I’ll believe it when I see it: An Analysis of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

When I first encountered Ambrose Bierce’s An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, I was immediately intrigued by its title. To me, it seemed that an occurrence is usually a matter of routine, an event of little importance, hardly worth writing a story about. My first question was clear: what made this occurrence especially noteworthy? As I read, it became clear to me that this was no ordinary incident. In fact, the narrative became so intense that I began to wonder whether this thrilling escape story could really be classified as an occurrence at all. The irony present there kept me reading in intent curiosity. The bold, clear imagery that followed made me feel like I was feeling the action right along with Farquhar—even when in some instances, I would have been far more comfortable at a distance. This imagery drew me in and helped me to believe that what was occurring was real. I never doubted Farquhar’s incredible escape for a second—that is, not until the imagery became blurry very near the end of the story. Suddenly, I questioned if the narrator was quite as reliable as I had first believed. Farquhar seemed unsure of where he was—and suddenly he was in his wife’s welcoming arms. This sudden inconsistency was unexpected and harshly juxtaposed to the rest of the flowing, vibrant, and breath-taking imagery present throughout Farquhar’s story. Then came the final, pivotal paragraph in which you discover that Farquhar in truth died on that bridge, and that you have been taken on a ride through his mind and not a ride through reality. Abruptly you understand that the occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was truly just an occurrence—an execution routine and unremarkable in such a bloody wartime setting. The theme and implication of such a story merit an essay in their own right, but the irony and imagery Bierce wielded in this story are what allowed it to be crafted so poignantly in the first place. The irony of the title and the abrupt ending explanation are what make this story so remarkable, and the imagery throughout the story are what make it so believable. The reader is truly drawn in and deceived, and thereby becomes privy to Bierce’s complex thoughts and intentions as unsettled thoughts develop naturally within the reader all on their own.