Peyton Farquhar is a wealthy Alabama farmer who awaits his death on the Owl Creek Bridge during the Civil War. Union soldiers hang the man for revealing to a Union snitch his Confederate loyalty. The reader will be led to believe, when reading this story, that Peyton has miraculously escaped and enjoys reading about the long and exhausting journey he took to get home to his wife and children. The only time it’s revealed that his entire escape is a fantasy is in the final sentences. Everything happened in the milliseconds he had between being forced off of the bridge and the noose securing his neck. This passage is found in the very first paragraph of Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Peyton becomes anxious and aggravated in this paragraph because of an unidentified, irritating noise. This paragraph is the most important in the whole piece because it establishes a mood, character development, adds to theme, and sets the tone.
This paragraph contributes to the development of tone and mood in the short story. They are very different. This passage, for example, “The early morning sun had turned the water a golden color, while the threatening mist was lingering under the bank at a distance” (1-2), paints an image in the reader’s mind. This is a good example of tone. The “golden water” (2) is a reference to a bright sky in the morning, while “early sunlight” (2) and “brooding haze” (2) create a calm, peaceful tone. Peyton’s “apprehension and anxiety” (9), however, is a stark contrast to this peaceful scene. He is “hurt by a sound like a knife thrust” when he hears the “maddening noise” (10) (11-12). This descriptive description of “sharp and metallic” (5) sounds creates a mood of unease in the reader. You will feel just as uncomfortable as you would on the Owl Creek Bridge as you read this section. These sentences do not only set up a mood, but they also show the contrast between the characters.
This short piece contrasts notably the inner thoughts expressed by its protagonist. The contrast in tone between calm and collected gives greater insight into how Peyton is really feeling. In just a few sentences the author has developed a complex, deep character. He does this by writing with a relaxed voice, and then powerfully describing the agonizing sounds of Peyton’s clock. The protagonist’s physical appearance suggests that he is calm and collected in the face death. The story describes him as a gentleman. The tone is similar. Bierce describes his ticking clock as sounding “like the strokes of a hammer against an anvil”. The reader begins to understand that Peyton’s fear of death is fueled by anxiety. Peyton’s fear of death is as real as it gets for the reader. This character description goes beyond the physical features of the protagonist and explores his psyche. Peyton Farquhar’s character is developed beautifully in this scene.
This passage perfectly captures the theme in the story. The theme of the story is the tendency for humans to ignore their mortality. The protagonist in this passage desperately tries not to think about his situation. He closes his eyes “to fix his final thoughts on his family” (1). Peyton refuses even to acknowledge his imminent death. He chooses to ignore his situation and think naively about his children and wife, whom he may never see again. He claims, “The fort, soldiers, driftwood – all had distracted him” (3). This means that he was distracted from his daydreaming by all of these objects, which were very real and in the present. He refused to accept his morbid reality. Bierce does a great job of comparing Peyton’s behavior to the overall theme and to humanity.
This paragraph in “An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a critical one. It sets the tone, mood and theme of the story. The protagonist is portrayed as a multi-dimensional person, and the subject matter is well-depicted. Peyton Farquhar is a man who, despite his political views, has a story that makes you feel sorry for him. It is important to remember that he’s only a man and fears death just like we do. This passage is crucial and without it, the entire story would lose its meaning.
In the paragraph below, parenthetical numbers refer to:
Close your eyes and think about his family. The H2O
The mists on the banks are a distance away, and 2 is touched by the sun in the morning.
The fort, soldiers, and the driftwood had all distracted him. Plus
Now he was aware of another disturbance. He struck through his thought of her dear.
The sound was distinct, sharp and metallic.
6 percussion similar to a blacksmith hammer stroke on anvil.
7 ringing quality. He was curious to know what it could be, and if the distance was incomparably or not.
It seemed to be both. The repetition was constant, but the pace was slow like a death-knell.
He was impatient and – he did not know why – he felt apprehension as a waited for each stroke. The original statement remains the same.
10 silence intervals grew longer and longer. Through
The sounds became sharper and louder as the infrequency increased. He was hurt by the sounds.
He feared that he might shriek. He could hear the ticking in his
13 watch. (Bierce 289)