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An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Essay

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The short story by Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a story of many different feelings. The story causes the reader to visualize the preciousness of life itself and takes the reader on a roller coaster of different feelings on as to what is going on because of Bierce’s unique style by telling the story through visual aids and highly descriptive language. The story begins on a railroad bridge, where many northern troops stand with Peyton Farquhar standing on the edge of the bridge on a plank of wood in his last moments of life. Farquhar; being the man he is, was unable to join the military due to adverse circumstances. Instead he went on to continue on in a normal lifestyle as a plantation owner, but still heavily supported the southern agenda. Peyton would do anything to help the south, he was always searching …show more content…

In the end, everything leads up to what looks to be the happy ending the audience is led to expect. The way Bierce describes the final events as the beautiful moment when Peyton finds his wife and returns home. When he extends his arm to grab his wife, this is when Bierce tears the entire story down in one blow. The line says “As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon--then all is darkness and silence! ”, in a split second, Bierce took the happy ending and crushed it (Bierce). This technique is neat because it takes the feelings of the reader and completely molds their feelings in the exact opposite way they were expecting to go. Not all stories are happy in the end and that is what makes this story so interesting. Ambrose Bierce’s writing techniques make this piece a very unique read. It takes what little hope is instilled into the reader and swings it in a completely unexpected direction. Bierce has a unique style that shows that somebody can tell a story without following the traditional flow of a normal

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