Moments of Transition in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

Around the end of the fourth paragraph in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, the point of view shifts from the 3^rd person objective to the 3^rd person limited. By beginning the story with 3^rd person objective, the stage is set up for the rest of the narrative. The reader gets a sense of the what, where, when and who before any specifics are added. Since this change in the point of view happens within a section of the story, it is almost unnoticeable so that the reader can be eased into the plot. The 3^rd person limited point of view offers the reader a chance to hear Peyton Farquhar’s thoughts: is he accepting his fate or is he overwhelmed by despair? When Farquhar mentions his hopes for escape in the sixth paragraph, Bierce is foreshadowing the illusion of his escape later on.

Part II of the narrative goes back in time to describe how Farquhar ends up with a death sentence. The point of view is still in the 3^rd person limited, but now the main character has a name and a background story, therefore a personality the reader can identify with. The shift in time builds up anticipation for what will happen next because Bierce leaves off at a cliffhanger at the end of Part I.

The last sentence shows another transition in the point of view from the 3^rd person limited back to the 3^rd person objective. The reader can no longer know Farquhar’s thoughts because a shift back in time reveals that Farquhar is dead and hanging from the bridge. This confirms that the previous passage was an illusion of Farquhar’s last effort to avoid death. However, the abrupt and sudden change of events brings the reader back to reality with a sense of finality and hopelessness. Through these techniques, Bierce gains sympathy for his character and increases interest in his story.