An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Ambrose Bierce authors a compelling story that takes place in Alabama during the American Civil War (1861-1865) in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” The central figure is Peyton Farquhar, a man in his middle thirties that is not a Confederate soldier, but a common slave owning civilian planter. He is also a politician, which is not uncommon for a plantation owner of the period, who takes up the Southern cause of succession and independence. Peyton lives during one of the most troubling periods in our history, when we are at war within our own borders. A time at which inner turmoil is due to disagreements concerning human enslavement, defines and divides a nation’s people. Peyton, like so many other slave owning politicians, has a vested interest in maintaining enslavement in order to sustain their own self-interest. In Peyton’s story we are able to share his thoughts and reflections during his final hour of life after attempting to de...