Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

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Ambrose Bierce establishes realism to transform people's perception of the Civil War. In his short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, he adds many realistic details that are enhanced by his experience from fighting in the war. However, he replaces reality with a fantasy world that is deceptively similar to the real world. Bierce contradicts realism by hiding the line between reality and illusion in order to trick the readers into thinking that the entire story is real. Robert Enrico, the director of the film version, attempted to portray this same element in his own production. Although Enrico includes some aspects of realism, he creates a blurred line between reality and imagination, and in the end produces a shocking outcome.
Bierce hints at a transition from reality to illusion by using visual imagery to express the sensory perceptions of the main character, Peyton Farquhar. For example, he uses the piece of driftwood in the river as a symbol. Farquhar is thinking about his wife and children, but the driftwood distracts him from his thoughts. In the short story it says: “[...] his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current. How slowly it appeared to …show more content…
An undercover Northern scout advises Farquhar to set fire to the piles of wood under the bridge. The bridge serves as the connection between the Confederacy and the Union. The reason for his execution is because of his attempt to sabotage the bridge, which would lead to the Confederates’ victory, destroying order and connection. At the same time, Farquhar erodes order by fantasizing and disconnecting himself from reality. The bridge serves as the psychological space that joins life and death for Farquhar. As he falls into the river, he is falling into the realm of his own
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