Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek

Ambrose Bierce, the protagonist of An Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, is one of the enduring writers whose works stand over contemporary literature. The novel, which was first published in 1890, is about the American Civil War period and the horrifying experiences between soldiers and American civilians (Evans 8). The story's key components are the twisted ending and the unprecedented time series. Following the author's abandoning of the common example in order to resolve the protagonist's nonlinear narration, the stream of consciousness is a theme subject to reality exploration. Indeed, the theme of avoidance of death is a cardinal factor that makes the story Bierce`s most anthologized. Avoidance of DeathIn his work, Bierce centralizes the subject of the fear of mortality. Through the protagonist, it is clear that all mechanisms are engaged in the mind of those in danger to believe that what was happening was not real, for the avoidance of death. Across the text, the primary role of Farquhar is to interpret the world within and around him. All that happens is strictly tied to his personality and his surrounding during the volatile moment in the American history. Nevertheless, as the story progresses, the author portrays Farquhar as somebody who cannot be relayed on, judged on what he does and says (Evans 12). The version of the core message takes a new turn, and the whole storyline is distorted into disbelieve. By focusing on whatever that happens in the life of Farquhar, Bierce compels his readers to imagine what could happen to our lives in such treacherous moments and whether reality to death will be our typical address. Indeed, the murder is almost taking place, it is inevitable. However, he is capable of imagining and evading the reality, that the impending death was not real, by so doing, he escapes death in his mind and conscience. Certainly, it is clear that during the war and deadly feuds, there is neither rational thinking nor glory. The author employed the word Occurrence in the title of the book, a term which connotes a meaning that whatever was happening was real, and that life was not as precious as it should be, rather, people were being killed masslessly without subjecting the judgments to the scrutiny of reason.The fear expressed by Farquhar demonstrates the danger of war that could lead to fantasy and psychological trauma. Indeed, war is not any common and distinct social encounter, rather, it shakes the inner self, it traumatizes, and stigmatizes, war and its effects cause more harm than death itself. As such, the author creates scenes that portray the escape from the harsh experience of mortality by the character he creates (Evans 10). Furthermore, the death that happens in dignity and honor regarding the human person was lacking. During the time of war, no recognition is accompanied with the course of the end of life, it is indeed horrible, and nobody is willing to put up with the same. The other theme emphasized in the text is the idea of escaping from death psychologically (Bierce 1). The delusion and psychological torture Farquhar goes through to help him run away from death is disheartening. The moment of horror and emotional distress that the audience of Bierce feels at the culmination of the story is a clear reflection of the distortion of the reality of death that Farquhar undergoes.Irrational FantasiesIrrational fantasies is another question broadly covered in the text by Bierce. Therefore, there is clear distinguishing between reality and illusion in the text. The concepts of reality and fantasy operate as an inseparable pair from the beginning to the end of the book, and it remains unclear to Bierce`s audience the difference between the two (Bierce 241). A keen observation about the illusion Farquhar experiences is mirrored as reality to the reader. Indeed, Farquhar is in the hands of his adversary; he is almost dying, he has no peace. Consequently, the sad moment only allows him to become illusive as a form of escape from death, and the only platform upon which he can gain control over the hard situation, as the current state is an experience of real terror for him. It is true that his mind and conscience achieves a rear escape from harm, the safety that his physical being could not guarantee (Bierce 1). On the other hand, the second encounter with Farquhar and whatever reason that brought him the very end mirrors the scout in the north. Disguised in the gray outfit of the Confederate soldier, he reflects one segment of what is true, and on the other hand, he fights with his conscience, an eventuality of a blurred illusion. Indeed, by the beginning and hence the total inception of the third occurrence of the fantasy of Farquhar, Bierce`s audience is fully submerged into the storyline, and the elusive and unrealistic estate of Farquhar has become a reality for both the reader and the protagonist (Samide 44). This is an outstanding writing characteristic that makes Bierce feature as a highly creative and imaginative author. The language used is simple for the ease of understanding, and the diction is very appropriate to the occasion at hand. He moves his audience; the readers become emotionally bound to the flow of the story. The bitter times of civil war are brought to life at the time of reading. Indeed the illusion that the protagonist encounters and creates unrealistic thoughts becomes a critical influence to the reader too. Just like the belief of Farquhar that the northern scout should be the Confederate soldier, it remains impractical to seek to differentiate reality and illusion in the text. As such the fantasy and hence the illusion of Farquhar that he was running away from death only guarantees him one