An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Literary Realism Essay

Ambrose Bierce, wrote “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” in 1891. The story is about a man named Peyton Farquhar, standing on a railroad bridge above the water. His wrists are tied behind his back, and around his neck is a noose that is tied to a beam overhead. Farquhar is being prepared for execution by hanging from Owl Creek Bridge. The story took place during the American Civil War in Alabama. Tone is defined as the author’s implied attitude. Tone is important because it shows the author’s feelings about the story and characters, without directly saying it. The tone of a story affects the audience’s interpretations of the characters. In “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” the tone of the narrator is sympathetic and leaves the readers feeling compassion for the main character.

In the 1800’s, many writers became tired of the romanticized writing that had been popular during that time. Because of the Romantic movement, many writers wanted a real view of the world, not a sugar-coated fantasy. Therefore, the Realism movement was born. Stories such as “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce and “An Episode of War” by Stephen Crane were created. These authors focused on real life and the fact that life is unfair and is to be taken seriously. The stories also use many literary techniques to show the reality of the world.

Here are some examples of foreshadowing and shock within “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. The soldiers shooting at Peyton Farquhar miss

The first example of an allusion, is when Farquhar becomes unconscious while he is traveling home. “Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking,” (489). This alludes to the fact that he is dying. This is because no one falls asleep while moving. Also, sleeping resembles death in the idea that the victim is not conscious. An additional sample of an allusion is when the soldiers are standing at parade rest. Parade rest is a position in which the soldiers have their guns on their shoulders. They would not hold their guns like this if they thought they may need them. This shows that they are confident that Farquhar will not get away, and that he will die. Yet another example of an allusion in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is when Farquhar falls through the bridge. “As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead,” (484). The fact that he almost dies once here alludes to his actual death later in the short

Ambrose Bierce in his story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” employs foreshadowing throughout the ending of the story and drops clues to signal in advance the unreliable nature of the concluding section. Bierce creates an abundant amount of foreshadowing. Most of the foreshadowing is used in part III of this short story. Some examples may include: The word “occurrence” in the title. What is going through Peyton Farquhar’s mind as he has the noose around his neck and is waiting to be hanged. Another example is where Farquhar feels a “sense of suffocation” after he falls into the water when the rope supposedly breaks.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” takes place after the South had ceded from the union and the American Civil War began. Peyton Farquhar is a slave owner who tries to burn down the bridge disconnect the Union from the South and fails. He fantasizes for the majority of the novella of escaping the grasp of the union and returning to his family through a perilous tale that is similar to the lengths slaves went to when trying to escape their owners. Slaves would become “fatigued, footsore, [and] famished” while trying to

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is written in the third person limited omniscient point of view. The narrator is telling the story as if observing it from outside any of the characters, yet you know everything that Peyton is feeling and thinking with great detail. This method of telling the story very effectively reinforces the idea that this inherent want and need for survival is something that can be found in nearly all humans. If the story had been told in first person by Peyton, this would not be so much

Literary realism’s goal is to invoke compassion within its readers. By learning and experiencing something of the characters’ lives in the story, one of the hopes for realism is that by invoking sympathy within the reader, social injustice may be dealt with.

One element that Bierce uses to create and maintain suspense in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is the setting. According to Daniel Samide, the narrative takes place during the Civil War, a time period in which

During the time that this story was written, realism was a trending topic. Realism is a style and type

The late 19th century and early 20th century were periods of rapid growth for America. As there were gold rushes in the West, new farms arising in the Great Plains, and the genesis of new factories in the North, each region developed its own subculture. The culture developed by each of these regions was directly reflected in the Regionalist literary works written at that time. Regionalism is a branch of Realism that includes literary works that focus on characters, dialect, customs, and other features of a specific region. Realism pertains to literary works that describe middle-class life and heavily focuses on character. Realism makes use of plausible, real events and characters. Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Willa Cather are notable authors stemming from the Realist movement that occurred around the turn of the century. Mark Twain’s “Corn Pone Opinions” comments on the fickleness of the human mind, using the example of a slave minister. Bret Harte’s “The Outcasts of Poker ” tells the tale of a gambler and other rabble rousers who were shunned from the Western mining town of Poker , which had recently seen a moral reprise. Willa Cather’s My Antonia narrates the life of Jim Burden, an upper-class boy who grows up on a Blackhawk, Nebraska farm with his immigrant friend, Antonia Shimerda. Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Willa Cather address Realism and more so Regionalism in their respective works “Corn Pone Opinions,” “The Outcasts of Poker Flats,” and My Antonia.

The title has an ominous effect upon readers. As can be seen, a terrible event is taking place at the Owl Creek Bridge – a hanging, to be precise. After all, the title does infer that an occurrence will be happening on the bridge. Peyton Farquhar, the man on the verge of being hung, is dangling over a creek, but is this the “occurrence” that Bierce is referring to?

The authors Ambrose Bierce of,” an Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and Rip Van Winkle stories we must appreciate the misconception of the mind and how the author sets images and sounds in place to create a masterful plot. In occurrence at owl Creek Bridge see the author Ambrose Bierce create a setting where a man is to me hung. Leaving the readers to "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" centers on Peyton Farquhar, a southern farmer about to be hanged by the Union army believe in an illusion the main character Peyton Farquhar mind is creating that he may escape.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a brilliant story written about a man facing execution in Northern Alabama during the civil war; by Ambrose Bierce. Although some critics may say it is a story of mere psychology without a fictional meaning; I feel that the story stays true to its fictional setting and uses psychology as it’s guiding force to express the character and human nature in general.

Raymond Williams in his essay Realism and The contemporary novel reconsiders the various descriptions of realism and sets out to drive some generalizations on the methods and substance of contemporary fiction. Williams gives an insight on the existing variations of the term realism, his views on the development of the modern novel and lastly a possibly new meaning of