An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

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Why does Farquhar have that silly music-playing watch in the film? It must have been trendy at the time, or a gift, or something. It just seems like a strange thing for a southern gentleman to have.

I agree completely. I really like how the director seemed to show every inch of Peyton’s surroundings and almost slow down his last couple of minutes. I think it is probably realistic of a person’s last few minutes,and i also think such a vivid description of his surroundings shows how Peyton was probably searching for a way to escape.

i thought this clip was a really interesting one, and the ticking clock really stood out to me. The ticking, compacted with the silence of most of the clip and also the vision of his wife sort of expressed distress. I think the clock really put some stress and urgency into the mood of this clip, which varies a lot from what i understood from the actual text.

I agree–I think that the movie takes away from some of the ambiguity that was created in the context of the original story. It would be impossible to not spell things out for viewers.

I also agree with Alex and Daniel. I think that the mood of the stories are exemplified in the video.

i like how this scene is dragged out.. it seems that the director could have made it very quick and to-the-point, but the detail placed on each step in preparing the noose/putting it on definitely emphasizes the fear building up both in peyton & the audience… much more effective than just showing a quick shot of the noose being put around his neck.

In the text of the story, Bierce just describes the situation and lets the reader deduce that Farquhar is about to be hanged. (Starting with “A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama …” and “The man’s hands were behind his back …”)

The film can’t really achieve the same effect, because I think its clear that Farquhar is going to be hanged as soon as the shot shows him to us.

The bird calls in the beginning of the film are interesting–what kind of bird is it? An owl, maybe?

i agree with daniel — i think the video is very accurate in portraying the story the way it is written, which is sort of a tough thing to do. it seems as though everything — the black and white/graininess, the point of view of the camera, etc — is working to stay true to the text.

The ticking during the slow motion scene with his wife adds an air of suspense that is lacking from simply the text. Obviously, the text cannot allow you to hear the ticking. Also, I like how the sergeant snaps Farquhar back into reality as the ticking seems to “go off.”

I like how this illusion of his wife makes the rest of the film so shocking, because we’ve already seen him “dream” up seeing her, so we’re even more surprised at the ending.

I like how the noose is a real noose (that’s definitely how you tie one) and how they actually put it around the actor’s neck. I would hate to be in his shoes at this time, even with whatever security measures they took. I also like the shot of the man’s feet above the water. That gives an eerie feel.

I found the shooting impressive, not only with the clarity of the shots, but with the way the director succeeded in expressing in film almost exactly what the author originally wanted his audience to see in their head.

I think it’s funny that the bugle call used is the reveille, which is supposed to signal troops to wake up in the morning. Probably the filmmaker didn’t know that the call wouldn’t make sense at a hanging, or maybe he didn’t think the audience would be able to tell the difference, and he simply liked the reveille.

Who is the single man who looks like he’s standing atop a rock? It looks like it could be the lieutenant or one of the sentries. Why did the director show him?

I like the slow-mo scene in which it shows his wife. The fact that it is slow-mo changes the entire meaning of the scene. It makes it seem like he is cherishing these memories more than it would if it were played at regular speed.

I think it’s a pretty cool shot when it shows the man making the noose and it looks upward at his face through the noose. It’s also ironic that they’re making the noose right in front of Peyton, who is a master of hanging. I just think the way he uses the noose in all of these shots is so ominous because of the stigma attached to the noose.

I like the opening scene here. It starts with the poster and then pans out to show the bridge and the guards. It sets the solemn mood of the story and introduces the reader to the setting. The poster also gives the watcher a general idea of what is going on here: that this man has committed a crime and is being hanged for it. The scene really does a great job of getting the movie watcher the information he or she needs for the rest of the story.

Is it just me or does the large amount of silence in this movie add to the creepiness of it? It really makes you feel uncomfortable watching it in parts. Also, it’s interesting that this is more effective, in my opinion, than the dark, looming music typical of this kind of scenario.

I think the clip does an excellent job of depicting his thoughts about his wife and showing the worry and fear on his face that he now feels. The ticking of the watch is emphasized in the clip as well, but I don’t think we can understand the true significance of it in the video as we can in the written version.

Its interesting how much detailed is placed on th preparation for the hanging. We see the soldier take quite a bit of time preparing the noose and getting Peyton completely ready for the hanging. I think this is to emphasize that what is going to happen to him is settling in on his mind and he is beginning to become scared.

I thought it was interesting how the scene slowly came into view. It was from the perspective as if the viewer was at the site, trying to stay hidden in the trees and not be caught, but still see what was going on.

In response to Rachel’s comment on the officer taking the watch, perhaps the action symbolizes stripping Peyton of his memories, since the ticking accompanies Peyton’s last thoughts. I think that the ticking represents Peyton realizing that he will never be able to think of his wife again, at least not in the physical world, and the ticking simply represents time running out. Thus, by taking his watch it is just another way to take away his life.

