An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

I think this paragraph, with the ceremonious bow and the generous lady contrasts well with the scene in which Peyton is in the noose. I also think the water may have some significance here. The water is somewhat of a savior for this tired, thirsty soldier, and later in the story the water in the creek is a savior for Peyton (or so he thinks).

Peyton’s interest is piqued here as he hears the gray clad soldier tell of the situation at Owl Creek Bridge. Peyton begins to fantasize about how he could gain glory and fame for taking out an important structure that has value for the “Yanks.”

I think it begins to get a bit questionable here. This just seems too obvious that the gray clad soldier is setting Peyton up to be captured and hanged. But it is also obvious that Peyton wants to help in the war effort since he is not able to be a soldier for the reasons alluded to earlier in the story.

Peyton is now having a flashback, reminiscing about “the good old days.” I also think color is very important here. Color is a very important theme throughout all literature dealing with the Civil War, especially color of skin, and I think that is reflected here since he mentions the wife’s “whit hands.”

I think it’s also important to point out the misspelling of “too” in this paragraph. That bothers me quite a bit.

This paragraph begins to idealize Peyton’s devotion to the cause he believes in, though it is one almost all contemporary readers will disagree with. This portrays him as a man of conviction and, though his cause is questionable, the reader is still able to identify with him.

I think it is interesting that the soldier made him fall into the trap when he could have just killed him at this moment. Was this to show the north’s superiority?

I wonder if the name of the bridge has any significance. This is a stretch, but it kind of provides irony in the story. Owls are known for being wise and Peyton was not using his senses when he fell into the trap of the soldier.

I definitely missed this line too! The soldier put up a really good front though, he even bowed to Peyton and that is known as a sign of respect.

This paragraph makes me wonder what might have happened if this soldier had never shown up at Farquhar’s place. Would Farquhar have survived? It seems interesting that this simple conversation may have ultimately caused his death.

I also did not notice the juxtaposition of the white hands and the gray-clad soldier until this was pointed out, but now it seems like an obvious suggestion of innocence on the wife’s part. The fact that the soldier was wearing gray, a bleak, cold color, might also suggest the soldier’s lack of innocence as he may be a spy.

This, by the way, is an example of a picket post: http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/pcoll/civilwar/82-312.JPG

Probably not too hard to elude if it were a half a mile from the bridge.

The “student of hanging” phrase is definitely not meant to foreshadow. The reader is already well aware that Farquhar is going to be hanged. The phrase is probably there to serve as a bit of irony for the reader, or maybe it is a merely a coincidental byproduct of the way that Bierce was writing the dialog.

The fact that Peyton could not serve the south in the fall of Corinth made him yearn to aid the cause in anyway possible. I believe that later on this is what clouded his view from using his common sense to realize that the soldier was a Yankee. His demise was he was to eager to jump at any opportunity that presented itself.

Agreed, and I also think this paragraph goes a long way in explaining what is happening in the first paragraph, it really clears up why Peyton is being hanged.

Obviously, the author doesn’t go into a lot of background information, but from the first passage, I think that the army is targeting Peyton because they’ve had lots of little sabotages like the burning of a bridge before. In the first paragraph, they talk about how no job is too small for Peyton and I think what he was trying to do at Owl Creek is definitely no his first time trying to hurt the opposing army.

I completely agree. I think this paragraph shows how consumed people get with war. In the first part, Peyton is wishing that he could escape and return to his family and he would be so happy, however, here he endangers himself deliberately all for ‘the cause.’

the first time i read the story i sort of dismissed this paragraph and didn’t really read it thoroughly — whoops! i missed that last crucial line completely.

