An Event at Owl Creek Bridge was written by Ambrose Bierce, a writer who fought for the Union Army during the war civil. It was a war-themed story, about a civilian Peyton Fahrquhar from Alabama, who sympathized with the Confederate Army and the Southern cause. To help the Confederate Army against the Union Army, he burned a railroad bridge that the Union Army was using. He was sentenced to death by hanging under the supervision of officers and soldiers of the Union army. As the title also suggests, Fahrquhar's execution occurred at Owl Creek Bridge. Before ending the story, Ambrose makes a twist and leads readers to wonder whether Fahrquhar is dead or not. But one thing is clear: Peyton Fahrquhar was willing to do anything for his side to win the war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The theme of the short story is “courage is not the absence of fear but rather the acceptance of it.” The second theme of this story is “time is fluid.” The theme of courage is not the absence of fear but rather its acceptance as Peyton Farquhar's corpse was compared to a pendulum which symbolized Peyton's emotions such as courage, fear, sorrow. , and sadness. “The intellectual part of his nature was already erased; he only had the power to feel, and feeling was torment. He was aware of the movement. Surrounded by a luminous cloud, of which he was nothing more than the fiery heart, without material substance, he swung in unthinkable arcs of oscillation, like a vast pendulum. This ties into the theme because it shows that he was both brave and fearful. Although it was just a hallucination, before his death, Peyton showed great courage by fleeing the Union soldiers and making it to the safety of his home. Soldiers were throwing cannonballs and shooting guns into the water and banks to try to kill Peyton, and despite this, he still managed to escape because his family gave him hope. His family symbolizes home and security. “He closed his eyes to focus his last thoughts on his wife and children.” In his final moments, all he wanted to do was think about his family because to him, they represented the home and security that comforted him in his final moments. The setting of this story is very important, especially the time in which this story took place. The story takes place in 1861, at the start of the Civil War. If the story hadn't taken place at that time, there would be no story at all because the entire story revolves around a man being hanged for supporting the Confederacy. The author uses detailed descriptions, which leads me to assume that he wanted the reader to know about the time period without saying that it took place during the Civil War. The second theme of this story, time is fluid, is illustrated by the structure in which the author wrote this story. The story begins in the present, then moves to the past, before returning to the present. While awaiting his execution, Farquhar closed his eyes and entered his mind during which time seemed to slow down. “He awaited each new blow with impatience and – he did not know why – with apprehension. The intervals of silence gradually lengthened; the delays became exasperating. With their greater rarity, the sounds gained strength and sharpness. They cut his ear like a knife; he was afraid to scream. What he heard was the ticking of his watch. »Ambrose Bierce uses time to manipulate the reader into believing.