“An Occurrence at Owl Bridge Creek” takes place in the Southern United States during the American Civil War. One thing to remember about the Civil War is that most of the fighting took place on southern soil, and for the Union to succeed in winning the war, their forces had to conquer the South. Not only that, but due to the agriculture being so profitable in the South, few southerners saw a need for industrial development, which resulted in the need to destroy the blockades to prevent northern troops from advancing southward. Late in the Civil War, the Union and the Confederacy strived to dominate the rail lines in northern Alabama, with the Confederates frantically dismantling critical establishments to delay the northerners advance and fracture …show more content…
"The intellectual part of his nature was already effected; he had power only to feel, and the feeling was torment (Bierce)." When the narrator says this, a reader can conclude that emotions are not present throughout the story, regardless of what the reader might feel. There are only physical descriptions. One might believe Bierce takes this approach to show readers that war brings nothing but pain. Bierce also uses figurative language to display the tone to his readers. "He distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue (Bierce)." Although the phrasing of this is not necessarily cynical, it still gives off an uncanny vibe, which helps in portraying a cynical tone throughout the story. Ambrose Bierce demonstrates another tone throughout his short story as well, irony. In fact, the entire story itself is quite ironic. Peyton Farquhar, the protagonist, is being hung. In the few seconds it takes to kick the bucket, he extends several of those seconds out into a durable dream. He envisions himself swimming ceaselessly all the while avoiding bullets, and once he gets to the shore he makes a long, hopeless excursion back to his