At first I wasn’t sure why the camera zoomed in on the soldier taking Farquhar’s watch, but I think Rachel’s idea that it was to show where the ticking was coming from makes a lot of sense. I thought it was a little random that the soldier would just take this one possession from Farquhar, but I think it’s the best way they could have shown us the source of the ticking.

I think it is very interesting and ironic that they officer takes the time to remove Peyton’s tie. If the man is to be hanged, why not just leave it on him? Perhaps it is to strip him of his “gentleman” status, to that of merely a man to be killed, an order to be carried out. Also, I agree with Zhenya that the effect of filming this scene from Peyton’s perspective helps the audience to feel his fear.

When the camera is from Peyton’s perspective I think it is interesting that the soldiers are in more of a low-key lighting than when the camera is actually showing Peyton’s face. This was used to emphasize how Peyton viewed the other soldiers. I also found it interesting that the scene is so dreary, but you still can hear birds chirping in the background of the scene.

This part raised the question: how would this movie be different if it had no sound? The movie doesn’t need sound to develop the plot, only the viewer’s response. The actors do a good job of playing their characters – and evoking the right response from the viewer – without having to speak.

To me it seems that the video quality as we see it is done purposely. Black and white, grainy clips, and shakiness adds to the effect of the movie and makes you truly feel like you are in the Civil War.

In the beginning of this clip, I feel that the bird calls are somewhat frantic, perhaps serving to mimick the emotions of Peyton. They almost sound like a cry for help, interrupted by the trumpeting, which signals that there’s nothing to be done, because all preparations have been made for the hanging.

I like the contrast between the fast annoying ticking of the watch and the slow motion moving of Peyton’s wife.

I think the fact that none of the men talk at all shows that they really don’t like their job or at least this part of it. Or maybe they just take it so seriously. They just seem like they are going through the motions.

I think the speed of the camera makes a big difference. Like looking from his perspective, he quickly darts to a scene then slowly looks over that subject before quickly darting to another. He is both apprehensive and cautious.

Its interesting that the camera follows the plank all the way up to Farquhar. He has his eyes closed to show that he is trying to escapre from reality. Other folks were right about the blurred edges of the dream scenes of his wife and how that affected the audience’s view and interpretation of the scene. The clock speeding up is cool since his wife is moving so slowly and it shows that he feels the crunch of his time on earth coming to an end more quickly than planned.

Its odd that there is no talking or other noise that is not from the movements of the rope or the soldier. This makes it seem very systematic and detached. He also looks around to see what his surroundings look like which is kind of described as the scenery in the text.

I like how it starts with the drum roll. I know that we are not supposed to know that it is repeated throughout yet, but it ties it all together once you know the rest of the movie clip. I also think that it is interesting that it is shot from an outside source– like someone hiding and watching the whole thing take place. Maybe that could foreshadow how Farquhar has his out of body experience to see his house and wife.

I think that this scene is important, because with the ticking of the watch, especially as the speed increases, it shows Peyton’s growing anticipation of his death. His facial expressions are important too, because he seems very upset at this point, with resentment in his face, which is something you can’t always get from reading text.

I like the angles that the filmmaker uses, but not only the views from below and above, but also the setting, as it films through the trees/forest, and I think it’s funny that they have an owl’s hoot in the background. (owl creek bridge)

Rachel, I agree that the horns are startling and kind of out of place, but that’s a very effective way of letting the viewer know that this is not a hanging for peacetime criminal offenses but military reasons.

I found it interesting, before the noose is placed around his neck, how nervous Peyton appears, but after he glances around and takes in his surroundings, he doesn’t appear particularly tremulous. Perhaps this is foreshadowing to Peyton’s “escape”? Or has his daydream already begun?

I think the “bird’s eye view” angle and long shots successfully translate the detached feeling of the written text to the medium of film. Everything feels very far away and procedural.

I agree with Dan that this scene is done very well. The filmmaker uses a certain blurring of the edges to portray Peyton’s daydream about his wife so that the audience realizes it is fantasy. The sound seems crucial in this scene because it is used to build tension as the audience anticipates what is about to happen.

I don’t know why the filmmaker decided to include the part with the soldier taking Farquhar’s watch. I think it may have been a way to show that the ticking sound we heard was actually coming from the watch.

The director tries to show the situation from Peyton’s perspective by zooming in on objects and people all around him as if Peyton’s looking around and trying to assess his situation. His looking down at the plank and the river makes the audience feel his fear. Overall, this entire scene makes the audience sympathize with Peyton.

In this video clip, I like how the camera shows what Farquhar is looking at. It shows this by setting the scene, then cutting back to his face to show that his eyes were viewing that sight.

I was surprised by the horns in the opening of this video clip. It seems like the hanging was a quiet and hidden affair, and the fanfare seemed out of place.

