Themes in “Barn Burning” and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
William Faulkner and Ambrose Bierce are both extraordinary writers, and they each have many publications that cover a variety of themes. Of interest are William Faulkner’s short story, “Barn Burning,” and Ambrose Bierce’s short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” Although both short stories comment on a variety of values and ideas, they are both connected by the very powerful theme of loyalty versus principle.
Both stories share several similarities, but the strongest similarity is how they tackle the theme of loyalty versus morality. In fact, both of these stories tackle this theme through the protagonist of ...