An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Group

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shuseman
shuseman
Student
College - Sophomore

How is Peyton's sense of duty represented in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

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Posted by shuseman on Sunday September 13, 2009 at 1:42 PM and tagged with characters, duty, peyton.

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  1. scarletpimpernel Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Bierce stresses Peyton Farquhar's sense of duty in two ways--his obligation to his state and the South and his familial duty.

    1.  At the beginning of the story's flashback section, Bierce describes Farquhar as a man who regretted not being able to serve in combat for the Confederacy.  He desperately longed to make a difference and be in the midst of the actual battle; so when a mysterious rider plants the idea in his head to destroy a bridge that the Union needs, he jumps at the opportunity.  This sense of duty and the desire to contribute to the war effort lead to Farquhar's execution.

    2.  The fact that the last thoughts that flash before the protagonist's eyes are of his wife and home demonstrates that Farquhar realizes that he will be leaving behind a wife whom he can no longer care or provide for.  He becomes so absorbed in this truth that for a brief moment, he lapses into an escape fantasy in which he victoriously returns home to his wife.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/occurrence-owl/

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    Posted by scarletpimpernel on Tuesday September 15, 2009 at 2:30 PM