The filmmaker depicts this scene exceptionally well. I especially like how it zooms in on his face and slowly blends into the vision of his wife. Also, the inclusion of the ticking noise into the background was well done. The ticking increases speed as the woman decreases speed.

I like how the filmmaker shot this scene from bird’s eye view. Everything can be seen through the trees, very far away. The setting is slowly becoming clear through the branches, just as the story is slowly unfolding before our eyes in the text, without any personal contact.

Here, Peyton begins to actually formulate a plan for escape in specifics, not just vague fantasies about it. This causes the reader to think that escape may be possible since this would not be discussed unless it were a real possibility.

The purpose of this paragraph is to build tension. It serves to describe to the reader the feeling of suspense Peyton must be feeling as his death ticks nearer and nearer. The auditory imagery serve to reinforce this feeling, because the reader can assume the sound is a drum, and knows that the sound of a drum is sharp and harsh. This embodies what Peyton must be feeling right now.

The last sentence of this paragraph, “What a sluggish stream!” gives the reader a sense that Peyton is formulating an escape plan, observing every detail around him, evaluating his situation and the likelihood of his survival. This foreshadows what will happen later in the story, hinting that his escape fantasy may be possible.

This paragraph begins to personalize the story, enabling the reader to connect to the main character and to identify a protagonist. A certain amount of sympathy is felt for Peyton because of the description of his soft features and “kindly expression.” It leaves the reader to wonder why these heartless soldiers would murder a seemingly innocent man.

He really makes this seem very rigid and planned. I think this really adds to the mercilessness displayed by the soldiers. I think it’s important to note, though, that this isn’t necessarily characteristic of these soldiers, but probably of all soldiers in wartime. This just makes the faceless, nameless soldiers seem more cold hearted with respect to Peyton.

I think it’s important to note that the author does not yet name Peyton in this paragraph. He keeps it impersonal, setting the context of the story, leaving the reader unsure of who to support: the soldiers who are executing a merciless murderer or the man who is unfairly being hanged for crimes he did not commit.

I think the term “liberal military code” is kind of ironic. With all of its rules and strict enforcements, especially at a time of war, I thought it was interesting that the the author chose the word liberal to describe the military code.

The line that really struck me from this paragraph was the one about how the sentinels could have been statues that adorn the bridge, and that death is a dignitary. All of the descriptions are so detached, and I think that the description of death gives it life like qualities, which is kind of eerie, in my opinion. I felt like he reduced the living people to inanimate objects and instead gave death a life of its own.

The lieutenant on the shore is a junior officer who would rank somewhere between the sergeant and the captain on the bridge. The most senior person at the scene is definitely the army captain.

Christina, in fact, the word sinister comes from a Latin word sinistra, meaning “left”.

“He wore a moustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers.” In this case, does “no whiskers” mean that he doesn’t have a 5 o’clock shadow? I’ve always thought whiskers would be a moustache. I guess it means he’s well-shaven, since the section seems to be showing that he is well-dressed, etc.

It is interesting to me that he would be so easily distracted when he is about to be hung. It seems like he is almost distracting himself on purpose to get his mind off of what is about to happen.

This kinda makes me curious as to exactly why he is being hung, if he was “no vulgar assassin.”

i agree with daniel — i don’t think at this point he is seriously thinking about escaping. it seems to me that everyone would have these extreme “what if” thoughts in the same situation. i don’t think he has any intention or real hope of fulfilling this plan — just last minute fantasies.

i can’t really conclude how i feel about the man after reading this paragraph. on the one hand, from the description i feel like he is a good guy — details like the “kindly expression” make me feel pity for him and want to believe he was innocent and good. however, at the same time, in the back of my head there’s this voice saying that he had to have done something to deserve this.. the nice description the author gives him contrasts with the situation he is in — that of a criminal — and it kind of leaves me with mixed feelings.. that just may be me though.

In this short story, I was most impressed by the way Ambrose is able to describe the moments before death through Peyton. I’m sure that his experiences and facing death every time he walked onto the battle field made him experience these same events. That explains why he knew what would go through a persons mind and the effect the anticipation of death has on a person’s five senses.

i completely agree.. this topic is actually really similar to the podcast my group about the psychological effects of war. the unemotional way in which bierce describes the scenes and actions of these soliders seems very characteristic of someone who has been in war.. a lot of times they come out completely drained of emotions and the ability to “feel” — in order to psychologically handle what they’ve seen and done, many seem to detatch themselves completely and just go through the motions. this is exactly how bierce seems to be describing the mental state of these soldiers — kind of just going through the motions, because it’s too difficult to deal with on a real level. i think he is drawing from personal experience & probably does a very good job at accurately portraying the “role” of the soldiers in all this.

