Alexis Alldredge
Linda Akin
English 101
14 November 2016
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Throughout the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” the reader will read about a time period during the Civil War about a patriot. “The reader is made to participate in the split between imagination and reason, to feel that the escape is real while he knows it is not” (Studies in Short Fiction 1). The writer tells us about the flashbacks, the setting of the story, Peyton’s senses, and the major themes of the story through the lifestyle of a courageous patriot during the Civil War. During the story, Peyton has flashbacks that occur during the second part of the story. In these “flashbacks describes the lifestyle of Peyton’s life before he was caught tampering with the bridge” (Teen Ink 1). While flashback occurs during the story, Peyton is having flashbacks about his wife and children after he knocked himself unconscious. After he is already…show more content… “Peyton’s senses awaken, as he comes to the surface and feels the ‘ripples upon his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck’” (Teen Ink 1). However, his senses allow him to know where or where not he should to move from the sound of the shot. Self-delusion is also illustrated throughout Peyton’s escape. With this being said, he has distorted views of himself as a fighter for freedom and a courageous patriot. Also, “Bierce utilizes irony, an untrustworthy narrator, and shifting perspectives to show that the mind can create its own realities and its own escape” (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Summary 1). Throughout this short story, suspense is built in flashbacks, the setting and Peyton’s senses. Peyton started dreaming while he was waiting to be hanged. However, during Peyton’s evasion, readers get into the story only to discover Peyton was dreaming before he had died. Several things were revealed throughout the last couple of paragraphs in the
