Summary Of An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

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The short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce effectively demonstrates the harsh realities of war through its depiction of the protagonist, Peyton Farquhar. As Farquhar is about to be hanged for his involvement in the Confederate army, he experiences a vivid daydream of his escape from the bridge. This moment of hope is quickly crushed when the reader is reminded of the harsh truth of war: Farquhar is hanged and killed as the story ends. Bierce's use of this dream sequence serves to emphasize the harsh realities of war, as Farquhar's dream of escape is ultimately revealed to be a false hope. As Bierce states, "Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of