This piece by Bierce shows his storytelling genius. The plot is chaotic; it feels disjointed at first, with paragraphs scattered throughout for the reader to make sense of the meaning themselves. But Bierce had the full command. He was playing with the depth of his language and controlling the perspective and structure in every corner possible.

My Notes

Bierce throws us right onto the Bridge. No initial context. No names introduced. The hook works. And any reader is connected to the plot that is yet to come. And the tiny details add imagery and authenticity. They made the writing more interesting. The second chapter gives the context. The protagonist, Mr. Fahrquhar, is deceived by a self-pretending Confederate soldier into sabotaging the bridge. The chapter is concise. No words wasted.

Situating us right in the middle of another action scene, Bierce starts the last chapter with the same literary maneuver as he pulled off earlier. Fragments of psychic delusion from the first chapter persist here as Mr. Fahrquhar finds himself drowning underwater from a direct fall off the bridge. He then desperately tries to dodge the bullets and seeks shelter in the woods. He finally reaches his home, his wife at her side, as if glowing light. The reader feels a sense of happiness and sympathy knowing that our innocent Mr. Fahrquhar would now be free... and then SNAP...We have him hanging under the Owl Creek Bridge. A banger of a culmination and wordplay. Bierce taps into the human psyche with all that description. All that scrupulous description kept it seeming real. But there

was still something uncanny about the whole language, as if the writer was trying to draw the plot backwards. That is, the language never hints at any real hope as we approach the end of his escape, while logically the tone should shift to something vaguely hopeful, indicating the danger. But it simply does not work that way with this piece. One of the best endings I have read in my life. Nolan would be shy.