An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and the Story of an Hour

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and The Story of an Hour

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and The Story of an Hour are

both great stories. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge starts with a man

named Peyton Fahrquhar about to be hanged in northern Alabama for trying

to burn down a bridge. Before and while being hung he has illusions that he

is free a and has escaped making it back to his home, where his wife is

waiting with his children. Towards the end of the story his neck is broken

and he dies with a visual that he had in the last minutes of his life. In the

Story of an Hour Mrs. Mallard has some type of heart trouble, so her sister

was the one that was chosen to bring her the news about her husbands death

in a train accident that occurred and his name was on that list. The two

stories end with a death of a loved one and the reality of true darkness and

sadness.

Ambrose Bierce, explains the story An Occurrence at Owl Creek

Bridge where Peyton Fahrquhar is to be hanged for trying to destroy the

bridge. "The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about

thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his

habit, which was that of a planter"(Bierce). When he shut his eyes to

concentrate and visualize his family he is distracted by the sound of the ping

coming from his watch. A loud striking disturbance in his ears. As he

opens his eyes he thinks about the

chances of escaping if he could get his hands free and jumping into the river

underneath and finding a way to make it back home. "As Peyton Fahrquhar

fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was

already dead"(Bierce).

The man in the water saw the eye of the man on the bridge gazing into his own through the sights of the rifle. He observed that it was a grey eye and remembered having read that gray eyes were keenest and that all famous marksmen had them. Nevertheless, this one had missed.(p. 310) As he visualizes himself fallen and hitting the water he now knows if he reaches the forest he can escape and find his