An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge

I would like to take this opportunity to make a comparison between this story and the epic movie entitled Gladiator. Towards the very conclusion of this story the author describes Mr. Farquhar as traveling along a dark deserted path until he reaches his true happiness at the end. His true happiness lies in the form of his untarnished home and beautiful wife. She is waiting for him as he approaches but as he reaches to feel what he struggles to believe is real he experiences true dissatisfaction; he reaches the end of his rope and his glorious dream comes to an abrupt end. The same approach is used in the film Gladiator when Maximus envisions his wife, beckoning home, and young boy as he slips closer towards his ultimate demise. At the conclusion when he is finally in reach of these beautiful memories he passes on and will ever remain just footsteps away from happiness. This common approach gives us, the readers and viewers, the idea that when faced with certain death one will vividly imagine, so much so as to truly believe it is real, our deepest desire and true happiness. The idea behind this that strikes me as most compelling is that the means of survival is not the initial thought in the face of death, but the initial thought is of what one knows will be lost forever.