Irony And Foreshadowing In Ambrose Bierce's The Boarded Window

Ambrose Bierce’s “The Boarded Window” uses rhetorical devices such as irony and foreshadowing to develop the themes of death and failure in the story, advertently relating the narrative to events from his past. “The Boarded Window” follows the tale told by an unnamed narrator about the mysterious character of Murlock, a man in his 50’s who was recently found dead in his cabin in the woods just outside of Cincinnati; in his home they find a mysteriously boarded window. In a brief summary, the narrator explains that the window was boarded up soon after a young Murlock’s wife died, it’s revealed that when she fell ill, his lack of medical knowledge and recurring failure while treating her only prolonged her suffering. “The Boarded Window” has

Though it may take a second read to realize, dramatic irony is present as early as the seventh paragraph, “In performance of this sacred duty he blundered now and again, did certain things incorrectly, and others which he did correctly were done over and over.” (Bierce 3). Murlock failing to correctly execute even the simplest of tasks makes the reader question his reliability in the certainty of his wife’s death, especially because of the lack of medical professionals, there would be no absolute way of him knowing that she had in fact

Even the themes from “The Boarded Window” can be related to his past serving in the military, “He twice risked his life in rescuing fallen companions from the battlefield and at Kennesaw Mountain was himself severely wounded.” (go.gale.com). It is entirely possible that the instances of risking his life for his companions, watching others fall around him, getting wounded due to his assistance, shape his partialness to themes of failure that can be found in “The Boarded Window”. His past as a critic and short story writer can also relate to his passion for use of creative irony and sarcasm