When we read books, we have a peculiar relationship with the author. We are in his or her hands as they give us the story as crafted by them. We are basically on a roller coaster; guided by where the author chooses to take us. When I read, I put a lot of trust in what the author is saying because I have an assumption that the piece of literature is worth hearing and I am being treated respectfully by the author.
In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, the dynamic is different. There is much deception going on in the last third of the book. We are challenged on two levels. One is the basic understanding of the plot. The second is in the way we are also challenged to think critically on the relationship between the author and the reader. The author clearly has control of where the story goes, but often will not draw attention to this fact. Once again, there is definitely an assumption made by the reader to have trust in an author and what they say. Owl Creek obviously distorts this bond. The act of purposefully deceiving the reader over text is both shocking and definitely acknowledging the fact that the reader is reading an author's story. Owl Creek is rife with this moments in which it is aware of itself, including the section that was mentioned in class in which the story says,
"As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were
flashed into the doomed man's brain rather than evolved from it the
captain..."
This intense awareness in literature is refreshing to the reader and helps us analyze our role in the reading process. Should I feel betrayed by the illusion seen in the last third of the book? The breaking of my expectations does more for me than simply listing the plot ever would. However, I feel like this works primarily due to the preexisting tropes and expectations of someone reading more classical literature would have.
An important connection that can be made between both of the texts we have read thus far and Supernatural is that they are all self-aware. We discussed this briefly in class, but I will openly admit that I did not even notice this when I first read “Occurannce at Owl Creek Bridge.” The quote that you used above flew right by me because I was so immersed in the actual story. Diction is crucial in this passage. We often see of thoughts as having “flashed” through our heads, but when the author uses the word in conjunction with “evolved” it takes on a much different meaning. “Flashed” now directly implies that the author has placed these thoughts in the character’s head, rather than the character actually having come up with them himself.
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