hard thing to define but can be understood if both people share interests and similar

Jon Krakauer starts the chapter by inserting an excerpt from Jack London’s novel “White Fang”. In the excerpt, London provides a vivid description of the wilderness, “wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild”. The excerpt shows how dangerous the wild can be to someone who knows nothing about nature and is not prepared to face the reality of it. This epigraph gave an outlook onto how harsh the wild truly is and what McCandless might have endured during his journey.

Furthermore, him who went "into the wild" on a trip of exposure toward oneself and light, was especially novel in the endeavor to end up in the wild on the grounds that even he deserted everything, for example, cash, clothes and more he understood that he required those in the deserts so as to survive.

In a rapid rupture of accumulation, Avory 's senses return back to their usual demeanour, allowing the consciousness of what lays within her zone to return to me. Rigidly standing upright atop the slightly soiled ground, the backside of her whole disposition precipitously straightens up as she ventures of into the distance among with an actual destination set in mind, unlike all the other times that she has travelled off into the forests.