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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge | Ambrose Bierce | Summary | Neb English Notes
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
ABOUT THE STORY
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
The short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" was written by Ambrose Bierce, an American writer and Civil War veteran. Written in 1890, this story is renowned and frequently included in American literature anthologies. It debuted in The San Francisco Examiner on July 13, 1890, and was later collected in Bierce's book "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians" (1891). The narrative unfolds during the American Civil War, featuring an unusual time sequence and a surprising conclusion. The plot revolves around a man facing execution, highlighting the resilience of the human mind when confronted with impending death. Key themes include the fluid nature of time and the blurred boundary between reality and illusion.
FULL PLOT SUMMARY
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
This story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" has three parts. In the first section, Peyton Farquhar is on a railroad bridge, 20 feet above the water. His hands are tied behind him. There's a noose around his neck, connected to a beam above. He stands on shaky planks placed over the train tracks, similar to a makeshift platform. Two soldiers from the Northern army, a sergeant, and a captain are quite near to him. They are ready for the execution. Beyond them, armed guards stand at attention.
There is a forest on one side of the bridge, and on the other side, across the stream, there's open ground leading to a small hill with a fort. A motionless group of infantrymen, led by their lieutenant, stands still in front of the fort. While the two soldiers finish getting everything ready, they step backward and take away the separate planks they were on. The sergeant salutes the captain, and then he positions himself on the other end of the board supporting Farquhar. The captain, like the soldiers, steps off and away from the train tracks.
Waiting for the captain's signal, the sergeant is ready to step away, letting Farquhar hang from the bridge's edge. Farquhar looks at the surging water below. He observes a piece of driftwood floating away. He thinks the stream seems slow. Trying to ignore his current situation, he closes his eyes and concentrates more intently on thoughts of his wife and children.
Suddenly, he hears a clear, metallic ticking, which sounds both far away and nearby. It's the sound of his watch. When he opens his eyes and looks at the water again, he daydreams about breaking free, getting rid of the noose, and diving into the stream to swim to safety, reaching his home beyond the enemy lines. These thoughts are just beginning to take shape in Farquhar's mind when the captain nods to the sergeant, and the sergeant moves away from the board.
In the second part, we find out that Farquhar was a successful planter who strongly supported the Southern cause. Since he couldn't join the Confederate army, he wished to contribute to the South's war effort in a significant way. In a previous evening, both Farquhar and his wife were sitting on their property when a soldier in gray uniform arrived there, asking for water. Assuming he was from the Confederate army, Farquhar inquired about the latest news from the front. He learned that Northern forces had fixed the railroads, preparing for another advance, and had already reached the Owl Creek bridge.
The soldier revealed that any civilian who disrupted the Northern efforts in the region would face execution by hanging. Farquhar, curious, inquired about potential sabotage methods for a civilian. The soldier suggested setting fire to the driftwood near the bridge, accumulated from the previous winter's flood. After finishing his drink, the soldier, who was actually a Northern scout in disguise, left but returned an hour later, heading in the opposite direction.
In Section III, bring us back to the current moment of the hanging. Farquhar loses his consciousness as he falls from the bridge. He wakes up feeling pain all over his body. A sudden splash brings him back to full awareness, and he realizes that the noose has broken, causing him to plunge into the stream below. He observes a flickering light that fades and then grows stronger as he cautiously rises to the water's surface.
Terrified of being shot by Northern soldiers once they see him in the water, Farquhar manages to free his tied hands and remove the noose from his neck. Despite intense pain, he struggles to reach the water's surface, letting out a loud scream as he takes a deep breath. Looking back, he sees his would-be executioners on the bridge, their figures outlined against the sky. One of the guards shoots his rifle at Farquhar twice, and Farquhar can discern the marksman's gray eye through the gun's sights.
Hearing the lieutenant ordering his men to shoot, Farquhar dives underwater to avoid the gunfire. He quickly removes a piece of metal sticks in his neck. He comes out on the water surface to breathe just as the soldiers reload and the sentinels fire again from the bridge. Aware of the imminent gunfire barrage, Farquhar, swimming with the current, anticipates the upcoming danger. A cannonball hits close by, showering him with spray, and the redirected shot crashes into the trees. Anticipating the next volley of grapeshot from the cannon, Farquhar is suddenly caught in a swirling motion before being expelled from the river onto a gravelly bank, hidden from sight and beyond the reach of his intended executioners and their gunfire.
Filled with much joy and admiration for the landscape, Farquhar has no intention of increasing the distance between himself and his pursuers when suddenly, a volley of grapeshot above startles him. Finding refuge in the forest, guided by the sun, he travels throughout the day, spurred on by thoughts of his family. Choosing a remote route, he arrives at his home early in the morning. He walks towards the house where his wife awaits. As he reaches out to embrace her, he feels a sharp blow to the back of his neck, surrounded by a blinding white light. Silence and darkness engulf him, revealing Farquhar's death, his broken body actually hanging from the side of the Owl Creek bridge.
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