Peyton Farquar: Tragic Hero
In the story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” written by Ambrose Bierce, Peyton Farquar, a rich plantation owner at the time of the Civil War, is unfairly hanged for his crime of intending to burn down the Owl Creek Bridge. The story is about Farquar’s heroic escape and return to his family, only for you to find out it was just a dream and that he was actually dead. Farquar is considered a tragic hero because of his error in judgment which led to his destruction; we see this from his noble status, tragic flaw, and his many other characteristics of being a tragic hero.
First we see his noble status; he is about thirty-five years old, “a well to do planter, of an old and highly respected Alabama family”, and a slave owner who was devoted to the Southern cause. Since his was so highly respected and wealthy he was unable to serve in the Civil War, however; he longed to be a hero so he did whatever he could to aid the South.
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A soldier rode up to Farquhar’s gate and asked for a drink of water, as his wife got the water, Farquhar questioned the soldier for information about the War. The soldier, who was a Federal scout in disguise, told Farquhar about how the “Yanks” were repairing the railroads and how they had reached the Owl Creek Bridge. Farquhar questioned the man about how he could help out to ruin the Federalists advances. The man told Farquhar about some dried driftwood and suggested that setting it on fire would easily set the whole bridge ablaze. Farquhar had no inclination that the man he had conversed with was a Federal scout who was tricking him, and so that night when we assume that Farquhar is attempting to go and burn the Owl Creek Bridge down the Federal scout catches
Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, who was devoted to the Southern cause. Certain unknown circumstances prevented him from serving in the army. However, he still would do everything he possibly could to aid the south. He was sitting out at his home with his wife when a soldier came through. The soldier informed Farquhar that the Union soldiers have been repairing railroads in the area, including Owl Creek Bridge, which was approximately 30 miles from his home. When asked if it were possible to sabotage the bridge, the soldier responded to Farquhar that he had stored wood there last winter and it is dry now, so he could burn it down. The soldier
He led troops in the battles of Monterrey and Buena Vista. He again returned to politics, when he was elected to the US Senate on January 21, 1861. He became the Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce. He is regarded as one of the most capable people to hold this position. He left the Senate after Mississippi’s secession, as he felt his allegiance lay with the South. After a month, he went back into politics when he was chosen to become the president of the Confederacy for the next 6 years. He hated the fact that he was chosen, and he grieved. He was a somewhat unpopular president. He had a bad habit of awarding posts to officials that were unsuccessful. He was constantly quarreling with other officials throughout his presidency. And he was simply not likeable enough for many people to like him. He made many mistakes in the leadership of the Confederacy, leading to the almost inevitable collapse of the Confederacy. For one, he did not pay attention to the collapsing economy of the Confederacy and kept printing money, leading to rapid and uncontrollable inflation. Inflation shot upward at a crazy rate, going from 60% in 1861 to 300% in 1863 and 600% in 1864. He was not able to get European backing of the South in the war. He quarreled incessantly with his Vice President, and generally treated other politicians badly. One of the biggest reasons that the South lost and the Confederacy collapsed was the failure of this man.
Peyton Farquhar is a wealthy, proud southern man. Farquhar had wish to enroll in the military but was unable too due to causes that are unknown. He was then later fooled by a union scout impersonating a confederate soldier. This union scout tricked Farquhar into believing he could stop the northerners from advancing into southern territory. Farquhar was convinced by this scout that the only way to stop the northerners from going into southern territory was to destroy the railroad bridge at Owl Creek. While Farquhar is attempting
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce, is the story of the hanging of a Civil War era Southern gentleman by the name of Peyton Farquhar. The story begins with an unidentified man being prepared to be hanged by a company of Union soldiers on a railroad bridge that runs over a river. He is then identified as Peyton Farquhar, a man who attempted to destroy the very bridge they are standing on based on information he was given by a Federal scout posing as a Confederate soldier. As he is dropped from the bridge to hang, the rope snaps and he falls into the river. After freeing himself and returning to the surface of the river, he realizes that his senses are all much
He was the leader of the free Black community in Philadelphia. In 1814 he helped enlist 2500 African-American volunteers to protect Philadelphia during the War of 1812.
