Se-AnnWilliams

Deeper Look At: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was a well-illustrated piece of literature. The details used by the author allow the readers to engage themselves in the story. The detail that Bierce uses in the story is confusing. In my opinion the author creates an opening of interpretation to plot the story. This is a result of Bierce’s attempt to engage the readers into wanting to read the story. It may also be Bierce’s way of persuading the reader to contemplate the idea he wrote about. These ideas were thoughts about war.
However, individuals may generally interpret this story in two different ways. As for me, I comprehend the story as Peyton seeing his future as he would want it to be, flashing before his eye the second before he falls to death. Therefore, I concluded that Peyton was already dead at the beginning of the story. While interpreting the story, I figured that his vision were not real, but were the only things he would hope happen in his near future if he was able to escape from the hands of death. The ticking of the watch signifies the lost moments of his life.
Taking a deeper look allowed me not to be shocked when he was dead at the end of story. On the other hand, others might have interpret the story as Peyton’s escaping from his death sentence and going back to his family to live his life in happiness with his wife and children before dying at the end. They would interpret the story as Peyton having his last wishes come true and being able to break out swimming down the river to safety. People with this view are shocked at the end when they find out Peyton is dead. Upon elaborating on their understanding of the narrative, the story become somewhat of a fantasy.
The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a story that keeps the readers in suspense of whether Peyton was really dead or alive. The details Bierce used throughout the story created a realistic scene and in a sense it brought the story to life. He pulls his readers into the story by creating an attention grabbing plot and allows the readers to create their own interpretation of the events that accompany the plot. At the end however, every reader develops an interpretation as to what actually happen to Farquhar and whether he was dead or alive during what seems to be a fantasy created in Farquhar’s mind.