I agree with you Alex. I think that this paragraph is Peyton’s real downfall. It is here that he makes his big mistake and reveals himself to the soldier, who is obviously trying to trap him. Here he seals his fate, in a sense.

i feel like i can see this scene playing out in my head, too! even though there is no written evidence of it, i also get the feeling that the soldier is smirking while saying this, because he has obviously succeeded. they picked the right type of guy to manipulate, because peyton is so eager to help, but i’m still sort of wondering/confused about why they chose him in the first place. i probably completely missed something significant, but do we know why they are targeting peyton?

i still just think that peyton is a little naive and blinded by his eagerness to help out his side. while he does seem a tad arrogant and maybe a little rash in decision making, i’m sticking with the thought that he is just a little too consumed with helping out his people to see the entire situation for what it really is, because it is obviously a trap.

i agree with graham and jordan.. i think this guy is so consumed with helping out the south and doing his “duty” that the thought does not even cross his mind that this could be a trap. i think if anything is to blame for his fate, it is not his rashness of decision making but rather the fact that he has allowed his overwhelming sense of duty for the south to almost “blind” him.

Right when I read the part about the soldier going northward in the direction from which he had come, I knew the audience was supposed to figure out the truth about this soldier. It’s kind of chilling when things start clicking.

that’s an interesting thought about the meaning of white.. it’s very probable that it does in fact symbolize something, and i think “innocence” is a good guess as to what bierce was trying to show. i think it also may also represent some naivety on mrs. farquhar’s part– if this whole situation is in fact a trap, she is innocently and unknowingly helping to further the death of her husband.

I think it’s funny that the soldier “bowed to her husband.” I may be stretching it a little more than necessary, but looking at the small things and taking into consideration the little words that the author uses, it’s kind of ironic that the soldier bows to Farquhar now, but just a little while later, Farquhar will have lost the battle.

while i think peyton was just doing the normal “honorable” duty of someone from the south during this particular time period, i agree that it doesn’t really make me respect him that much. i agree with lacy in that this passage makes me less sympathetic towards peyton, because he seems to know what he was getting himself into.

This makes it so obvious that Farquhar is being planted in a trap, because when I read this, thought it is not described, I imagined the soldier slyly smiling while saying it, because he sees in Peyton’s eyes his hunger for adventure, and his need to help the Confederate side of the war. At this point, he knows he can manipulate him completely.

The driftwood would “burn like tinder,” which is little scraps of flammable substances, such as wood shavings, used to start a fire. Right when the soldiers says the wood would burn like tinder, the reader should know he’s going to burn the bridge. The first thing that popped into my head was Trogdor.

I had the same thought as Jordan-the fact that the soldier downplays the Yanks who are watching over the bridge should set off a red alarm that he is setting Peyton up, because he makes it sound as though it’s no big deal, and Farquhar can get away with it. If he were a true Confederate soldier looking out for fellow Confederates, he would warn him, not encourage him, to do something that dangerous and irrational.

I like the “student of hanging” part because it’s a pretty good pun, but let’s hold on a second. . . why was Peyton the man being targeted for hanging in the first place? I wonder how the Union army decided on tricking him in particular and ending his life. How did that happen?

I’m just a little confused about why anyone tampering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels, or trains would be so bad as to hang the person for it…is it because the work is being done by the North and it’s helping their advance?

Well put, Jordan. How could we possibly think that Farquhar would catch on to the trap? Don’t we remember who he was? Why would he think it was a trap when all he sees is a thirsty Confederate soldier? I think the Trojan Horse works best when the enemy is a trusting guy like Peyton.

I think that Rachel was onto something when she said that “white” is symbolic of something, and I’ll take it a step further to say that I think it might even symbolize her being “innocent” of some sort, though I don’t know exactly how that works-perhaps foreshadowing to her husband’s lack of innocence?

This entire paragraph deals with color: a rustic bench, gray-clad soldier, white hands. It may not be of as much importance as we would like to think, it certainly is descriptive.

Farquhar should not be judged by the fact that he was a slave owner. What we all must remember is that back then, that’s just how it was. While none of us would say the same about a present day slave owner, the times in which he lived called for a different approach to plantation work.

I didn’t catch the part about the driftwood either. In Farquhar’s defense, I thought that the soldier may have had to answer to higher rank in order to do something as drastic as burning down a bridge. Perhaps the soldier thought that Farquhar could do it easier, without having to report to anyone. Still I agree that the soldier is definitly planting the seeds of rash action in Farquhar’s head and it does seem rather staged.

