Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge Essay Research
Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge Essay, Research Paper
An Happening at Owl Creek Bridge
Ambrose Bierce s short narrative, An Happening at Owl Creek Bridge, takes topographic point during the Civil War near Corinth, Alabama. The supporter of the narrative, Peyton Farquhar, is a slave proprietor and a politician. In the narrative, Peyton is portrayed as a loving household adult male with a strong sense of consciousness and an every bit strong dedication to the South, and the southern cause in the war. Though Peyton has many different features, the three traits mentioned are likely his strongest and have the most to make with the result of the narrative.
Peyton is portrayed as a loving household adult male. Peyton has a married woman and at least two kids of his ain. He comes from an old and extremely well-thought-of Alabama household ( 259 ) . His love for his household, although non straight stated, is evident in Peyton s concluding ideas before being hanged. While Peyton is merely minutes off from decease, he closes his eyes in order to repair his last ideas upon his married woman and kids ( 258 ) . He yearns to return place to his household and is grateful that his married woman and small 1s are still beyond the encroacher s farthest progress ( 259 ) . This statement shows how Peyton cares for his household s safety. As Peyton falls between the railroad ties and is holding the life choked out of him, he slips into a dream in which he escapes from the custodies of his enemy and returns place. His concluding vision in his dream, before entire darkness, is when he makes it to his plantation. He walks through the gate and he sees his married woman: she stands waiting, with a smiling of indefinable joy, an attitude of nonpareil grace and self-respect ( 263 ) . I think Peyton s last idea of his beautiful married woman shows how much he cares for and loves her.
Another one of Peyton s character traits that is shown in the narrative is his degree of consciousness of his milieus. As he stands on the span and prepares for his destiny, a piece of dancing driftwood caught his attending and his eyes followed it down the current ( 258 ) . At a clip when most work forces would be overcome with fright, Peyton is able to concentrate his attending on the wood, the watercourse, and peaceable ideas. He is able to get away his fright by concentrating on what is about him. His inactive ideas are shortly interrupted when he became witting of a new perturbation. Striking through the ideas of his beloved 1s was a sound which he could neither disregard or understand ( 259 ) . The sound that he can hear so clearly is the ticking of his ticker, which seems to bring forth a noise so loud that his ears hurt. His degree
of consciousness is farther revealed during his fantasized flight ; Peyton seems to cognize exactly what he must make to get away from his enemies and their gunshot, and precisely what his enemies are believing. These are statements that prove Peyton is cognizant of his milieus and things that are go oning.
A concluding quality of Peyton s character, and possibly his strongest, is his trueness to the South and the southern cause in the war. This feature is clearly seen in the writer s description of Peyton. Bing a slave proprietor every bit good as a politician Peyton was of course an original secessionist and ardently devoted to the southern cause ( 259 ) . The writer subsequently reveals merely how strong Peyton s devotedness to the cause is: No service was to low to him to execute in assistance of the South ( 259 ) . Unfortunately for Peyton, it is his southern trueness that causes him to fall into the custodies of the enemy as he is captured while trying to undermine a span that has fallen under the control of the North. Even though he is warned of the possible result due to his actions, any civilian caught interfering with the railway, its Bridgess, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged ( 259 ) , Peyton still decides to put on the line all that is of import to him in an effort to assistance in the success of the Confederate Army. Peyton is willing to decease for his trueness to the South, and what he believes in.
The writer, Ambrose Bierce, had really served in the Civil War under the Union Army, First as a drummer male child and so finally going a major by the terminal of the war ; because of this he had first manus experience in the war and the events that took topographic point. This fact is clearly apparent in the writer s clear word picture of the events and of the milieus every bit good as his character descriptions. Peyton Farquhar is depicted as an mean southern plantation proprietor who truly loves his household ; he has a strong sense of consciousness of his milieus and an even stronger devotedness to the southern cause.
Peyton s admirable character traits finally cost him his life. Love agencies to hold intense fondness for another originating out of affinity or personal ties ; enthusiasm or fancy. Peyton Farquhar was so affectionate of the South that he made the determination to put on the line his ain life. I think its true that people do brainsick things for love. It is a sad state of affairs for Peyton and the monetary value he had to pay for his devotedness, but the cost of life is deceasing and that s one everybody pays. Sometimes what we love is besides what kills us, this statement holds true for Peyton and his dedication to the Confederacy.
