An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - Line Illuminator Job #1
Chapter I
A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his
eyes followed it down the current. How slowly it appeared to move! What a
sluggish stream! He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his
wife and children. The water, touched to gold by the early sun, the brooding
mists under the banks at some distance down the stream, the fort, the soldiers,
the piece of drift—all had distracted him. And now he became conscious of a new
disturbance. Striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he
could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion
like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil;
In the first part of this passage,
it demonstrates to the reader how slowly time was moving for Peyton Fahrquhar.
This is important as he dreams throughout most of the reading. There was also a
resignation and calmness within him. The fourth sentence however, shows that
Fahrquhar wasn’t thinking about his money or the war or slavery, which was the
primary reason he came to the bridge. Fahrquhar sees everything around him in a
different light and takes every detail in. Still, I find it interesting that he used his last thoughts for
his wife and children and dreams of escape even though his primary purpose of coming to the bridge was for the South. What do you guys think about this?
I think that this is definitely a clue that he's living in his own reality or slipping out of reality into his own reality at this time. Because it had just said that the river was going fast, and now to him it is going slowly since this isn't possible it shows how he might be loosing his grasp on reality.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how this put things into perspective for him like you said he doesn't think about money, the war, or slavery the reasons that he went to the bridge; he thinks about his beloved family and escaping back to them, he saw everything else as a distraction from that.
That transition is something I definitely missed until i looked into it further.
DeleteSo do you guys think Farquhar was noble & patriotic OR was he selfish (disregarding consequences for his family) for blowing up the bridge?
ReplyDeleteI don't think he really knew what he was getting into when he went there. He went in haste and didn't seem to think through what could happen to him or that it might go badly. I don't think he was being selfish or super noble I guess he was a little patriotic but even that I'm not sure of, that part went by so fast that it's hard to tell why he did it I think he just wanted to help in some way. He was just super hasty in what he did and it cost him his life in the end.
DeleteI would say both...like Emilee i think he did it in too much haste and without thought but he also was patriotic in such a way that he thought no more about the subject to put himself out there for his country even if it was for the wrong reasons.
DeleteWhen I read this I put myself in his shoes. I think it would be very hard for me to be thinking about my family and knowing I was going to lose them. Yet I also find it fascinating how slowly the time seemed to pass. I think the time went so slow because he had so much to think about in such a short amount of time. he almost seems to be in another world!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how even though he seemingly had a long time to think every little detail over, he never once thought about his original purpose. Still, he even seemed to forget about the soldiers once he made it into the forest.
DeleteIt is fascinating that Fahrquhar entirely forgets his mission while on the bridge, he just contemplates his family and seeks a means of escape. Perhaps this is because, realizing now how rash his decision to approach the bridge to destroy it, Fahrquhar considers the effect that his death may have on his family. It is interesting that time appears to slow in this scene. It reminds me of Doctor Strange, The Ancient One stretches her last seconds of life into minutes so she could think about her previous actions and of the future. It is similar to what Fahrquhar does in this part of the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree! i definitely think he regrets his previous decision of haste that he made to accomplish his bold 'patriotic' action.
DeleteI think the random piece of driftwood could symbolize his his life going past him very fast and how his life is going to end. His dead body will be floating down the river. Good job Cliff!!
ReplyDeleteGood discussion! Larissa, the driftwood could symbolize Farquhar's life. That is a good analogy. What else could the driftwood allude to? Did Farquhar really forget his original mission? Or is he actually reminded of that mission?
ReplyDeleteThe driftwood also would have alluded to the fact that the soldier in gray had told him their was a bunch of dry driftwood to set on fire. (this wasn't necessarily dry...) but i do think it could have reminded him of it although Bierce didn't mention it as one of Fahrquhar's many thoughts of detail.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cliff I think it was to remind us of the reason he went there to burn the bridge, and to show his chances of that slowly slipping away.
DeleteThe driftwood is important to the story, otherwise the writer would not have included it, but if it was there to remend Fahrquhar of his initial mission, why is it not listed as one of his many thoughts? It would make sense if it represents his life slowly slipping away, because he is slowing being strangled through most of the story.
ReplyDelete