An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

He was a slave owner, politician, and secessionist

Social/Political/Cultural characteristics of Peyton Faqugar

Cares deeply about his family, his senses are heightened and slowed when close to death

Personal/Behavioral characteristics of Peyton Faqugar

Everything heard and seen is all part of his imagination.

The reader is led to believe everything actually took place

Irony of the sensory details in the story

Farqugar is was being hung at the bridge

What event is happening at the beginning of the story?

he attempted to destroy Owl Creek Bridge

Why is Farqugar being hung?

A “solider” tells Farqugar about the bridge

How does the protagonist find out about the bridge?

The soldier was a union scout in disguise

What is ironic about the soldier (confederate scout) that visited the protagonist’s farm?

He wants to help his side by disrupting Union troop movements

Why does the protagonist feel the need to become involved with the bridge?

The water appeared to move very slowly

What was ironic about the way the waters in the creek moved as he stood on the bridge and watched the water flow beneath?

the ticking of his watch

What does the protagonist hear as he stands on the bridge that sounds like, “the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil”?

the sound is an illusion that Faqugar experiences moments before his death

What is ironic about the repetition of the sound?

escape and see his family

What does the protagonist think he might be able to do if he frees himself?

His wife and children

Of whom does the protagonist think about as he stands on the bridge?