The author uses similes in this paragraph to put the reader into the scene. This is seen with “metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil” and “hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife”. His use of this poetic device makes the reader more aware of Peyton’s feelings during this time right before his death.

all the references to the stillness of the scene in this paragraph (“stonily,” “motionless,” etc) made me apprehensive.. i don’t really know if that’s what the author was going for or not, but i almost felt like it was like that point in a movie where everything is still right before chaos breaks out.. not really foreshadowing exactly, but similar in a way. to me the stillness is almost a signal that some kind of “action” is about to happen.

Dan, I wonder if he doesn’t use the choice “unclosed” to mirror his earlier reference to “unsteadfast.” It may be that he is trying to stay in line with a similar word choice. I agree that the negative slants that Bierce puts on his words certainly affect the overall mood of the story.

this entire opening definitely gives a very cold, unattached feeling.. the author goes into a lot of description without ever mentioning any emotions or feelings. to me, he seemed very nonchalant about the entire thing — descriptive, yet very indifferent. i almost felt like he could have been describing something as ordinary as a house — it was sort of creepy! however, i guess it is all just to show how unattached these people had to make themselves from the war in order to deal with it psychologically.

It’s interesting that the author sets up such beautiful imagery in the beginning of this paragraph. When first reading “the water, touched to gold by the early sun…stream” I didn’t take into account that it was actually serving as an irritation to the man. Bierce has an odd capability of interjecting these beautiful scenes to counteract that which is in actuality something so incredibly dreadful. I wonder what he hoped to accomplish by using this technique?

This may be a strange interpretation, but I think that the weight used to balance the sergeant and the civilian is interesting. It seems to be a major element that ties them together. Though the sergeant controls the civilian’s fate with his physical weight, there is also an emotional weight that bears down on him. He deals with the weight of knowing that he killed a man. Clearly, I am not basing this so much on the descriptions in the passage, but rather the idea that the author wrote this after the civil war and from the perspective of someone who may have had to deal with the weight of killing others.

I agree Daniel. Compared to the strange set up of the rest of the story, this sentence comes off as completely obvious and unnecessary. It really doesn’t structurally mirror the rest of the story, but perhaps that was the authors intent.

I think it’s interesting that the author uses the phrase “he feared he would shriek” because it seems to foreshadow the story later, when he “rises from under the water,” and all he can do when his lungs take in air is shriek.

“A frock coat is a man’s coat characterised by knee-length skirts all around the base, unlike the tail coat and the morning coat. The frock coat is fitted, long-sleeved, of knee-length, with a collar and lapels (revers), a centre vent, and a waist seam for optimal waist suppression.” This is the definition that Wikipedia gave on a frock coat because I had no idea what that was. I think that it shows his upper class status and kind of sets the time period because this kind of coat was normally seen around the nineteenth century.

I think it’s interesting how Bierce describes the arrangement as “simple and effective.” Death is just the opposite, especially when involving a hanging (someone deciding someone else should die), so I think this description is interesting, and it attempts to show how distorted their views were, and how disengaged the soldiers were from their emotions.

This is a great question! An author is undoubtedly influenced by the social implications of his time period and I feel that is very evident in this piece. In my opinion, the idea of the “glory of war” that usually appears in art done during war is not present here. There is so much emphasis put on the details of the killing and the emotionally detatched violence of the war and I think this displays some of Bierce’s regret at what has happened. If he isn’t writing from his own personal feelings (though I imagine he is) he certainly acts as a vessel to convey the regret of society over the blood that has been shed. It’s as though this is just one of the many scenes that may have come back to haunt Ambrose or any American, after time spent in the midst of war.

I think the author purposely gave Farquhar various dark characteristics-dark hair, dark gray eyes. These “dark” characteristics should imply that there’s something “dark” or bad about him…

I think that Bierce purposely described the lieutenant’s position as “the point of his sword upon the ground, his left hand resting upon his right.” I think he is trying to imply that in this moment, it may not necessarily be the lieutenant who wants to have Peyton executed-his sword’s point is in the ground. However, his left hand is presiding over his right, and left usually symbolizes something wrong or sinister, while the right means something just or good.

I agree with everyone in that the author attempts to make the soldiers seem emotionally removed from what is going on, and I think that it is further shown when the author says “enforcing an erect carriage of the body.” I think the fact that he uses the particular word “enforce” illustrates, even more than before, how stiff and labored they have to be.

I agree that this paragraph does seem more “narrated” than the rest. I do, however, think that the first sentence is fairly superfluous; the audience should be able to tell that the thoughts didn’t come into his mind “in words” but rather as flashes of thought.

These are the last thoughts of a dying man. He is hoping (more like dreaming) irrationally about escape from an impossible situation. Wishful thinking at its best.

The author is describing a sort of tunnel vision experienced by the soon-to-be-dead, mainly by soldiers, in intense battle. The language the author uses is amazing, in that he never actually states that the man is experiencing this phenomenon but the audience has no doubt about it.