successful outcome, that he endangered and was bound to die. Ignorance of RealityIgnorance of reality and hence the ultimate denial characterizes the third phase of the protagonist’s experience during his desperate times, even though he overcomes the reality, and his illusion wins against the enemy that he has escaped death, letting death take a course in disbelief, and he is executed (Samide 46). While he faces death, Farquhar does not only manage to escape from the bitter experience of the looming death, but he as well manages to run outside of his physical body (Bierce 23). His ability to create the fantasy of escape is made possible by the reduction of his being to a mere network of sensory impressions, not perceived by his person. The separation from his conscious being is connoted by the fact that illusion and reality were getting differentiated then. Indeed, Farquhar is capable of telling the elapsing time between the time the canon is short and the period the shot arrives at its target. Furthermore, Farquhar explains that unbelievable that he is capable of distinguishing the gray eye of his killer through the sights of the rifle. The increase unrealistic and chaotic fantasies that Farquhar enters clearly demystifies reality an illusion, a horrifying estate that he is reduced into (Samide 46). Bierce does not only emerge as an unmatched witty and skillfully creative author, rather, but he also presents the vivid encounters in a figurative manner. For instance how he exemplifies the horizontal bands that appeared colored in the vision of the protagonist, simplifying his total loss of awareness and conciseness hence the onset of ultimate denial. The occurrence at Owl Greek Bridge is an apparent show of the flow of time toward the end periods of the vulnerable in the hands of their killers (Ames 66). The ability of the author to move the structure of the storyline from the present to the past, and then convert the past into the present is a show of the anxiety, the confusion, and the desperate estate of the time. The encounter of the second phase technically serves to interrupt the flow of the initial stage, where the executions are taking place (Ames 58). While hanging from the bridge, Farquhar commits his destiny to himself; he slips into an illusion of reality of comfort, where the cruel laws of the time do not condemn him with execution (Alcott 67). As the clicking of his wrist watch continues to count the time for his departure is nearing, and Farquhar enters into a timeless reality. He imagines himself drifting into the water at the moment of agony, and the author compares him to a huge pendulum that spins abstractly out of control (Samide 45). At this time, Farquhar has neither died nor alive, rather, he does join a new peculiar world, with unique experience outside of his conscience as he escapes reality. A brief window is explained, a bonus of time, whereby before his killer pulls the trigger, Farquhar is allowed enough time to get back to his family and claim their warm company (Stoicheff 19). Nevertheless, despite the ability of Farquhar to run away from the truth of the time, his day has finally come, and even though death could be positioned for a while, it was inevitable, and he gave his final denial.ConclusionThe author explained the desperate situation of the American civil war, whereby a civilian is facing a death row without trial, and hence without justice. Therefore, war does not have justice, and both the innocent and the just are brutally subject to unfair treatment, Torture, stigma, suffering, and injustices that characterized the time, encounters which are exemplified in the life of Farquhar, who is a causality of war (Stoicheff 67). In the text, the reader is left in a dilemma as to whether seconds in time, mind, minutes, or conscience is the primary separation from death or otherwise (Ames 64). Nevertheless, a clear understanding of the very issues is not brought out clearly by the author, rather, through the desperate Farquhar, we can recognize the concepts of conscience, death, torture, and life after death. By ending the story, a reader is entirely convinced that Farquhar is no more, he is dead (Stoicheff 72). The subject of demise is deeply associated to that of time and forms of authenticity in this book, because the involvement of the distinction between life and mortality is fantastically subjective for Farquhar.Works CitedAlcott, Ambrose B. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Xist Publishing, 2015. Ames, Clifford R. “Do I Wake or Sleep? Technique as Content in Ambrose Bierce’s Short Story, ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.’” American Literary Realism 19.3 (1987): 52–67. Print.Bierce, Ambrose, and Ernest J. Hopkins. The Civil War Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce. U of Nebraska P, 1988. Bierce, Ambrose, and Jonathan Reese. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: And Other Stories. Tantor Media, 2009. Bierce, Ambrose. “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge JN - Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. N.p., 2006. 1. Web.Evans, Robert C. “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge.” Short Fiction: A Critical Companion JN - Short Fiction: A Critical Companion c (1997): 7–12. Web.Samide, Daniel E. “Anatomy of a Classic: Ambrose Bierce Cleverly Used Some Key Literary Tools in Crafting His Civil War Tale ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.’” Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.) JN - Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.) 118.5 (2005): 42–44. Web.Stoicheff, Peter. “‘Something Uncanny’: the Dream Structure in Ambrose Bierce’s ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.’” Studies in Short Fiction VO - 30 3 (1993): 349. Web.