An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

 

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a story about the protagonist, Peyton Farquhar, who is privileged under a somewhat wealthy Southern family. Therefore he does not donate knowledge to the trials and rigors of the Civil War. In Part II of the story, the reader learns that circumstances unknown leave Farquhar yearning for distinction and inevitably contributes to his faithful devotion to the South. Determined to achieve difference among his people, Farquhar pursues personal achievement ahead of his responsibility in his household, which begins the exposition of the story. This act of selfishness shortly leads to his demise.

                 As the action of the story begins to rise, a gray-clad soldier rode up to Farquhar’s gate and asked his wife for a drink of water. Foolishly, Farquhar eagerly inquired knowledge from the horseman and in his self-desire he took the word of the apparent soldier of the South. Ultimately the rising action of this story continues to build by the known fact that the “soldier” was in fact a federal scout. Knowing this as a reader, one could conclude that the federal scout was trying to deceive Farquhar.

                The climax of the short story begins in Part III by conveying to the reader that Farquhar is confined and is being hanged by his actions trying to devote himself towards the South. As the climax continues, Farquhar falls from the noose and into the bellowing stream below him. Conscience of motion, Farquhar, struggled down the stream while being shot at and suddenly his senses peaked and regained regularity to his physical presence after being tied up from his hanging. As water rushed past his ears, sentinels firing at will, commotion all around him adding to the climax, Farquhar found himself upon the bank of the river near the forest.

                After the climax of the story has come to a conclusion, the falling action takes place as Farquhar dissipates into the forest and marvels at how valuable everything looked, such as, the trees and sand. All day he traveled and as the conclusion nears Farquhar became fatigued, footsore, and famished. He travels along a road apparently untraveled and makes his way home towards his wife. When Farquhar returns home he notices it as he left it, bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine.

                In conclusion of the story he sees a fluttering of woman garments as he pushes open the gate and he sees his wife. He springs forward with extended arms to greet his wife and as he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck. Peyton Farquhar is dead, swinging from side to side, hovering over the Owl Creek Bridge as the story comes to a close. Until the very end of the story the reader is held up in the escape of Farquhar, but one can insinuate that Peyton Farquhar was hallucinating and imagining his entire escape as the hanging was in progress, prey of his own desires of distinction.