This paragraph is eerie in that it describes the act of murdering a man in such a nonchalant manner. It is described as more of a mechanical process than what it really is: a very inhuman and most unnatural event.

The sentinel’s job is to keep guard. So technically, they are not executing the man, but they are taking part in the process.

I found it interesting that Bierce comments on the physical features of the man about to be hanged. He may look like a gentleman, but how do we know that he hasn’t done anything wrong? This paragraph doesn’t really say anything about his character.

I had similar inquiries about these “support” soldiers as Daniel. They are only there to do their specific task and lack any emotion. By being emotionally unattached, it should have occurred to the reader that these sentinels would not care enough to hunt down the man if he happened to escape, and would merely stay at their posts.

In response to Colleen’s question, this paragraph is necessary to end Part I and begin Part II. The paragraph before only consists of thoughts of the past, while the flashback in Part II is a whole story of the man’s past. This paragraph ties the two together.

The verb choice in the phrase “he unclosed his eyes” is interesting. Instead of using the positive form of “open,” the author uses the negative form of “close.” This goes along with the positive shift that others above mentioned. The man now is happy to have a plan of escape, and it is reflected in the language of the story.

Wait, a planter? With a kindly expression? About to be hanged? Of course he wasn’t a “vulgar assassin,” this guy was nothing more than a farmer. It really puts a face to the several thousand people hanged in such a way over the course of the war.
And Graham, you’re probably pretty close with that 1863-1864 estimate.

Maybe it’s the Matrix that’s making me think of this, but when I read the word “sentinel” I thought of those soldiers being nothing more than machines of their government. They certainly don’t want to be the ones to execute this random guy, but they have no choice.

Peyton Farquhar can be taken two ways, as a hero because he was fighting for his beliefs or selfish because he wants to make a difference and risks leaving his family to be a hero. The comment he makes can foreshadow his selfishness in leaving his family because he puts his thoughts about his own escape before the safety of his family.

I thought the use of the quotations around the word “support” points out how those soldiers were there (again, in a very unnatural position for them as well) to “support” the executioners in the event that they failed in their seemingly simple task of dropping someone off a plank. This sets the stage for the events that happen later in the story in that, at first glance, the reader notices the term used to describe their positions and wonders why the executioners could possibly need support for such an easily executed task.

In this first paragraph the thing that stood out most to me was the reference to the number two. First, “the swift water twenty feet below” and twenty is a multiple of two and the “two private soldiers of the Federal army”. Then in the final sentence, “… to be the duty of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge; they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it.” I think that this was to emphasize the two sides in the war.

I would like to point out the use of alliteration and imagery at the end of this paragraph with phrases like “dancing driftwood” and “sluggish stream.” It is amazing that, although he is about to die, the man is thinking creatively on his feet.

This story was written in 1890, 35 years after the end of the Civil War. Ambrose Bierce was in the Union army in the Civil War, but the public perception of the war had already changed by the time of the writing of this piece. How do you feel Bierce’s own perceptions of the war influenced his writing? How do you think the perceptions of society influenced the writing and the reading of this piece?

This paragraph seems to be the author acting as a narrator when in the previous paragraphs he has acted as just an author. This seems to be the final moment before the last paragraph of the story.

When do we think this took place? I was thinking about 1863 or 1864. Anyone else have any ideas?

I agree. The author has laid it out such that the man is the hero even though we have no reason to relate to him. The soldiers, captain, and everyone else in the story all have families and children as well – and if they were caught behind enemy lines, they would have been killed. In this instance, they were just doing their job. Still, seeing into the mind of this man makes us relate to him more.

I disagree with Craig – I felt that the word choice took away from the author’s message. I recognize that this story seems to be very “awkward” and that it does not read like a normal story. The description of the sheriff and the support position was distracting and took away from the message those descriptions were supposed to represent. However, that may have been the author’s point.

This paragraph provides even more examples of how the author has been careful not to criminalize the protagonist through his language. He refers to him as “the civilian,” and the one time he refers to him as an alleged criminal, the focus is not his criminal misdoing but rather the fact he has been reprehended (“condemned man”).

Perhaps what Zhenya noticed was intentional by the author? I too noticed the phonetic similarity, and that along with the context seems to suggest some violent image.

The way the author brought up the sergeant again made me think that Part II would be about the scene at the bridge, including the actions of the sergeant. But part II goes back to describing Peyton Farquhar’s life up until that moment. Some of you guys have said that he ended Part I in this way to bring the reader back to reality in the present time, but is this necessary if he is just going to jump back to the past in the next sentence?

In his essay on “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Hal Holladay writes, “The grotesque reality, the horror, of war was one of [Bierce's] persistent themes. There is nothing glorious in Bierce’s depiction of the war; the Union army is cold, efficient, and deceitful.” This trend is particularly evident in the last sentence of this paragraph, which shows that no one is spared in war.

