Discussion Topic
The significance and impact of the term "occurrence" in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."
Summary:
The term "occurrence" in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is significant because it downplays the dramatic and tragic events of the story, suggesting a sense of detachment and inevitability. It emphasizes the mundane nature of death in war, contrasting with the intense personal experience of the protagonist, Peyton Farquhar.
In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," how does the term "an occurrence" impact the story's interpretation?
The title of Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is an understatement that belies how profound the subject matter of the story is. The "occurrence" is the hanging of a Confederate civilian operative by the Union Army. Obviously a death under any circumstances is a profound topic; life is precious, and death by hanging is particularly fraught with emotion, certainly for the one being hanged, and also for anyone else who cares for the person. Even those carrying out the hanging cannot remain unmoved by the process.
In another sense, though, the word "occurrence" indicates that the event is somewhat routine, somewhat unremarkable. And in the context of the American Civil War, an event such as this would be just one of many, many horrific scenes that played out for the four years of the conflict. More American soldiers died in the Civil War than...
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have died in any other armed conflict America has participated in. Over 620,000 soldiers died; this single death of a civilian operative, then, becomes simply an "occurrence."
In another sense, the word "occurrence" in the title is ambiguous. What event does the title refer to? The obvious answer, which is reinforced by the last sentence of the story, is that it refers to the hanging of Peyton Farquhar. But there are two other "occurrences" that might be the subject of the title. First, something happened at Owl Creek bridge before the hanging. Farquhar attempted to destroy the bridge in order to keep the Union Army from advancing across it into Southern territory. As part of this effort, he planned to "elude the picket post" and "get the better of the sentinel." Since he referred to himself as "a student of hanging," it's possible Farquhar attempted to hang or succeeded in hanging the sentinel from Owl Creek bridge. Whatever Farquhar managed to accomplish was the "occurrence" that led to his eventual hanging and is therefore arguably the more important "occurrence" in the story.
The other "occurrence" that could be referred to in the title is the imagined "occurrence" of Farquhar's escape. Taking up the last half of the story, the miraculous survival tale is a more noteworthy event than the hanging was, if it had been real. Of course, it all happens in Farquhar's mind in the split second before he loses his life. The detailed descriptions and developing suspense in this section make it the most memorable part of the story. The most profound message the story relays is also found in this section. That a person could live out such a seemingly realistic scenario in just a second or two underscores how precious life is and how one hangs onto life and hangs onto hope until the very end.
The title of this story uses understatement to produce a profound effect on the reader, causing him or her to contemplate the preciousness of life.
What is the significance of "occurrence" in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?
According to the Free Dictionary.com, “occurrence” simply means “something that takes place.” However, in a list of synonyms for the word, it says, “a happening of no great importance.” When the reader first sees the title he/she will agree that it is a hanging taking place, but as the story unfolds we see that it is much more, and it is of great importance to Peyton Farquhar, the man about to be hanged.
The author goes into detail about how Farquhar manages to escape from his execution, and the reader is drawn in, hoping as much as he does that he can make it to safety. This is exactly what Ambrose Bierce wants to happen, and as the reader reaches the surprise ending we see that Bierce picked the perfect word in using “occurrence” in the title, for what is happening is simply “something that took place,” a hanging. The author put you in the mind of the condemned man, only to show you that it didn’t really matter to the outcome of the execution.
The use of the word "occurrence" in the title of this excellent story is one of the brilliant touches that makes this work of fiction such a classic. We must remember that often what draws people to read a given work of fiction is the title of it and how it can engage our interest and lead us to read on. If we consider the title of this great short story, the word "occurrence" serves the purpose of indicating tha the story will talk about something that will happen at Owl Creek Bridge and nowhere else. The word "occurrence" is rather vague in the way that it does not give any clear indication about what the event that will be the focus of the story is. It serves to indicate that what will happen is too mysterious and indefineable to be described in more concrete and precise terms. This of course serves to make us extremely curious as to what the precise nature of this "occurrence" is, drawing us into the story and engaging us in Peyton Farquhar's flight of fantasy as he imagines an escape before his death.
Given the focus of the story on the psychological response of a man to his imminent death, we could argue that such a vague word excellently captures the ambigous, psychological nature of the story, for how can a man's final thoughts and mental reactions to death be captured in title? The use of the word "occurrence" therefore emphasises this theme of the story.