An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Question

by Ambrose Bierce

“Company!… Attention!… Shoulder arms!… Ready!… Aim!… Fire!”

Farquhar dived—dived as deeply as he could. The water roared in his ears like the voice of Niagara, yet he heard the dull thunder of the volley and, rising again toward the surface, met shining bits of metal, singularly flattened, oscillating slowly downward. Some of them touched him on the face and hands, then fell away, continuing their descent. One lodged between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably warm and he snatched it out.

As he rose to the surface, gasping for breath, he saw that he had been a long time under water; he was perceptibly farther downstream—nearer to safety. The soldiers had almost finished reloading; the metal ramrods flashed all at once in the sunshine as they were drawn from the barrels, turned in the air, and thrust into their sockets. The two sentinels fired again, independently and ineffectually.

The hunted man saw all this over his shoulder; he was now swimming vigorously with the current. His brain was as energetic as his arms and legs; he thought with the rapidity of lightning: “The officer,” he reasoned, “will not make that martinet’s error a second time. It is as easy to dodge a volley as a single shot. He has probably already given the command to fire at will. God help me, I cannot dodge them all!”

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by

Answer 1

Ambrose Bierce is a powerful short story that explores themes of illusion, time, and the boundaries between reality and imagination. The narrative follows Peyton Farquhar, a Southern planter who is being executed by Union soldiers during the Civil War. As the story unfolds, we see Farquhar's desperate attempt to escape while he also engages in inner thoughts and memories.

The excerpt you provided captures the tension of the moment, highlighting the chaotic elements of his escape and the physical sensations Farquhar experiences as he dives into the water. It illustrates not only the immediate danger he faces but also his heightened awareness and racing thoughts as he processes his situation.

Through Bierce's masterful use of vivid imagery and psychological depth, the story reveals both the brutality of war and the strength of the human spirit in the face of mortality. The narrative shifts and employs stream-of-consciousness techniques, allowing readers to experience the dramatic tension and eventual twist that is characteristic of Bierce's writing.

If you would like to explore more about the story’s themes, characters, or its significance in American literature, feel free to ask!