An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, directed by Robert Enrico, demonstrates the dreaded death Farquhar must face for interference of the railroads. First a short story written by Ambrose Bierce and published in 1890, there was no doubt “An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge” consumed its readers. Both the short story and film engrossed the public with the twist ending. This story not only consumed the audience with its twist ending but because the audience relates to the story with a strong emotional connection. All individuals think about the overall occurrence of the film at times. Select individual’s minds remain plagued by the thought of the occurrence demonstrated in the film. The film’s demonstration of death is the aspect that emotionally attaches the audience because everyone must face it at some point. Although the ending is such a surprise for some audiences, numerous examples of foreshadowing are included in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge that allows insight into the film’s outcome. Enrico demonstrates the realization of the beauty in life when one is faced with their final remaining moments. The twist ending of Farquhar’s death is a surprise because of the images he plays in his mind prior to his hanging. The ticking of his clock represents his last moments and demonstrates that one may find beauty in the simple things in life when facing the end. Farquhar sees images that would normally not be perceived as beautiful to the average person, such as smelling the flower that represents life. Farquhar’s appreciation of the flower demonstrates his thought process showing he perceives everything living as purely beautiful. Following Farquhar’s escape from death, he reaches a sandy shore after enduring treacherous rapids. After such events, he realizes the privilege of simply being alive. Even after enduring numerous hardships, being a living man is all that truly mattered. The example making the ending such a shock is the scene where he imagines being home