An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge adequately displays Realism and the characteristics which determined a Realism piece. The piece begins with much detail. The protagonist is residing on the a railroad bridge in Alabama. This bridge will be the area where the protagonist is subjected to be hung. With this specific detail provided, one may obtain much similarities between Bierce's piece and that of a traditional Realism piece. The f actuality of the story is also a notable aspect of Bierce's work. Because the narrator of the story does not successfully obtain his intentions, the factual aspect of the story is further elaborated upon.

Much like Dark Romanticism, Realism relies on specific detail and imagery. Bierce retains the use of imagery in his piece often. Realism's ability to remain factual and appropriate to characters allows for further comparison to the writing style. Nature is a strong aspect of the Romanticism writing style. With that said, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge does not relate with nature as a primary source or characteristic. The story seems to retain more prominent sources such as people or factual event. The piece does not retain much fictitious material, which is much more common in a Romanticist piece. Because of this, readers can relate with the subject matter more than that of a Romanticism story. Many can compare Bierce to dark, yet acclaimed author, Edgar Allen Poe. The two authors contain similar writing styles. The strong use of imagery is a reliable source in which the two can be compared. Although they are similar in some aspects of writing, the subject matter is drastically contrasting between both authors. Bierce, which also heavily relies on imagery, obtains the use of flashforwards and factual subject matter (Bierce). Poe, along with his descriptive details, retains the use of spirituality and naturalistic aspects. With this said, many readers can determine a definitive difference between each style of writing. Various authors from each style have contrasting subject matter, because of this contrast, the line regarding Realism and Romanticism is set.

Protagonist, Fahrquhar, relies on his use of daydreaming and flashforwarding. Much like modern pieces, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge can definitively display the contrasting usage in a Realistic work. Throughout the passage, Fahrquhar uses his psychological connection in order to obtain success. Although he relies heavily on this, his intentions are inevitably unsuccessful; his rope does not break and therefore, his subjected consequence is obtained. Again, this yet another contrasting aspect of Realism. The psychological use is not as heavy in Realism, yet it is still prominent in the writing style. Because of this specific aspect from the passage, one may speculate that Bierce retained much connection with the use of time and flashfowards. The passage reflects the use of tangible events and objects rather than an unrealistically-based story, hence the title "Realism." Among these tangible objects or events, factual sites and locations or realistic characters may display Bierce's intended use (Bierce).

After much inspection with An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, a reader may gain a similar satisfaction that is received with Romanticism in a Realism piece. This is due to the Realistic writing style, which coincides with that of a Romanticist style. Although the styles are similar, one may gain more satisfaction with Realism due to its ability to further elaborate or grow on factual material. Bierce is successful in his attempt to coexist with other various Realism authors.

Bierce, Ambrose. "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce; II Page 1." Page By Page Books. Read Classic Books Online, Free. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. .