I agree with Michael’s statement about the character becoming more of a protagonist in this paragraph. After the description of his plan to outswim the bullets and the enemy, the reader is really rooting for Farquhar. While at the beginning I was wondering what this man did to deserve this, I’m now hoping he will break free and be able to see his “wife and little ones” again, despite any crime he may have committed. The mention of his family humanizes him enough for the reader to take his side.

The tone in this paragraph is detached and unemotional. It seems that the captain’s nod is too simple of a motion to approve somebody’s death. He does it with no feeling, and the sergeant just does the simple mechanical motion of stepping to the side. The executioners treat this as simple procedure, something that needs to be done with as little mess as possible.

I definitely did not even notice that the story said “trust of a knife”; I kept reading it as the “thrust of a knife,” which conjured up violent images in my mind. It is almost like time and the watch are Farquhar’s assassins. Each second is a painful jab at the remnants of his life.

I think when Farquhar sees the “swirling water of the stream racing madly” it is because his mind is running wild from thinking about what is about to happen to him. Then, the author states that the driftwood moves slowly to convey to the reader the actual strength of the current and to emphasize the disorienting effect of the situation on the mind of our character.

I think that the wording “the condemned man and the sergeant standing on the two ends of the same plank” implies that although they hold very different positions in this life, both the sergeant and Farquhar are on the “plank,” meaning they will both have to face death sometime and this end is inescapable.

I agree with what Rachel had to say about describing the character after describing the setting and situation. I don’t think the main point of the story is that this is happening to Peyton Farquhar, I think the point is that it is happening, in general. The description of physical appearance is pretty broad and could apply to many people; the author doesn’t use any odd and distinguishing characteristics that would be unique to Peyton Farquhar.

The use of the words “spectators” and “parade” makes me think of this scene as a show, as if the execution of Farquhar is some form of entertainment for the soldiers. At the same time, the soldiers are like “statues [...] staring stonily” and again, like in the first paragraph, I get the sense that the soldiers are trying to distance themselves emotionally from this event.

I thought that the author’s word choice when describing the sentinels was somewhat unique. The word “adorn” makes me think of decorations and other things whose purpose is to beautify something else. Perhaps the author uses this to contrast the ugliness of the whole situation. Whether this is true or not, I just thought it was odd to use a word that usually has a positive connotation in such a negative situation.

The phrase “formal and unnatural” stood out to me, too. I agree with Jordan and Kaitlyn in that the author purposely used these words to reflect the situation itself, not just to describe the position of the gun. I thought it was interesting how into detail the author went when describing the position of the gun, even providing a name for that specific position.

The fact that the duty of these men does not involve knowing what is “occurring at the center of the bridge” demonstrates how even soldiers try to distance themselves from death. If they do not think about what is going on, the loss of a life is not going to affect them greatly; they will not have to deal with this gruesome event emotionally. The sense of personal responsibility is gone.

The shift into the protagonist’s thoughts begins to make concrete a sort of battle between good versus bad in the story. While it’s a bit difficult to “take a side” in the beginning of the story – the language is mostly withdrawn and objective, and while there is a general sense of pity toward the protagonist, he is still identified as a criminal – once the protagonist identifies an “invader” and mentions his family, it becomes easier to take his side.

I found it interesting that this paragraph is where the author/narrator begins to try to garner sympathy (“a kindly expression … no vulgar assasin”) for the man being hanged, when he made the language in the first two paragraphs far more detached and formal.

“In the hemp” is a creative reference to the noose attached to the man’s neck.

The author seems to take meticulous steps to make the language have this “withdrawn” quality. For example, the story states that his hands “were behind his back,” when he could have easily used much more forceful language, and stated that “a rope closely encircled his neck,” when he could have described the rope as a noose, and once again used a much more forceful verb instead of “encircled.”

The word “deference” is also a legal term which refers to how much respect a court has for the legitimacy or authority of a government’s actions. Showing less deference might indicate that the court believes a government is illegitimate or acted beyond its power. (Clearly the soldiers here have no such concerns.)

The phrase “trust of a knife” is confusing… I can’t find any references to what “trust” means in terms of knives. I assume it refers to the blade?

I think the loud ticking of his watch is foreshadowing how much time is about slow down–enough that he will be able to live out his escape in the seconds before he reaches the end of the rope.

“unsteadfast footing”:

This phrase is from Shakespeare’s Henry IV (part I), Act I, scene iii:

Worcester: Peace, cousin, say no more.
And now I will unclasp a secret book,
And to your quick-conceiving discontents
I’ll read you matter deep and dangerous,
As full of peril and adventurous spirit
As to o’erwalk a curren roaring loud
On the unsteadfast footing of a spear.

Worcester is convincing Hotspur to join the rebellion against King Henry IV. Hotspur will be betrayed by men more calculating and less romantic than he.

A planter is someone who owns a plantation. (Not to be confused with a farmer, who actually plants crops.)