If you look at the definition of stockade it is simply referred to as a large fence-like barrier. However, the definition also mentions that stockades are often built with loopholes near the top of the fence. Because Farquhar is so intent on searching out every loophole to escape death, I found this definition to be interesting.

I think it’s strange that he is going to be hung on the same bridge that he wanted to burn down. I guess they didn’t have a better place to do it?

I think this paragraph shows a rather cocky side to Farquhar. In a time of war, one shouldn’t assume it safe to speak in such a way to anyone they don’t really know (same colors or not). Also, it seems really arrogant of him to assume in advance that he can outwit the Union soldiers. This may play up dramatic irony, but in my opinion, I lose a little of my compassion for Farquhar due to his arrogance and recklessness.

This scene definetly seems planned, which leads me to view it as a trap. If Farquhar and his wife were already sitting outside their gates, on a bench, it appears that they were waiting for this man. His dusty horse also implies that he had traveled a long way. This definetly makes the reader question his loyalty.

Contrary to most of these posts, I don’t get the impression that Farquhar becomes more noble with this description. This paragraph seems to begin justifying why it is he is being hanged. In the first section I saw him as a helpless victim, but here I see that he was fully knowledgeable of the risks he was taking as a scout for the South.

I think that Farquhar assumes that the “Confederate” soldier just didn’t think of burning down the bridge. I think that Farquhar wanted to serve his army and be a hero so bad that this might have clouded his sense of reasoning. Otherwise, I agree that he should have been able to see that it was a trap.

I agree that this is definitely foreshadowing a trap for Peyton. I think that it is also ironic in this sense because she is being a slave to a Union army member, someone that is about to kill her husband, and the Union member was fighting to free the African American slaves.

The irony seems a bit cinematic. Far beyond the rest of the story, I can see this “scene” most clearly in my head. Imagine the grief that Farquhar’s wife feels too, knowing she assisted the man who caused her husband’s hanging.

I had a hard time picking up on the driftwood part, too. Why would he not just burn it himself if he was truly a Confederate soldier? This guy is obviously a spy or terrible at small talk.

Here’s where the dramatic irony that Colleen mentioned in the last paragraph’s comments really kicks in. Because we know what happens in the end, this quotation is where all the motors begin to turn and the unfortunate connection between this story and Farquhar’s hanging is made.

For those who don’t know, a sentinel is just a soldier who watches over a certain area. The fact that he points out a SINGLE sentinel just makes it more obvious that he’s setting him up.

I believe the relationships between individuals was different back then. If you saw someone wearing your own colors, you would assume they had the same cause as you and therefore was your brother and trustable. Conversations like this were commonplace between soldiers, civilians, and between the two groups.

Up to this period in the Civil War, the fighting was not about slavery. Instead the North was concerned about defeating the will of the South to continue fighting. There was little oversight over the individual actions of leaders and soldiers, and corruption was rampant. Even if Farquhar had done nothing wrong, it would not have been out of the ordinary for him to have been captured and executed. Although he technically could not have been executed for owning slaves, he could be for being behind enemy lines.

I thought the same thing as Colleen. Last winter seems to be a long time ago from the current moment, and it would seem the Union troops would have moved the driftwood to prevent someone from burning down the bridge. It all seems like a setup just to catch Farquhar.

I agree that it should’ve been obvious he was a spy when he knew so much and was so direct in his suggestions, but you have to remember what kind of man Farquhar is. He’s just a simple guy who does what he can for his side of the war. If a soldier rides up he’s not going to be suspicious when he’s just trying to be kind. He really has no reason to think otherwise.

I agree with Colleen – considering the structure of the story, it may just be dramatic irony, but Farquhar is demonstrating surprising foolishness by making himself so vincible.

If the story is designed in a “backwards” manner, as Soham and Kaitlyn proposed earlier, then this would be the rising action – here we have the first mention of the titular Owl Creek bridge. Owl Creek is located south of Tupelo, Mississippi.

