Using Truth to Create a Lie

Admittedly, I read through An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge with skepticism. I was prepared for a lie because of the nature of this class. However I would not say that it ruined the story for me. It just made me more aware and able to search for the clues signaling its falsehood.

Near the end of the first part, Farquhar hears a loud ticking noise whose frequency appears to be slowing down. The ticking is revealed to be his watch and represents time slowing down in Farquhar’s perception. This gives his mind the time to develop the elaborate story of his escape which you will notice he plans out in the next paragraph.

As we lied in class, Farquhar’s mind lies to Farquhar. As Kurt Minges mentioned, Farquhar lies to himself to combat the pain of fear and grief. Like many of us used reality to make lying easier in class, Farquhar’s mind uses his reality.

What Farquhar’s mind creates is a version of what could happen if he had A LOT of luck. Potentially, the rope could break, he could free himself from his bonds, he could dodge the bullets of an entire company of infantry, and he could make it to the bank, loose his pursuers, and walk the entire way home. From this narrow possibility and the setting around him, Farquhar’s mind creates an intricate lie. However even Farquhar realizes how unlikely this is at times. He notes how surprising it is that even the most skilled marksman missed him. When he declares that he will not be able to dodge the next shot, the next cannon blast, the oncoming volley of shots from the entire company of soldiers, his mind solves that issue too. A conveniently placed vortex throws Farquhar onto the shore at a spot where he is completely safe.

However this is the beginning of the end. As Farquhar moves away from the original setting, his fake reality begins to fall apart. He does not recognize the forest he is in or the constellations in the night sky, despite the fact that he lives in the region. He travels through the seemingly never-ending forest and finds a nondescript road. The entire time he sees no sign of human life. His imagination is losing its vivid details, so it fast forwards to his home-coming and tries to justify it by telling him that he must have sleepwalked all the way home.

Despite the hints, Farquhar believes to the end that he managed to escape, that he made it home. Part of what made the lie work was his willingness to believe it. It was like a good dream from which the sleeper never wants to wake.