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An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Time Essay

749 Words3 Pages

In the short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce, the author tells the story of a man named Peyton Farquhar who was hanged for his crimes and being a Confederate saboteur. Within seconds of being hung, Farquhar imagines himself surviving being hung and escaping to his family. Ultimately, he actually dies since it was only a manipulation of reality. Besides the fact of his death, Time is an idea that it clearly present in the story and demonstrates an important role. Time plays an important role in the story by displaying how extraordinary the mind can do in a short period of time, that 8 manipulation of time does not remove one from reality and Farquhar’s lack of control of events. In the short story, the author indicates how important the role of time is by showing how much the mind can carry out in such a short period of time. In the first section of the story, time passes normally and fluidly, but by the end of the first section and during the second. It alters completely in which it interrupts the flow of time and slows it down tremendously. In the first section, Bierce says, “He wondered what [the …show more content…

Throughout the course of the story, the author takes the reader back and forth between time and has a strange flow of it. As readers, we found out Farquhar’s name and what happened after he fell through the bridge. It connects back to how Farquhar tries to manipulate time and reality but ultimately leads to his death. By moving between the present and the past, it shows how much Farquhar lacks control of time. In the story, Bierce writes, “The sergeant stepped aside. Peyton Farquhar was a… He was a Federal scout. As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward…” (Bierce). By using this technique, the author can demonstrate how Farquhar lacks control over the course of events which shows how important time is to the

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