An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - Essay Example

Maryam Al Jabri Laura Thomas 1033-30 NNS October 8, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Stories that capture the imagination and carry the reader to another place and time are worthy of discussion indeed. The way in which Ambrose Bierce manipulates time and plays with reality is what makes “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” such a thought-provoking story. The order of events that constitute the story do not correspond to the natural sequence of the events. Bierce uses this ingeniously to foreshadow the fate of Peyton Farquhar and create allusions to the outcome and significance of the story.

One example can be found in the situation that describes the ticking of Farquhar’s watch in Part I. The event itself lasts only for a few seconds but this is depicted in a comparatively long passage. "The intervals of the strikes grew progressively longer, the delays became maddening" (Bierce). This paper focuses on how Bierce manipulates time throughout the story, and how this manipulation is noticeable at first when the reader is introduced to a flashback midway through the tale. This paper focuses on Bierce’s manipulation of time in each section, and especially how this manipulation is located in Part II.

Bierce begins the story at what seems to be near the end of Farquhar’s life as he stands in the gallows waiting to be hanged. The ticking watch symbolizes the time that is quickly drawing to a close for Farquhar. It is certainly a foreshadowing of what is to come. Perhaps he uses this to reflect on his life in an effort to find meaning in it all. Bierce is masterful in his ability to draw the reader into the rest of the story through his recounting of the events recounted in the first section of the story.

In Part II, the narrator describes how a gray-clad soldier comes to Farquhar’s house and reports about happenings on the Owl Creek Bridge. The Union army is repairing the bridge and they are getting ready for another advance. Any civilian caught interfering with the railroad is to be hanged. After this meeting Farquhar sees his chance to release his energy and sympathies for the southern cause. The narrator gives an insight into the reason of Faquhar’s current situation after the reader learns the consequence that the protagonist is to be hanged.

This conversation happens earlier than the events currently depicted in the story and it clearly interrupts the chronology of the natural sequence of events. This occurs due to a foreshadowing effect that Bierce effectively employs, and it enables the reader to fully understand the events leading up to this point. Another aspect of how time is presented in this short story concerns ‘story time’ and ‘discourse time’. The actual story or time that passes within the narrated world is just a few minutes long and only covers the physical death as he is hanged.

The ‘discourse time’, however, is much longer as it explores the journey Farquhar takes in his mind prior to death. For example, it is interesting to read how this comes about based on the fact the driftwood seems to be moving slowly, yet for Farquhar it is moving quite fast. The entirety of Part III is the pure fantasy of Farquhar and only passes by in his mind. The reader, like Farquhar, puts the 'story time' on hold and is transported to an alternative version of Farquhar's reality where time seems to stand still.

Details concerning the relationship between the ‘story’ and ‘discourse time’ can be found in various passages. Another example can be found at the beginning of Part III when Farquhar awakes from his loss of consciousness. " …ages later, it seemed to him…" (Bierce). How the world must have appeared to him. Reality was altered, as he awoke to a whole new stage of life, in his mind anyway. Furthermore, one also can recognize an ‘ellipsis’ in the text, as the narrator leaves out a period of time between two events.

In the text, the reader learns the reason for Farquhar’s destiny in Part II and the act of his punishment in Part I. The narrator does not mention the crime for which Farquhar is punished. The reader only really gets an impression of Peyton Farquhar’s character and his feelings when he is described at the beginning of the second part. His passion and interest to be a soldier and give his energies to the southern cause appears to be fanatical. A very clear part of Farquhar's delusion is the vision of his flight from his executioners.

Towards the end, the reader learns that everything that has happened is an illusionary dream of Farquhar. Nothing is real. In his mind he travels a whole night to reach his home but in reality this entire fantasy takes place during the time he fell from the bridge until his death - maybe a few seconds. A very significant example for his state of mind is his description of the ticking of his watch. For him, the ticking of the watch seems to be "… like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon an anvil …" (Bierce).

He cannot locate were this sound comes from. "… immeasurably distant or nearby – it seemed both" (Bierce). Furthermore, the author describes the pauses between the ticking sounds of the clock as intervals of silence growing progressively longer. "With their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness" (Bierce). This is obviously not possible because a clock ticks at a consistent rate. These events shows how distorted his perception of reality is. Not until the end does the reader actually concretely get the impression that the protagonist’s entire escape was a delusion.

The immense slowing of time is very powerful as it allows the author to signify to the reader the value of life. Even with no knowledge of Farquhar's specific crimes, the reader is relieved when the rope breaks and he makes his escape. As Farquhar absorbs the beauty of his newfound freedom, so does the reader. Perhaps Bierce was alluding to how life can be and should be cherished and appreciated as if it were a colorful dream in one’s mind. Bierce’s journey of time is both powerful and significant and works flawlessly in its creative processes.

Works Cited Bierce, Ambrose. "Fiction." : An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. The EServer Collection, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Skinner, J. “The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Against Interpretation.” The Journal of Narrative Technique. 15.1 (1985): 215-222