An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is about this southern planter Peyton Farquhar being hanged by the Union Army during the Civil War for trying to burn down Owl Creek Bridge. Ambrose Bierce depicted the entire story as if the rope around Farquhar's neck breaks and that leads to Farquhar falling into the river below, and then escaping back to his farm; where he reunited with his wife. Then at the end of the story, Bierce revealed to the readers that all the events were simply Farquhar's imagination at work in the few seconds between the drop of his rope and his death. In summary, he died and the rope did not break which allowed him to swim down the river.

Bierce used a lot of description to show the readers about the environment and the people in the story. "A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees." The description shows the readers exactly how Farquhar was placed with what kind of materials. "He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His features were good - a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back" That quote shows how Farquhar looked. Bierce did a good job deceiving the audience because it seems so real that Farquhar escaped. The part at the end gave the readers a twist to think about the entire story, because that was when Bierce told the readers all that experience was unreal.