“Parade rest” is a military parade command which allows the addressed soldiers to relax somewhat, with feet shoulder-width apart. No movement is allowed. The military parade dates back to ancient Rome, when the formation of large armies required soldiers to fight as units rather than as individuals. Organized fighting was considered more civilized than “melee” combat.

When I read this passage the first time in the story, I didn’t think it had much significance in the overall work. I only thought that it acted to increase the suspense. On second thought, I think the passage does work as foreshadowing for how Farquhar has increased sensory imagery in the rest of the story. How loudly he heard his watch relates to how strongly he felt his injuries and how closely he sees things in nature.

I think that this passage also introduces the first instance of Farquhar’s heightened senses. Throughout the story, he is able to see, hear, and feel things with unnatural intensity. In this instance, he comments that the stream was “racing madly”, yet he was able to see the driftwood following the “sluggish stream’s” slow current. The contradictory phrases make the reader realize something strange is going on.

Taking a look of some of the literary elements of this passage, it’s interesting to see how repetitive the author is here. The phrases “not a man moved”, “staring stonily”, “motionless”, “statues”, and “folded arms, silent, observing…” all work together to add visual imagery of the still scene and reinforce the author’s purpose of describing the formal deference of the men.

I think it was wise of the author to include this exposition at this point in the story. Had this been the first paragraph of the story, it may have been effective, but not as attention-grabbing as the actual beginning paragraph. By describing the character after describing the entire setting and situation, the reader gets the sense that the man may not be the most important part of the entire scene.

In this final paragraph of Part I, I think that the narrator brings the reader back to reality. We had become wrapped up in the story, especially in the direct thoughts of the previous paragraph, and now by saying “set down in words”, the reader once again becomes completely aware that he is reading a story.

This paragraph is also interesting because the focalization of the narrator first shifts. Previously, the reader knew of the man, knew of his appearance, and knew of what he saw and heard. Now, the narrator focuses on the man as a dynamic character and the reader discovers the man’s direct thoughts. In this short paragraph, the reader realizes the man is a quick thinker, brave, self-assured, perhaps religious, and loving.

I want to suggest a possible “still time” scenario for part III of the story. When the seargent steps aside, I think it is then that the envisions of the escape flood his mind. All of the action takes place in a split second, it is just written as if to lead the reader into believing it really happened.

I agree with what Soham says completely. Others mentioned previous times when he may have thought of escape, but I think those thoughts were just “what if’s” going through his mind, not serious plots. Now the real possibility has suddenly overcome him, because he would do anything to see his family again.

Since the ticking interrupts the thoughts of his loved ones, could this perhaps mean that he feels as if all the time in the world would not be enough to recount his dearest memories? It is interesting/disturbing to sit and wonder about what one’s last thoughts would be if his or her life was at stake. This is just my thought, the arrival of the ticking at this point in the plot may have nothing do at all with his memories, it may simply just imply that his time is running out…

When the author writes “These movements left….standing on the two ends of the same plank,” I think his purpose is to show how the sergeant and the condemned are on two totally separate “sides.” For example, the sergeant is the authority, the condemned the obedience to authority. Also, this can apply to the war itself: the plank is the United States, the two men represent the North and the South. Finally, it can represent the cycle of life, the sergeant being life, with the unique twist of having the ability to give (reproduce) and take away (kill), and the condemned being death (soon to die).

I agree with Jordan and Craig about his sly smile representing his dignity. It is also interesting to me that the author takes the time to describe the condemned. After all, the man is about to die, does it matter what he looks like? I suppose the author’s goal was to show that he was a good man, and to show how it is a pity that he should have to hang. However, war does not take pity, and whatever this man did to deserve death, whether the reasoning is justified or not, he is going to die at the hands of the Federal Army.

I find it interesting that so many other “players” are associated with this death. It is almost as if they are anticipating the noose to fail to do its job, or for the condemned to try to escape. Also, I agree with Soham about “Death is a dignitary…is to be received with formal manifestations of respect.” These soldiers are like robots, they just do what they are told, who knows if they know why they are asked to do the things that they do? Here, the formal way of killing Peyton serves as respect to the condemned, but how can we respect such a bad omen as that of death?

When the position of the soldiers is described as “formal and unnatural,” I think that this suggestion mirrors the event that is taking place. It is in a sense a “formal” hanging, as Soham said it is just another necessary hanging, but it is still carried out in a formal manner. The soldiers still take the time to be respectful, rather than just slipping the noose around his neck and dropping the plank. Also, the situation is “unnatural” because being hanged is an unnatural way to die.

I saw it as dignified, also, like the soldiers may hold the power but he is still a gentleman. That description holds more weight, with me, than his dignified appearance.

The last two sentences about the two soldiers at the ends of the bridge shows the approach that the soldiers are taking to the hanging. They merely view it as another hanging, another casualty of war that is necessary and that they are simply doing there job of guarding the bridge. The purpose of their job does not matter, only that it is being done matters.

