An Occurrence On Owl Creek Bridge Analysis

An Occurrence On Owl Creek Bridge 

by Ambrose Bierce 

"The intervals of silence grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening. With their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the trust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of his watch." 

I decided to write about this quote from Bierce's short story due to way in which it highlights a key concepts expressed in the narrative.  One of these concepts concerns the pull of fantasy as apposed to reality in dire times of stress and impending mortality. In the quote, the main character is facing death by noose in a matter of minutes. In his state of desperation many  time arises to the fore front of his mind it its importance. Through its personification as something physically heavy and  arrestingly loud, the reader is able to grasp time's significance to the main character. However something  which stood out was Peyton's denial of reality up until and attachment to the ideal up until the very end. Peyton doesn't recognize the sound of this watch  as  his watch, instead he grants it an identity of more significance.  When the author introduces Peyton's character he is from the start a character clings to and pursues an "ideal existence".  This was best demonstrated through his desire to be a solider who becomes a great war hero.  Unsatisfied with his affluent lifestyle as a slave owner,"he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction". Using this naive, idealist mindset under which he is untouchable, infallible, and destined fro greatness, he is fooled by the union scout into  a misson against the  union soldiers.  However just as how his  naivety and idealist mindset leads him to undertake a foolhardy task, he also can't resist  holding on to his dream to be a hero even as he dies. Even as he swings from the noose he is building a fantasy world in which he has escaped his fate.  What's even more interesting is that in this daydream there is an internal struggle in which his mind seems to be telling him to let go and die a hero's death for his cause,  whilst in reality he has a great will and desire to live.  The reader sees this contradiction when he states that as he fell into the water he told his hands to ""Put it back, put it back!".  Yet the great irony of  the story lies in its title. Despite Peyton's efforts in reality and fantasy to amount to something great in this life,  all his death amounted to was " An Occurrence On Owl Creek Bridge".