Hanging by a Thread

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Pierce is a short but captivating work of fiction, containing many sophisticated tools and methods of composition which quickly and deeply captivate the reader for the 4-5 pages of it's literary life. One of the first ones to jump out was the author's style. In order to understand the plot and the theme, the entire story has to be read, but the way the author unfolds the story through heavy description is interesting. Seemingly everything is described in detail: the way the fish moves, the way the guns glint in the sunlight, the way the body swings under the bridge etc. This creates a sense of presence. The reader feels like they are there, experiencing what all of the characters are experiencing. In addition to that, it almost heightens the reader's senses, by giving a greater description of things than what would normally be experienced. That way the author captures the belief and the attention to the point where any surprise is an emotional one. The way the story ends leaves you thinking even more than it would otherwise because you were there, hanging under the bridge, slowly swaying in the breeze.

This, the author’s style, bleeds into a lot of other aspects of the story, especially in the characters. It’s difficult to know who the protagonist and the antagonist are because the author focuses extensively and evenly on both. It’s not until the middle of the story that a side is taken, and even then a weak one. The man being hanged is described from his dress, the quality of his nose and forehead, all the way down to the collar of his well fitting frock coat. It feels almost as though you know him. He was someone you passed in the mall this morning and the sense of familiarity causes a deeper connection when you see him hanging. But on top of this, the lack of character development leaves you wondering if you’re cheering for the right man. Are the soldiers executing a murderer or a traitor? Is this nice man really on the nice list? We never really know. All we know is how it feels seeing him hanging under a bridge, slowly swaying in the breeze. This deepens creates and deepens one of the major thematic elements of the story, is everyone the good guy in his own autobiography.