I think the thought of a escape is a sudden realization at this point. At the end of the last paragraph was when it really sunk in that he was about to die, and not until then did he realize how much he was losing and leaving behind. Prior to the last paragraph, he was unnerved and not afraid at all, deciding that he would die with pride and dignity. But after thinking about his life and his family, he realized how grim his situation is, leading him to search for hope through an escape plan.

I also really like the symbolism of the ticking watch. As the intervals betwen the ticks seemed to be growing, it was almost as if death were playing with him and prolonging his dread of what was about to happen. He knew every tick brought him closer to death, which is what made them “hurt his ear like the trust of a knife”.

Also, I agree with Craig, I don’t think he was looking for a way to escape at this point. I think the detailed description of the scenery was made to paint a picture of the grimness of the situation. The scenery that is being described is littered with things like “the muzzle of a brass cannon” and “a single company of infantry in line”. I think he is realizing how trapped he really is because he is essentially surrounded by these weapons and Yankees.

I thought the line “Death is a dignitary …..of deference” was very interesting and ironic in this situaiton. It shows that the soldiers are not committing this atrocity out of choice, but rather, they feel, out of necessity and they view it as just another military act and therefore must respect it in that sense.

He really begins to think about escaping here because he has realized how much he misses his wife and family, and he will try anything to to see them again.

I love this little flashback that he has. It almost seems to parallel the entire third part. In the third part the man has an outrageous out of body type experience before he dies, and in this paragraph, he goes back to memories of his wife before he “dies.”

It seems that things are going in slow motion for the man. Even the fast moving rapids appear sluggish.

I see the “kindly expression” not as a sly grin because he is going to escape, but as a look of dignity. He is going to die with his honor and does not want to show is fear to the enemy.

I don’t think the condemned is actually looking for an escape route. He just seems to be realizing he is about to die, and as he becomes more apprehensive, scared etc the scene around him becomes clearer and more obvious.

I really love how the narrator goes into detail about the soldiers and how their guns are positioned. This shows how the man’s (Farquhar) senses have become heightened. This heightened sense of things is repeated throughout the story, and it is interesting that the first paragraph jumps right into this motif.

I think that the wording and sentence structure is also very awkward, which adds to the overall awkwardness of the situation.

The ticking of his watch being amplified to that of a blacksmith’s anvil shows how much he was truly dreading the impending drop. Every second seemed labored, every tick was one less second he had to live, and the gravity of the situation was becoming clearer as he was distracted from pleasant memories.

His gaze wandering to the madly-racing stream beneath him also represents his mind, most likely swirling with memories, last thoughts, and, as it foreshadows in the last line, possible thoughts of escape.

I agree, Amanda, and I also think the use of the word “loopholed”, though in reference to rifles in context, was intentional. As we all know, this has another meaning- something used to get out of a situation, in this case a possible escape plan as he’s viewing this scenery around him.

I think the importance of this “awkward” description is not only to show how uninvolved the soldiers are trying to be, but also to symbolize how awkward it is for someone to die before it naturally happens, prematurely ending life–how sudden and without closure.

I think it is to bring things back to reality, like you said in your last sentence. Its to bring it back to the perspective at the begining, because the last paragraph was focusing on the man’s own thoughts and his own perspective, where as here it is from more of a general perspective, as if from a bystander, and I think the narrator wanted to emphasize this distinction

It is interesting that the narrator think it important to write and say the man’s thoughts of escape instead of just leaving it that he said these thing in the paragraph before. I do not know why he would do this. Any ideas? This section also flashes back to reality with the sergeant stepping off the plank.

The man to be executed is now slipping in and out of consciousness. He is thinking comforting thoughts of home and his family to keep himself distant from reality. The metallic sound could possibly be a train coming with the echo through the landscape. It would sound choppy and like it is stopping and starting since he is slipping in and out of consciousness.

The last line shows that he has convinced himself that if he fell into the water, that he would be able to survive it and swim to safety. The description of the hanging proves that this was common and that there was a routine to the practice of slaughtering people. This represents the brutality of the war.

It mentions that he is a farmer, but he does hold a higher status in society since it describes him being clean-shaven, slicked back hair, and a gentleman. This also proves that the war and the enemy were ruthless no matter who you were. The small grin on his face, might be foreshadowing the plans that he has for escaping.

Not only is this describing the scenery, but it is also showing the thoughts going through this mans head about how he can get free. He is surveying the area to see how he could escape and what would happen–could the Yankee’s shoot him, or was he safe once he got out of the noose?

There are soldiers from the North that are guarding the bridge since they recently took over it. There is a Southerner that is going to be hung off the bridge for his actions against the North. It shows how awkward the situation is by describing the soon to be murdered man’s posture and the soldiers stances of just doing what they are told.