The Civil War was a time full of many sad and terrible things. One of the most terrible things was slavery. Slavery was a big issue during the time. It was something many people argued about and the abolishing of it even became the goal of the Civil War. People who opposed slavery, abolitionists, fought and spoke out against slavery throughout the country. Some were more successful than others. I believe wasn’t successful as other abolitionist during his time because he was too quick to anger, he was probably insane; and he was financially irresponsible.
He was internationally recognized as an uncompromising abolitionist, indefatigable worker for justice and equal opportunity, and an unyielding defender of women's rights. He became a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln, United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, Recorder of Deeds for Washington, D.C., and Minister-General to the Republic of Haiti”.
He had a first hand view on the terror of slavery, since he had experienced it as a boy. He had attended many civil rights campaigns, one of which including the women's suffrage rally. Also attending the rally were abolitionists Antoinette Brown and Susan B. Anthony. These people were all victims of unfair treatment who would later help change U.S society.
Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a story about a man’s final moments on earth before he is hanged and how he got there. There is a struggle within the character Farquhar of who he is and who he thinks he is. This causes different views throughout the story between reality and a fantasized reality. This plays a big role in the story because in part three of the story he thinks he is far superior and had outwitted his captures and escaped without a scratch after the rope broke and fell into the water. In reality he had been hanged and his body was swaying back and forth. This story had more meaning then just the top layer of being just about a guy who is being hanged. The meaning of this story is how fluid time moves, by this I mean how time seems to flow like a river it can move fast to slow and even seem to stand still. It has a secondary meaning of how we can fantasize another reality that can cause troubles for us. By this I mean you can envision your self into another world when you are still in the actual world, this can cause you to get yourself into a lot of trouble.
War and saved the Union and efforts to abolish slavery. He is the only one during his time to be a
“Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees” (McGuire, pp. 162-63). These peaceful words were the last of the most charismatic Confederate general of the American Civil War, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Stonewall’s work ethic, morals, and military prowess earned him the grand recognition he received during the Civil War, and a brief look into his life sheds light upon how Stonewall rose above numerous other outstanding Civil War generals to become “The Man, The Soldier, The Legend” that he is today.
He went after every right in order to speak up for those slaves that didn’t have a voice. Education was one of his beliefs that helped him. Telling his story to the world, born a slave but now a free man. He fought for African Americans not are viewed as “property” or “slaves” but as equal to whites and must receive fair treatment.
Despite the fact that the film version of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is exceptionally exact when contrasted with the written version, there were parts of the story that were absent from the film. For instance, the second section of the short story which explains why Peyton Farquhar was being hung in any case isn't implied in the film. I feel as though not having a purpose behind Farquhar's execution could make the story all the more befuddling for a man that has not perused the short way. In a way be that as it may, the absence of a clarification can make the story more individual since it is surrendered over to the audience to make their own presumptions with reference to why he is being hung. Without the knowledge that Farquhar's execution is the aftereffect of his endeavors to commit crimes against the Union
The film version of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge leaves out section two, along with many other important factors. Peyton Farquhar: the main character and the man being hanged is left nameless throughout the film and his detailed background that is portrayed in the text is left out as well. By reading the
Ambrose Bierce’s short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” illustrates a theme of illusion versus reality distorted by the human mind. In the story, a man named Peyton Farquhar is about to be hanged on a railroad bridge towards the end of the American Civil War. Farquhar, a Confederate citizen eager to help the Confederate States of America’s cause, ventures out towards Owl Creek Bridge at the advice of a Union scout in disguise. Unbeknownst to Farquhar, Union troops captured the bridge and surrounding territory, and upon capturing Farquhar, elect to hang him on charges of being a Confederate spy and sympathizer. As he is being hanged, however, Farquhar is able to escape his fate by falling into the river below. He manages to return back to his home, only to find out the entire experience of escape was an illusion created by his own imagination. The story concludes with the revelation that he actually died on the railroad bridge. Farquhar’s mind was able to create a whole new reality for himself. This reality was vivid, and it seems real to the reader until the very end of the story. The hallucination also spanned hours, yet in reality time passed for only a few seconds. Ambrose Bierce’s story demonstrates the impeccable powers of the human mind and its ability to distort time and reality for itself.