What is the most significant theme of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”?
Calling “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, by Ambrose Bierce, a confusing story would be an understatement. The story constantly switches between periods of time and even between reality and fiction, and while several other short stories do this as well, they are normally more overt about it. For example, part I of the story describes a man being hanged for an unspecified crime during the Civil War, while part II shows a man named Peyton Farquhar asking a soldier how he can contribute to the Southern cause. However, it is not until part III that it is revealed that Farquhar and the man being hanged are in fact the same person. In addition, the fact that almost all of part III doesn’t actually happen in the reality of the story is not revealed until the very last sentence. In my opinion, the most significant theme of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is the blending of what is real and what is not real into one. Part I immediately sets the stage for the reader, introducing the main ...