Realism and illusion in Ambrose Bierce's Owl Creek Bridge

¶ … Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce

"An occurrence at owl Creek Bridge' is a literary work that has undertones of civil rights movement woven into a plot that is infused with elements of realism, illusion, and imagination. With realism neatly integrated into fictional narration this story reflects an innovative approach at short story writing.

Ambrose Bierce was a military man who participated in the civil war (1861-65) for the Union army. He was involved in the battles of Shiloh and Chickamauga against the rebel forces. The story 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' is constructed against this backdrop of the upsurge in antislavery motion during the early 1860's. [Rick Hearn] It is a moving depiction of the emotions of a man facing the end of his life. Portrayed in third person (the major part), the story has a thrill to it from the beginning until the very last moment when the protagonist is finally awakened from his dream of escape and reunion with his family, only to be put to rest for eternity. His precise use of terminology is also indicative of his personal military experience adding to the reality of the depiction. The entire story is just woven around the feelings that fill in the final moments of life and reflect mankind's eternal will for survival. Bierce adds so much tense and suspense to the story that the reader is moved to sorrow and left in total disbelief when it finally transpires that the whole escape episode was just the wishful feelings of the protagonist 'Payton Farquhar', enacted in his mind and not a real happening. Written during the late nineteenth century this story shows a blend of romanticism and realism.

The Civil war Backdrop

The timeline of the story dates back to the civil war period when the northern Yankees were fighting the southern rebel forces for abolishing slavery. The protagonist 'Payton Farquhar', a wealthy southern white plantation owner, who resists abolition of slavery, ends up as a civil war victim. The story begins on the railroad bridge where 'Payton Farquhar' is waiting to be hanged for his disruptive role (destruction of the rail road) against the northern federal army's anti-slavery mission. There was a huge difference in the sizes of the federal (union) army and the rebel forces and hence it was customary for the rebels to engage in guerrilla warfare against the Union Forces. An important tactic that was employed by them was to disrupt the communication lines being used by the federal forces. The story follows the same thread in that Farquhar tries to destroy the communication lines of the 'Union Army' by burning off the railway road. In fact, Farquhar was tricked into act of destroying the bridge. A Union scout deceives him and drags him into the plot. Bierce uses symbolism to show racial inequality that was prevalent during that time in the southern states. [Project ELLSA ] For example when the author says, 'Mrs. Farquhar was only too happy to serve him with her own white hands' he clearly hints at the racial overtones. The southerners were not willing to give up slavery and establish equal rights for blacks and whites

Conclusion

Changing tone from present to past and backforth, and oscillating from reality to fiction and back again, the author presents a gripping story with the background of the civil war. Literary elements such as imagination, deception, sarcasm, illusion and reality are skillfully intertwined into the plot. There is a neat blend of reality with fiction and fantasy in this short story. By mounting the tension and creating more suspense the author manages to take the readers on a trip from reality to fiction and sustains the momentum until the final moment when they are jolted back into reality. Ambrose Bierce was way ahead of his time in terms of his literary approach and is rightfully considered the 'precursor of postmodern fiction'.