An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

“Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him. In the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference.”

Death is personified in this quotation as a dignitary, someone of importance. Bierce plays on the silence in the scene. When death comes, the soldiers are obedient and accept its judgment. Here the reader sees a shift in the tone breaking the straightforward nature of the narrative, which will be fully shifted to Farquhar’s perspective by the end of the story.

“Evidently this was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.”

This short quotation shows the reader that during the Civil War civilians were treated with the same punishments as soldiers. The military took sabotage seriously and everyone was treated the same no matter their status. Farquhar knows this and excepts his fate with no outward signs of objection.

“Its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of the death knell. He awaited each new stroke with impatience—and he knew not why—apprehension. 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 ears like the trust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of his watch.”

This passage highlights the anxiety and fear that Farquhar is feeling. He is listening to the ticking of his watch, but he is not able to place the sound. His mind is racing and with each passing second his fear is rising. He clearly wants to scream. It also showcases Bierce’s ability to play with time and the perception of reality. The sound is emphasized by the absence of sound.