Revision – An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce writes about the last minutes of the life of the major Confederate supporter of the south Peyton Farquhar. As he was standing on the bridge and waiting for his execution because of his activity of demolishing the Owl Creek Bridge, many thoughts were storming through his mind such his wife, his children, escape and freedom. Bierce writes about how Peyton Farquhar notices every details of the nature at his last time to see and hear them. Bierce says, “ He looked at the forest on the bank of the stream, saw the individual trees, the leaves and the veining of each leaf- saw the very insects upon them: the locusts, the brilliant-bodied flies, the gray spiders stretching their webs from twig to twig” (p36).

Bierce writes about the moment Peyton was hanged, the robe broke and Peyton fell into the water. Bierce says, [Farquhar dived- dived as deeply as he could. The water roared in his ears like the voice of Niagara …] (p37). Bierce also says, [… he was now swimming vigorously with the current] (p37). Bierce states, “Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round-spinning like a top” (p38). When Peyton came to shore, Bierce says, “He dug his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly blessed it. It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble” (p38).

I believe Bierce makes a beautiful comparison of the escape scene to the existing issue, the Civil War. Bierce interprets the diving into the stream and water roar like the voice of the fall as the voice of the southerners crying for their freedom. Moreover, he explains Farquhar swimming vigorously as the brave fighting of the southerners in the war and whirling in the water as to change the political aspect of the southerners in the union. Lastly Bierce compares Peyton digging into the sand and throwing it over himself and seeing it like diamonds as the desired outcome of winning the war and being home with his wife and children which were the treasure of his life.

I believe the main purpose of the author in this scene was to express the desire of freedom Peyton was longing for and even in the last seconds of his life, he portrayed his wish.

The author related the death of Peyton to the defeat of the southerners in the Civil War.).