Owl Creek Bridge Foreshadowing

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This short story is filled with everlasting suspense and epic foreshadowing ultimately leading to the death of Peyton Farquhar, a civil war spy charged of high treason and sentenced to death by hanging. As the story progresses many unseen cues that suggest there’s a much darker meaning behind his death emerge. The story kicks off with our victim Payton Farquhar standing on a plank suspended from Owl Creek Bridge. A noose is secured above his head upon a cross beam leading down around his neck, a large company of solders surrounding the bridge and Payton himself. The water below him is swift yet murky, the forest scattered with snipers and large bulky cannons. As the officers prepare his execution Payton closes his eyes and envisions his family. A long …show more content…
He then proceeds to maneuver through the dense entanglement of tree roots and vegetation, only to collapse from exhaustion. Upon awaking Peyton discovers his home is not far and dashes toward it, when Payton arrives at his home he finds his wife and child waiting there for him. He rushes toward them over joyed to be reunited with his family when all stops, Payton never made it off the bridge, the snapping noise he heard was that of his own neck.
Some theories suggest Peyton was dead the whole time, many dark foreshadowing ultimately leading to his death. As you know, the story begins with Payton Farquhar standing on a plank suspended from the bridge and above his head is a cross beam from which the object of his demise is hung. Could it be that said cross beam could actually be foreshadowing that Payton is in fact already deceased? This cross beam serves to symbolize his own head stone signifying that the bridge from which he stands is really his grave. As the story progresses more dark and sinister representations emerge. The story then goes on to quote one officer telling Payton “Death is a dignitary , for when he comes announced is to be received with formal
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