Analysis of An Occurrence at Owl Creek
Analysis of An Occurrence at Owl Creek
In the short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek, time functions deceptively to make the reader unsure of the objective reality. In parts of the story, time functions normally while the story is told from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator. In other places, time moves fluidly from normal speed to slow motion, from the point of view of an unreliable narrator. In the first part of the story, time flows at a normal pace for a while but begins to show irregularities. While Fahrquhar waits to be hanged, he hears: “Its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. He awaited each new stroke with impatience and -- he knew not why -- apprehension. The intervals of silence grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening” (section 1, para. 5). The watch itself would be ticking at regular intervals, but Fahrquhar perceives it as slowing down, foreshadowing the slow subjective time that will occur later.
In the third party of the story, time still appears to flow at a normal pace, but the reader eventually discovers that time had simply slowed down while the main character was being hanged. It is not until the final paragraph of the story that the reader determines which timeline was accurate and what the objective reality really was during the story. The way time flows for the reader mirrors the way time flows for the main character, so that just as the reader does not learn until the last second what reality is, the main character does not know what his own timeline is doing until his life ends. In the third section, the first clue that time is not functioning normally occurs in the first paragraph, where it states, “As Peyton Fahrquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead. From this state he was awakened -- ages later, it seemed to him -- by the pain of a sharp pressure upon his throat, followed by a sense of suffocation” (section 3, para. 1). This passage shows the incongruity of objective time passing normally, but Fahrquhar’s subjective time passing slowly. Toward the end of the story, another time discrepancy is revealed. While Fahrquhar believes that a day and night have passed, he realizes, “Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene -- perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium” (section 3, para. 19). He is no longer sure how much time has passed, or if he has been asleep or delirious; time no longer functions in a way that can be objectively measured.
Bierce deceives the reader through his use of narrative techniques including description. During the initial part of the story, Bierce describes the events in a straightforward way while providing description of the physical surroundings. In the second part of the story, though, it is not until the last paragraph of the second section that the reader realizes the soldier is a Union soldier sent to entice Fahrquhar into a trap. In the third part of the story, the description is presented as if told by an omniscient narrator with the focus on the sensations that Farhquhar experiences. After reading the story, the reader can recognize that those sensations and experiences are delusion, but when reading the story initially, the reader would believe the narrative to be accurate.
The sound that Fahrquhar hears as he waits to be hanged serves as a major metaphor in the story is. This sound, which repeats slowly but regularly but seems to slow down, is revealed to be the sound of his watch ticking, but this is also a metaphor for his life running out. Another metaphor is the bridge itself: a bridge is a transition from one side of a place to another. The bridge serves as a metaphor for Fahrquhar, who is in transition from life to death. One primary theme of the story seems to be deception. The soldier deceives Fahrquhar into believing he is a Confederate soldier; Fahrquhar deceives himself during the final moments of his life into thinking he has escaped. The writer deceives the reader into believing temporarily that Fahrquhar has escaped.
Works Cited
Bierce, A. (1890). An occurrence at owl creek. Retrieved from http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Ambrose_Bierce/An_Occurrence_At_Owl_Creek_Bridge/index.html