The whole sentence (“Mrs. Farquhar was only too happy to serve him with her own white hands”) boldly sticks out in comparison with the rest of the paragraph (and story). Up to this point, the language has been normal and the imagery has been very natural or industrial. Words such as “happy” and “white” contrast greatly from the rest of the story thusfar.

The fall of Corinth refers to the former of two Civil War battles fought in the region in 1862. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard abandoned the city after struggling against a strong Union army in May of that year.

I do not believe this paragraph shows that Farquhar is to blame for his fate. He would do anything for the Southern cause, and seeing a “confederate” soldier would evoke his sense of duty, especially since he wasn’t able to fight. However, the following conversation does not seem very realistic to me. Spies at the time were not concerned with capturing and executing individuals as much as gathering intelligence.

The “fall of Corinth” is a reference to the Battle of Corinth in 1862. After the Battle of Shiloh, Confederate General Beauregard retreated to Corinth. The combined forces of Halleck (the Union commander-in-chief) and Rosecrans attacked the city several months later and re-took the city, capturing a strategic point along the Mississippi.

This creates two feelings for me – both that Farquhar was a trustworthy man, devoted to his cause, but also that he deserves to die. The word “villainous” is very interesting in this situation because it takes away from the idea that Farquhar is a blameless protagonist.

I don’t think the scout went specifically after Farquhar…I think Zhenya’s idea about going to other plantations and tricking multiple Confederates is more plausible. This fits into the idea that was mentioned in part I that it was just another execution, no big deal, just a routine procedure because it happens so often.

I still think it’s a little strange that Farquhar doesn’t catch onto the soldier’s tactics. Why would somebody tell somebody else that it would be easy to burn down a bridge if they weren’t setting them up to get caught?

I can’t believe Farquhar would say this to the soldier. He is walking himself straight into a trap and has no idea. I think this is called dramatic irony..when the reader knows whats going on but the character doesn’t…maybe?

His rashness definitely did cost him his life. As was stated in the first paragraph of Part II, no adventure was too perilous for Farquhar, and I think he was trying to maintain this reputation so much that he could not see through this spy. He was too concerned with being the hero to actually take a minute and think about what this man was saying and why he would be so willing to offer up so much information.

The fact that Mrs. Farquhar was happy to serve the soldier shows how revered soldiers are in her eyes. If the man was not wearing his uniform and just appeared on her doorstep as a stranger, she would probably be much less inclined to fetch him water. She probably wouldn’t feel the need to do it herself, with “her own white hands,” either. As some of the others have said, this shows how dedicated to the cause her and her husband are.

I think that this passage furthers the idea that Farquhar is the protagonist of the story by convincing the audience of what a noble and loyal man he was. Lines like “no service was too humble for him” and “no adventure too perilous for him” show that he really was a well-respected person.

At Corinth in October of 1862, Union forces defeated a confederate army. The Confederacy suffered large losses and there was widespread outcry in the South regarding the mounting casualties of the war.

This paragraph basically explains Farquhar’s fate. He is quick to jump the gun and do anything that might hurt the Yankees; this rashness costs him his life.

The first time I read this story, I did not catch the significance of the soldier being a Federal scout. However, now this seems to be a crucial part in the story, because it is assumed that he tipped off the Yankees at Owl Creek Bridge. I am also wondering if the story of Farquhar was not unique. Maybe the scout went to other such plantations and tricked other Confederates to come to the bridge and get killed.

This is the paragraph where, as Hal Holladay points out, “the trap is set.” By giving Farquhar the idea of burning down Owl Creek Bridge, the soldier slyly lures him into Yankee territory, where he will be mercilessly killed by his enemies.

I agree with Rebecca that a “student of hanging” might reveal Farquhar’s familiarity with hanging, implying that he thinks he can outwit the Yankees. Also, for me this phrase brings up images of people being hanged for racial reasons (although I guess historically this happened later than the time of the story), and it seems that Farquhar is one of those people that views hanging as the rule of the land.

