Use Of Flashback In An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

Heights and Depths

The short story “An occurrence at owl creek bridge” uses the literary device of flashbacks to develop depth in the plot and promote audience investment. The story is about a southern land owner named Peyton Farquhar who is being hung by Union soldiers during the civil war. In his final moments, he has several flashbacks and hallucinations from other times of his life that give the reader insight to his beliefs and his family. Ambrose Bierce’s use of flashbacks presents a theme of an augmented reality and the importance of perspective through providing background information showing Peyton’s motivations, his distorted perception of time, and to create tension and suspense in the plot.

Bierce uses flashbacks to provide critical

The tension is built gradually as the first hallucination occurs. Hope is introduced when the audience is led to believe that he just might make it to freedom. The reader is led to believe the rope has snapped, he’s hit the water, risen to the surface and has gotten his hands untied. “What splendid effort!- what magnificent, what superhuman strength! Ah, that was a fine endeavor! Bravo! THe cord fell away; his arms parte dan floated upward…” (Beirce par. 19). This sense of hope keeps the reader engaged and invested in the story. The final example of Beirce adding suspense through flashbacks is when he makes it end so suddenly. “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge” (Beirce par. 37). The audience is pushed back into the present moment. Shocked and in disbelief. This sudden shift back to the present creates a jarring effect. It emphasizes how distorted Farquhar’s perception of time is and also the absoluteness of his fate. THis tossing around of the chronological events leaves the reader hungry for a more positive ending. The impact is sharp and