An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Pierce achieves the elusive accomplishment of smearing nitty-gritty realities of death in the face of the reader. That depiction is made particularly poignant by comparing it with the vibrancy of life. A dominant facet of the story is the more intimate perspective the author chose to tell it from. The story opens with a civilian in the thick of being hung at Owl Creek Bridge in Alabama. Creeks inevitably are crawling with life. Although that might seem minute from a different perspective, it is an important fact of the story and the main character's perspective. Water sustains living creatures of innumerable sizes, and is almost a life source itself. It also has the capacity to kill. In the middle of his daunting journey through death, the main character, Peyton Farquhar, consistently reacts to the bustling liveliness of the water and nature surrounding him, all the while fearing he will succumb to drowning. Later on after he has supposedly absconded from his hanging ropes he describes the woods and water for some time. This detail of nature communicates his supposed control of his senses, but also contrasts the moments of death with the potential of life. Surrounded by so many surging life forces, his will to live is exaggerated, and the immediacy of death is more dominant. When the reader discovers he never actually ran through those woods, it creates an fiercer dynamic, almost a plea to the reader to appreciate the life blossoming around the world. Another aspect of his perspective that elevated the message was the distinct personality of Peyton, juxtaposing the modern American's expectation of a slave-owner. In spite of myself, I find I want him to escape. He is depicted as a protagonist who fights for what he believes in, and wants to return to his beloved family. The fact that his convictions preside in slavery is abhorrent, but isn't the crux of the story. If it were told from the union soldier's perspective, the reader would vehemently wish for him to be caught and served justice. I would imagine his misdeeds would play a larger role. As it is now, there is an empathy present for this man, because it we explore his thoughts. He is more of a human than anyone else in the story. In the modern reading, that is an interesting dichotomy worth exploring. Friday, February 2, 2018
Who Tells the Story of an Occurrence
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Pierce achieves the elusive accomplishment of smearing nitty-gritty realities of death in the face of the reader. That depiction is made particularly poignant by comparing it with the vibrancy of life. A dominant facet of the story is the more intimate perspective the author chose to tell it from. The story opens with a civilian in the thick of being hung at Owl Creek Bridge in Alabama. Creeks inevitably are crawling with life. Although that might seem minute from a different perspective, it is an important fact of the story and the main character's perspective. Water sustains living creatures of innumerable sizes, and is almost a life source itself. It also has the capacity to kill. In the middle of his daunting journey through death, the main character, Peyton Farquhar, consistently reacts to the bustling liveliness of the water and nature surrounding him, all the while fearing he will succumb to drowning. Later on after he has supposedly absconded from his hanging ropes he describes the woods and water for some time. This detail of nature communicates his supposed control of his senses, but also contrasts the moments of death with the potential of life. Surrounded by so many surging life forces, his will to live is exaggerated, and the immediacy of death is more dominant. When the reader discovers he never actually ran through those woods, it creates an fiercer dynamic, almost a plea to the reader to appreciate the life blossoming around the world. Another aspect of his perspective that elevated the message was the distinct personality of Peyton, juxtaposing the modern American's expectation of a slave-owner. In spite of myself, I find I want him to escape. He is depicted as a protagonist who fights for what he believes in, and wants to return to his beloved family. The fact that his convictions preside in slavery is abhorrent, but isn't the crux of the story. If it were told from the union soldier's perspective, the reader would vehemently wish for him to be caught and served justice. I would imagine his misdeeds would play a larger role. As it is now, there is an empathy present for this man, because it we explore his thoughts. He is more of a human than anyone else in the story. In the modern reading, that is an interesting dichotomy worth exploring. 
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This is a beautiful analysis! I had never thought of the symbolism of the water or nature in this story, but it makes a lot of sense. I also noticed the two conflicting perspectives of Farquhar as a slave owner versus a husband and father. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteWell this was deep. I certainly didn't think of the water as containing so much meaning. It's almost like the water is one of the characters in the story, creating a situation as it interacts with the main character. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out the "nitty-gritty" details in the story that point to symbolism. You thought very deeply about all of the different aspects of the story. It was neat to neat this and notice all of those things.
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