I agree with Rachel that the phrase “with her own white hands” is significant. I believe that Bierce used this phrase to serve as a reminder that the war is a war of race, that white hands will do anything to support the Confederates and keep their slaves.

This paragraph actually does not make me like Farquhar that much. Although he is very dedicated to what he believes in and is very loyal to his land, he is a slave owner and is doing all he can to keep the status quo. He also “suffers from the illusion that war provides opportunities for glory” (Hal Holladay) while in reality it is a horrible event that ruins thousands of lives.

I agree that the phrase “student of hanging” foreshadows what is to come. However, Farquhar seems to be suggesting that someone who knows about hanging and the rules of espionage might be able to escape death.

Although Farquhar seems to wish he were a solider and accepts the lawless nature of war–”all’s fair”–he is still unsuspecting of the Federal scout. I think this shows that he is a gentleman who would never make a good soldier, and he is tricked by someone who is far more calculating and far less contemplative. Although Farquhar is a slave owner and on the “wrong side” of the war, this is very sad.

The proverb “all’s fair in love and war” has been attributed to John Lyly’s “Euphues” (16th century).

The phrase is frequently used to justify cheating, or when two people are competing for the love of a third.

How does a single Confederate soldier end up at Farquhar’s place? And, more important, how does Farquhar not see right through the spy? It’s kind of funny how little critical reasoning ability Peyton has.

I’m just surprised that Farquhar, who is just one sole man too old to fight against the Union, caused so much trouble that the Union would know about him and trick him into going to burn the bridge. Maybe the scout showing up at his house was just a coincidence, but the author makes it seems like it was a trap.

This is a clever way of informing the reader why Farquhar was being hanged at the beginning of the story. Instead of telling us outright, the reason is hidden in Part II of the story.

At this point in the story, we see some of the only true dialogue. You can see the direct way of speaking that both Farquhar and the soldier use- they are both all business.

I agree with the previous comments- when I read this paragraph, I wondered why the soldier was being so obvious. He definitely wants Farquhar to damage the Union building projects, but we are still unsure if he is asking for help, or trying to trick him into getting caught.

I think the most interesting phrase in this paragraph is that Mrs. Farquhar served the soldier with “her own white hands”. Oftentimes color imagery is used in stories to act as imagery (white = purity), but here I think it shows that the South was so important to the Farquhars, and the soldier so respected, that any old slave wasn’t worthy to serve him… Mrs. Farquhar reserved that honor for herself.

I agree with Soham- the story really does sort of circle back to a time in the past. Once again, this paragraph could have been the opening paragraph of the short story, but the background information on the main character would be less interesting as a beginning paragraph than the scene of a hanging. This paragraph finally allows the reader to feel connected to Farquhar, to see him as a real person, and to like him as a character in the story.

I’m still missing the part where Farquhar was going to burn the bridge, could he not be being killed because he owns slaves? If i remember correctly, slavery was one of the causes of the war, and the North did NOT approve. Either way, I agree that it is definitely the Union Army who hangs him.

When Farquhar says “–a civilian and student of hanging–,” is this not foreshadowing to his own death? Or perhaps I am just not familiar with what a “student of hanging” might mean… I may have just shot into the dark, anybody have any ideas?

I missed that one too, I didn’t know that Farquhar had plans to burn the bridge. I also figured that the setting was being described, that perhaps it was the following fall, and people would collect the driftwood to make their fires during the upcoming winter?

I find it interesting that Peyton could not detect the deceit in this man. If he truly were a Confederate, then why would he endanger himself by wandering around so close to where the Federal Army was? I seriously doubt that “posted everywhere” could reach far enough away (30 miles) to not be at risk of being seen by the Federals, because during the civil war there was no modern transportation to allow for the quick spread of word.

This paragraph reiterates Peyton’s loyalty to the South. I’m sure if Peyton didn’t have the responsibility of planting on his farm, then he would gladly join up and fight. Also, his wife’s eagerness to serve shows her loyalty as well. It is a wonder why she is not punished as well? Actually, I suppose having your husband killed is punishment enough, eh?

