Reality and Perception

After reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, I was quite interested by the idea that reality can be easily influenced by perception. Throughout the story, the author, Ambrose Bierce, presents two versions of reality. Despite the idea that reality consists of only the truth, Bierce’s narration illustrates to me how easily any truth can be manipulated by perception. The execution scene at the bridge can be observed through two vastly different viewpoints. Farquhar’s viewpoint is veiled with the emotional frenzy that (I suppose) comes with a feeling of imminent death. The contrasting viewpoint of the executioners’ consists of a purposeful void of emotion, perhaps in an effort to not dwell on the impending execution that might forever weigh on their shoulders.

I believe Bierce eases the reader into Farquhar’s altered perception of reality by describing Farquhar hear his watch tick like a loud hammer that bangs at an excruciatingly slow pace. It is generally accepted that a watch does not tick especially loudly or slowly; therefore, at this point in the story, Farquhar’s perception of reality begins to differ drastically from that of his executioners. Bierce’s writing about Farquhar’s break from reality makes me realize that it is not uncommon to view reality in a distorted perspective.

We all experience different shades of reality. Every truth is different to every person depending on his or her perception of it. Often, a friend and I will argue about political issues. Both of us will have legitimate reasons for our beliefs. We can never come to an agreement though. While we are living in the same world, with the same citizens and the same politicians, our values color our views on how Congress is doing, how the presidential election is progressing, etc. Due to our differing values, we essentially perceive two different realities in the same political world.

I think individuals can experience two different versions of the same reality on a personal level, as well. Often, we let our emotions manipulate the reality of a situation, and then, once we view the same situation at a different time, when we are not in an emotional state, we see it in an entirely different way. For example, I always experience an immediate feeling of doom when a professor returns to me a test marked with a bad grade. That same day, I always seem to let this sense of failure color my vision about my academic future, getting a job and becoming successful. After about a week, however, I look back on the test and see it for all it was worth: just a percent, a number. It will, most likely, have no real impact on my life. In reality, nothing actually changed between the day I received the test and a week later. However, I changed the way I perceived the impact of the test from an emotional to a practical viewpoint.

We, as humans, are not perfect. We let values, emotions and many other elements of life alter the way we see certain situations, ourselves and our lives. Because of this human error, reality never entirely consists of the truth; reality must always be a combination of the truth and the way we perceive it.