I have spent most of this weekend trying to determine what was going on, what was really happening? With this class being called truth lies and literature one has to be cautious of what is fact or fiction between Peyton Faquhar's escape of death or not.
Throughout the story the reader will begin to make assumptions about what they really think is going on or what will occur at owl Creek Bridge. Everyone will want Faquhar to escape his imminent demise especially when the author offers up a bit of hope and "light" when he is drowning in the creek. He is suddenly free or at least the illusion is there. Ambrose Bierce does a great job of alluding to his death as peaceful. Soon his hands are free and then he can breathe again, most people want their afterlife to begin this way, minus the drowning part. I think that here the author is playing with the idea of God and spirituality, some person to save us, lifts us up with his "strength". Although, when first reading this, I personally thought he was being freed. I suppose that's just the optimist in me, but I didn't want to see him die. The author toys with the idea of fact and fiction and is able to balance between reality and imagination.
The fact of this story is that Faquhar does die and does not escape his death but the fiction that no one knows about is this how death really is? Is death this peaceful and if so for everyone? The author makes you think of a lot at the end of the story. Bierce makes the reader feel that he dies a beautiful death and he is at peace when he is dying. He believes he is free. Does this really occur? No one can know this answer for sure but with faith some people might think this is what happens. So what would you as a reader prefer for this story to be all facts and no fiction or the way it is?
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