Horror and Suspense in Bierce's Work Essay

Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and Stephen Crane’s “The Blue Hotel” are both examples of Naturalistic writing. Both stories end with a man dying violently, though death seems to be avoidable in both cases to demonstrate Naturalism, and the idea of survival of the fittest through writing. Though Peyton Farquhar, and the Swede have free will their free will can be dangerous to themselves especially when not paired with rational thought. The human condition is one of misery, either in life or death, and the world is indifferent to humans and their lives.

“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.

Edgar Allan Poe is known for his knowledge of how to build and use suspense, but how does he do it? Poe has done many works in his time as a poet and he has mastered suspense in writing these works. He knows when and how to use suspense. In all of his story you can find at least one sentence of suspense. Edgar Allan Poe uses craft elements like short and choppy sentences, the setting, and very descriptive language to build suspense in his works.

Author, Ambrose Bierce, who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the realism period. Particularly, in his work titled An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, written in 1890, we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the realism movement which was extant in American letters between 1850 and 1900. As a representative of such a movement, Ambrose Bierce, then remains on the most identifiable and iconic writers of his time.

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.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce, is the story of the hanging of a Civil War era Southern gentleman by the name of Peyton Farquhar. The story begins with an unidentified man being prepared to be hanged by a company of Union soldiers on a railroad bridge that runs over a river. He is then identified as Peyton Farquhar, a man who attempted to destroy the very bridge they are standing on based on information he was given by a Federal scout posing as a Confederate soldier. As he is dropped from the bridge to hang, the rope snaps and he falls into the river. After freeing himself and returning to the surface of the river, he realizes that his senses are all much

The ending of The Storyteller is contrasts the rest of the story in quite a few ways. It has quite a deflated tone as it ends with tension between the aunt and the bachelor. The bachelor makes a prideful comment on his ability to entertain the kids better than the aunt. He also makes observations about the aunt's character and amuses himself in the knowledge that he’s changed the children and their new expectations for stories they may be told in the future.

The narrator through out most of the short story comes of as a pretty shallow character. Besides his stereotyping tendencies he comes of as callous and un-imaginative. He shows his lack of

End: There seems to be more omens near the end of the part. Many bad things start bringing out sides of people never seen.

The patient's idea of the physician is in contrast to the narcissistic patient's contempt, and disregard for the physician, who is keeping a sense of superiority over illness. Only the most senior physician in

Concluding is the interpretation of the short story. This story of prose is a story about an old woman ready to die and as she makes her last visit to the church she only gazes up at the sky and she has nothing to say. She is unwanted by the church congregation and they make it known by throwing her outside in the cold. She only looks up and down the street and sees Jesus coming for her. The tone of this story indicates that she is still alive throughout the church scene until she is outside and sees Jesus. Then the tone changes and reality sets in. She has in fact, passed away and Jesus is coming for

The author writes the story in a very interesting way. The way that there are only a few descriptions scattered about and that it focuses on dialogue is what allows us to figure out what the characters are speaking about and to find the intentions behind their words. The subject of this short narrative stands out boldly. Though it was written in

Sometimes physicians go so far as to make patients feel belittled and helpless. Patients, in turn, are relatively passive and accommodating, at least while they are with their doctors"(du Pre 53).

     On account of Carver's use of the outsider's perspective, the reader is not prepared for the climactic ending: "She would have it, this baby. She grabbed for the baby's other arm. She caught the baby around the wrist and leaned back. But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided.' Here, the reader comes to the point of the story, that two people's own selfishness blinds them to the suffering they cause another. Carver says of this approach. "Almost all the characters is my stories come to the point where they realize that compromise, giving in, plays a major role in their lives. Then one single moment of revelation disrupts the pattern of their daily lives. It's a fleeting moment during which they realize that they don't want to compromise anymore. And afterwards they realize that nothing ever really changes" (Carson). The story ends with the reader guessing at the emotional depth of the characters and why they would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. As the man

1. I think that this story has a great story line. When the story says, " They went onward until they had reached the