In the beginning of the story “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, we are thrown into the story in an objective third person point of view. We can identify this because of the way no one is referred to as “I” and the fact that we don’t hear anyone’s thoughts. But shifts to a 3rd person limited/subjective mode around the end of the fourth paragraph by telling us how Peyton saw the stream as “sluggish”. This method of introducing the story is odd, but effective at catching the reader’s attention. By telling us what is going on around the protagonist but without his personal thoughts. By doing this the reader wants to know; why this is happening, what did he do, and who is he?
In part two, our protagonist is given a name Peyton Farquhar, and we are given the reason why he is being hung. In a sudden shift in time and place we are told that he was not able to join the confederate army, and being faithful to the south he wants to do what ever possible to help out. He is told that he is able to help by burning a bridge that is used by the north’s trains; but if caught by the north he will be hung.
In part three we are returned to the bridge. Peyton is suddenly dropped, and the rope snaps, he swims away, and runs until the next morning to get to his wife and kids. When he is about to hold his wife, he feels a “blow upon the back of the neck” and we find out that besides the first sentence part three was all in Peyton’s head; he died being hung. How anti-climactic…
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