"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"
by Ambrose Bierce
Focus on… • Setting • Point of View • Imagery • Foreshadowing
BACKGROUND
The violence and death Ambrose Bierce witnessed during the American Civil War (1861 –
1864) convinced him that war was terrible and futile. He set much of his best fiction,
including this story, against the backdrop of this war, which was fought mostly in the South;
hundreds of thousands of casualties were caused on both sides. During the Civil War,
executions were always carried out according to strict military code. In that war, as in most
others, civilian attempts at sabotage were treated harshly; the culprits were immediately
hanged or shot. Saboteurs knew the extreme penalty for their deeds.
DIRECTIONS: Use the story to answer the following questions in neat, detailed, COMPLETE
sentences.
PART I
1. What is the setting of the story?
2. What event is about to occur at the beginning?
3. Describe the physical appearance of the man in detail.
4. What crime can you infer this civilian is about to be hanged for?
5.
A. From what point of view is Part I of this story told? How do you know?
B. There is a CHANGE in the point of view part of the way through. At what point in the
story does this change take place? Include the
page number in your answer.
C. From what point of view is the rest of Part I told? How do you know?
6. Why do you think the author chose to change the point of view at this point?
7. In the 4th paragraph on page 80, the man hears something described as “the stroke of a
blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil.” Continue reading that page. What does the sound turn
out to be? Why is this sound described in such a manner?
8. Describe what is happening in the last 4 paragraphs of Part I. Could this be foreshadowing?
Explain your answer.
PART II
9. How is Farquhar’s description at the beginning of Part II different from his description in
Part I? Be detailed.
10. In this war that divided our nation, which side does Farquhar support (the North or the
South)? How do you know?
11. Describe what occurred at the Farquhar home on the evening the “gray-clad soldier” came
by.
12. Does the encounter with the gray-clad soldier take place before or after the opening scene
on the bridge? How do you know?
13. At the end of Part II, a northern spy came by the Farquhar home. Why is this important to
the story?
PART III
14. Describe the change or shift in time that occurs between Parts II and III. Does Part II
happen before or after Part III in actual time? How do you know?
15. What unusual event happens to Farquhar starting in paragraph 7 of this section?
16. What is Farquhar thinking when he falls in the water? (Page 83, paragraph 8.)
17. What new dangers face Farquhar now that he has fallen in the water?
18. Look at page 84, paragraph 7 onward. Describe Farquhar’s alertness of his senses.
Specifically, what can he see and hear that people cannot normally see and hear? List at least
10 items or sounds. What could be the cause of this new ability to see and hear so clearly?
19. How is it possible that Farquhar does NOT get shot during his escape?
20. Look at the section that starts at the 8th paragraph on page 88 and continues on to page
89. List a few of the bizarre/strange things that Farquhar sees.
21. Everything seems so unfamiliar/strange to Farquhar, even though he is not far from home.
What could be a possible cause of this?
22. The description of Farquhar’s wife foreshadows the surprise ending of the story. What is
strange about his wife’s appearance and smile when he finally arrives at home?
23. How did you react to the story’s ending? Explain your answer.
24. Looking back over Part III, what hints were there that Farquhar’s escape occurred only in
his mind?
Learn about Ambrose Bierce’s life