An Occurrence at Owl
Creek Bridge
By
Ambrose Bierce
Plot
We meet a man who is about to be
hanged
 He is a 35 year planter who is also
described as a gentleman
 In the second part of the story we find
that he is being hanged because he
sabotaged a bridge after he was fooled by
a Federal Scout (in disguise)
 In the third part the man imagines
escaping when the rope breaks
 He swings side to side with a broken neck
at the end of the story

Conflicts
 Being
Hanged
 Thinking of his wife and children
 Thinking of his escape
 Thinking if his death
 Should he help by interfering with
the bridge
Setting
A
Bridge in Northern Alabama
Major Characters
 Peyton
Farquhar (the man being
hanged)
Minor Characters
 Mrs.
Farquhar
 Federal Scout
Author Background
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?)
 Wrote most of his stories about his
experiences in the Civil War
 He was a very cynical man
 Moved to Mexico in 1913 and was never
heard from again
 It is believed he was killed in the siege of
Ojinaga (Mexico was in the midst of a civil
war when he moved there)
 He wrote during the literary period of
American Realism

Symbols
 The
water symbolizes the freedom
Farquhar imagines as he thinks of his
family (can also symbolize his
imagination)
 His watch symbolizes his impending
death as well as his final seconds of
life as they are ticking away
 The noose also symbolizes his
inescapable death
Theme
 The
powers of the imagination in
times of tragedy
 The relativity of time can make
seconds seem like hours and hours
like seconds