An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge

The short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce is a story divided into three parts. In the first part we meet a man about to be hung by the Union army in the time of the Civil War. He is being hung for an unknown reason other than opposing the Union army. In the second section we learn about the successful planter named Peyton Farquhar. Peyton wants to help the confederacy; he is unable to join the Confederate Army. A Union spy comes and tells him of a way he can sabotage the Union army. In the third section Peyton’s rope breaks and he makes an escape from the Union soldiers. He makes it back home after walking all night to find his wife and when they embrace we find that Peyton is dead swinging over the creek. Bierce used many aspects of naturalism and realism in this piece: the details, Mr. Farquhar’s set up and the ending. The first point of realism and naturalism in the story is how Bierce gave the reader a complete description of the world they read about. He told us very specific methods of the Union soldiers creating the makeshift hanging station for Farquhar. He describes in detail of how Farquhar wants to get home and see his wife and kids. In the quote, “a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well-fitting frock coat” Bierce gives us a detailed description of Farquhar’s facial features and in fact it is the only description of a human in the whole story. In doing this he gives the reader a connection to him and the story itself. This shows the true and explicit side of the story and brings in the realism and naturalism. Another form of naturalism was how the Union spy set Farquhar up to go try and sabotage the Union army. This was naturalism because the way he is being set up is almost out of his control. Obviously he is not the only person that they are trying to lure down to the creek because they wouldn’t go through that