Yes, this “backwards” story confused me at first. After all, Peyton is dead, why does it matter who he was? I suppose it acts as sort of an obituary. What I do not understand is why he is being killed, is it because he is a slave owner? Or is it because of the way he acted towards the officer?

Ahhh that would make sense.

I think the Union is hagning him because he sneaks onto their “side” and attempts to burn the bridge, so they take him as a prisoner.

I definitely missed the significance of the driftwood the first time I read it. I thought he was implying that the driftwood could be taken for supplies, but this makes much more sense.

I think this dialouge is actually very important because Peyton is kind of making himself vulnerable to the spy soldier. He is revealing his intention to go to the bridge, allowing the soldier to set him up.

I’d agree this paragraph is definite “foreshadwoing” (i put it in quote since it comes later in the story). It is also an example of how Part 2 of the story is clarifying and explaining the events that led to Part 1. We now have a good guess of why Peyton was caught and being hanged.

This paragraph illustrates Peyton’s and his wife’s loyalty and dedication to the South through their actions. Mrs. Farquhar is “too happy to serve” who she thinks to be a Confederate soldier and Peyton “inquired eagerly for news from the front”, which shows their interest to be of whatever service they can.

Part 2 opens with what you woud expect to be the begining of a traditional story. Instead, we see the “begining” of the story placed right in the middle, which is what makes this story so unique because the significance of everything you read in the first part becomes more clear as you read on, making this story work backwards in a way.

He is trying to figure out if it would be worth the risk to try and do his part to protect his lands from the invading Yankees. Interesting dialog, but it really is not all that important I don’t think.

Wow, nice one Amanda! I may have missed it, but do we know if it is the Confederate or Union army that is hanging him? It would make sense that he was a “traitor” to the southern side, but could the Union have hung him after they won, simply for being in support of the other side and knowing a lot? Just a thought.

I’m glad that we finally get to see why he is being hanged. The contrast between these two parts shows how the speed of time seems to change when he is close to death.

This paragraph has some serious irony. Props to Amanda because I was not ready for this last paragraph. But finally at least we know why Farquhar is being executed.

It is the (Confederate, for now at least) soldier talking. He has not been there long but he has most likely been traveling a while. So he stops at Farquhar’s house for water. And as a good Southern boy, Farquhar complies and talks about the bridge.
From this paragraph the soldier gives Farquhar the idea to burn the bridge.

I told you he was a Yankee! It is interesting that it refers to the man that is going to be killed as her husband. Normally not said like this especially in a time when males dominated society. Might be referring to him dying since then you would relate him to the living widow.

Who is this talking? They say a soldier, but it is not the guy being hanged since he has not served and I doubt that it is the man asking for water since he probably has not been here all that long.

Just by saying that the Yankees are so close to his home is going to put him on edge and make him want to do something about it. Definite foreshadowing to his hanging off the bridge.

Sorry, this was supposed to go here, but the box was already there from the last paragraph and it threw me off.

Just by saying that the Yankees are so close to his home is going to put him on edge and make him want to do something about it. Definite foreshadowing to his hanging off the bridge.

I think that this might be a spy for the North. This shows foreshadowing to what might happen. This man might want to make him mad so that they have a reason to imprison him and not allow him to fight for the South.

I don’t think that this paragraph is all that different from the ones ending the first section. Those were describing the scene and this describing his character and his passions. These are very strong and it really shows just how devoted to his homeland he was. This remind me of how my grandfather felt when WW2 came around and he wanted to fight for his country. He didn’t necessarily want to join for the honor, but rather just to be a part of the cause.

This paragraph is such a contrast to the paragraph that ended the last section. There you see him in a noose, but here he is portrayed as an everyday hero- a man dedicated to his cause, who worked honestly and thoroughly. Causes the reader to wonder what such a good person could’ve done to deserve death, which shows that it didn’t take much.