The explanation for his struggles is because he is being killed for his crimes during the civil war, he longs to escape his execution, run off into the woods and return to his family. In the end Farquhar is hanged and fantasizes his escape, even though he has been hanged. Hence, how the element of person versus self-conflict is a large role in producing meaning in the duration of the plot. Although, many literary elements play a key role in the short stories “Happy Endings” and “An Occurrence At Owl Creek”, the element of person versus self-conflict delineates meaning in the span of the story. The authors writing and description of the main characters inner conflict in the story, in different quotations and descriptions of the character, represent this.
The union spy planted a seed of hearsay into Farquhar’s mind and Farquhar’s desires allowed this seed to sprout into what he saw as a possibility for acknowledgement and commendation. One can tell that Farquhar was consumed by the thought of being a war hero. His willingness to serve the confederacy is what dooms his life after he is caught trying to burn the bridge and stop the unions progression into the south. After his capture Farquhar is sentenced to death by hanging, when the noose slipped around his neck the only thoughts going through his head were those of escape, how he would do it and what he would do if he did. Before he knew it the sergeant stepped aside and Farquhar fell though the bridge to his death, but this is not the e... ... middle of paper ... ...ay to end such a captivating story, but for those who were able to catch on it may actually seem quite peaceful.
Captain Vere knows that a mutiny might occur and does not want it to happen. Captain Vere could possibly be using Billy's execution for his crime of killing Claggart as an example for the rest of the crew. It shows the crew what will happen to them if they try to start a mutiny. After Billy's death CaptainVere obviously feels regret for executing Billy. Captain Vere's last words are "Billy Budd, Billy Budd" (p. 76) show an example of this.
In Ambrose Bierces " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" two private soldiers of the Federal army were appointed by a sergeant to lynch Peyton Farquhar from a elderly suspended bridge because of his attempt to aid the Confederate forces. He was to be executed for aiding the confederate forces. He knew his death was at his fingertips and couldn’t help ponder its arrival. He looks at the river below observing the depth of the river. Early on in the story Ambrose portrays Peyton, from his perspective, seeing a shallow river.
Twain’s A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It use of vernacular speech allows for the story to be... ... middle of paper ... ...in but also illustrates the distinct viewpoint between the southerners and northerners and the black and white people of the post-Civil War United States. Vernacular storytelling is an important aspect of not only American short stories but in American history itself. Vernacular speech portrays the awful but true themes of racism, southern life and post-Civil War struggles in an intriguing manner. When first reading A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It and The Goophered Grapevine the themes may not have appeared similar but through the use of vernacular storytelling both Twain and Chesnutt give an accurate account of racial inequalities. As seen in both, A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It and The Goophered Grapevine the use of dialect literature helps preserve this serious issue of racism, found prominently in post-Civil War history.
The 1890 story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce was composed with a structure that shows time fluidity. The story illustrated the perceived function of time as beyond reality as it slows down to the satisfaction of the delusions of protagonist, Peyton Farquhar, as he experiences a dying incident on the day of his execution. Farquhar was charged with the crime of an attempted act to destroy or sabotage the Owl Creek Bridge, and was thereafter sentenced to death by the Federal Army. Farquhar believes as he also leads the readers the same that he has escaped execution and has made his way back home. The dying protagonist’s experience was portrayed in a slow flow of time that seemed to exactly fit the many circumstances that occurred just in time for reality to come and take its place in time.
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” written by Ambrose Bierce, is about a man named Peyton Farquhar, who was being hung at the Owl Creek Bridge. This story takes place in the American Civil War era in Alabama where the Union army declared, “they would hang any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains.” Bierce uses many different themes in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” but his standout, and most important, themes are man vs. himself, the battle, triumph over adversity, love conquers all, and death. Bierce starts his story of a man who was about to be hung from Owl Creek Bridge. Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, from an old and highly respected Alabama family. Being a slave owner as well as a politician, he was naturally an original secessionist and very devoted to the southern cause.
Ambrose Bierce wrote “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” in 1890 for the San Francisco Examiner. Before this, Bierce fought in the American Civil War for the Union Army as a lieutenant. In the Civil War, Bierce fought in some of the most horrific battles such as Shiloh and Chickamauga. These battles were often gruesome and horrific due to the limited medical knowledge of the time. After the Civil War, Bierce went through a period of misfortune, where his wife left him and his son died in a gunfight.
Is it possible for there to be more than one reality, or more than one truth, yet have both still be correct? In An Occurrence at Owl Bridge, it seems this may be the case. Written by Ambrose Bierce, this short story tells the tale of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate, who is tricked by the Unionists into attempting to burn their bridge. When he fails, the Unionists are given an excuse to hang him. The catch comes when the noose breaks, and Farquhar stumbles home.
In this story, the aftermath of a regular man brings him to his death all to quickly, and we can only understand his thoughts and emotion through an author who clearly understands the demands of war. Ambrose Bierce himself was a veteran of war and knew the feeling of fighting for one’s morals, standards, and beliefs, willing to put down his life for a higher cause–whether others understood it or not. During the Civil War, after being set up mercilessly to attempt to sabotage an apparently important bridge, Peyton Farquhar, a southern plantation owner and family man, was sentenced to death by hanging and stood on the solemn Owl Creek Bridge, waiting for the black hour of his demise. In the few seconds it too... ... middle of paper ... ...elieve it’s safe to say countless of people are that hopelessly drunk man who begged for death but automatically protects himself from destruction. It’s only human, after all.