Bierce Literary Elements

An Occurrence of Literary Elements

Ambrose Bierce’s use of dramatic irony, 3rd person limited point of view, and syntax and diction creates suspense for the reader about the fate of Peyton Farquhar, the protagonist of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. While flashbacking the events of Peyton Farquhar, Bierce utilizes dramatic irony to initiate the suspense that makes the reader question Peyton’s fate. Bierce intentionally states, “An hour later, after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going northward in the direction from which he had came. He was a Federal scout.” (Bierce 3) Bierce blatantly reveals that the soldier is indeed an Union soldier in contrast of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate (assumingly) slave owner from Alabama. Peyton

Bierce periodically transitions his writings to be detailed & emphasized, and later on writes simple & brief statements. In an orderly fashion, Bierce wrote “ The hunted man saw all this over his shoulder he was now swimming vigorously with the current. His brain was energetic as his arms and legs; he thought with the rapidity of lightning”. (Bierce 6) He vividly illustrates the moment to make the reader question whether Peyton successfully escaped the dilemma. In addition, Bierce “implies” that Peyton successfully escaped by using diction and syntax, emphasizing phrases such as “swimming vigorously with the current” and “thought [thinking] with the rapidity of lightning”. Noticeably, when Bierce writes the excerpts with details & emphasizes Peyton’s attempted escape, he doesn’t reveal the fate of Peyton. He makes the syntax longer in order to make the reader ponder as they read to excerpt which builds up suspense in the process. Bierce wrote the quote with more detail in comparison of the last few sentences of the story that are written to be simple and brief. Bierce simply states, “Peyton Farquhar was dead; with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek.” (Bierce 7) Moreover, Bierce briefly states that Peyton Farquhar perished, and the diction is noticeably comprehensible due to Bierce’s direct statement. The excerpt’s syntax doesn't build up suspense because of its straightforwardness and simple nature. The reader knows that Peyton is dead, whereas when Bierce used more diction and syntax, it created more suspense.

In Conclusion, in Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, Bierce deliberately utilizes the literary elements of dramatic irony, 3rd person limited point of view, and diction and syntax to build suspense for the reader about the fate of Peyton