An Occurrence at Owl Creek and Happy Endings. His neck was in pain and lifting his hand he found it horribly swollen.his eyes felt

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "An Occurrence at Owl Creek and Happy Endings. His neck was in pain and lifting his hand he found it horribly swollen.his eyes felt"

Roy Barber
6 years ago
Views:

1 XXXX ENC Professor Miller 4/18/11 Examining Deaths Purpose: Comment [G1]: Apostrophe needed here. An Occurrence at Owl Creek and Happy Endings His neck was in pain and lifting his hand he found it horribly swollen.his eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved his fever by thrusting it between his teeth He could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet! As the reader examines these last crucial thoughts of the main character of An Occurrence at Owl Creek, there is a foreshadowing of his terrible fate. These sensations Farquhar experiences are a revelation that he hasn t escaped, but instead he is in fact hanging under the timbers of Owl Comment [LBPODIW72]: If this is the end of the quotation from Bierce s story, you need two things: end quotes and a citation. Comment [LBPODIW73]: We don t know who the his is here. You should have perhaps introduced Farquhar here. Creek Bridge. This is the ending to a very unique piece of literature written by Ambrose Bierce, explaining the concept that Farquhar was dead long before he realized it. Another somewhat dark tale in which the main characters were already dead by the end of the first page is Happy Endings written by Margaret Atwood. Her characters John and Mary are part of many extremely short and depressing stories that all conclude with the same ending of John and Mary die. Both authors prove a point with the very distinctive death of their characters. Ambrose Bierce s story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, was focusing more upon inevitable consequences that come from desperate actions of one s lives. Bierce also used Farquhar to represent his own views on the deathly destructive American Civil War. Margaret Atwood on the other hand was trying to prove a point about society, and about the lack of ingenuity in literature, with her story Happy Endings. Both of the authors manipulate not only death, but the Comment [LBPODIW74]: This phrase needs to be set off by commas.

2 significance of a stories theme and interpretation to prove a point. The deaths of characters in both stories are endings. Each ending has a unique purpose and significance. Atwood says other authors offer other endings ; however they are all fake. Even thought the endings in Atwood s story are all the same, some of the things that caused the fatalities of John and Mary are significant. In the second and third story of Happy Endings the characters commit either suicide or murder. These are very extreme circumstances, but not completely out of the scope of some novels. Atwood is using these endings to portray different Comment [LBPODIW75]: Should be story s Comment [LBPODIW76]: If this is your thesis here, you need to have what that particular point is. Comment [LBPODIW77]: I lose track of your quotation marks here. You start a quote with other and then end it with endings. Then, you have single quotes around fake, but I am not sure why. After the period, you have another set of end quotes where I am not sure where it starts. Comment [LBPODIW78]: Wrong word: You mean though Comment [LBPODIW79]: Comma needed here. types of novels that have been made into a type of cookie cutter story that almost any author could write. These stories lack the how and why that define greatness in Atwood s eyes. Furthermore, Atwood uses this fake representation of fictional endings to show how Comment [LBPODIW710]: Any specific examples? people in society try to avoid their own inevitable deaths. Diana Henningfeld contends that they fill their lives with details, often extraneous details, in just the same way that a fiction writer shapes character, plot, and setting (Critical Essay on Happy Endings). Henningfeld is connecting Atwood s criticism of fiction to her criticism of society. Atwood is showing that people fill their lives with details and activities, but don t have a real purpose behind them. Also, in Atwood s story we see a glimpse of how some of the pointless things people do in their lives harm themselves and those around them. In the end, no matter how hard the characters in Atwood s story try, they like some people in real life will still end up dying without a legacy of purpose. Because of the lack of purpose in the characters actions, the reader doesn t gain what Comment [G11]: The reader of your essay needs an illustration or two of this. Comment [G12]: Apostrophe needed here. would be a moral lesson from the stories. Those who take the time to observe what Atwood is truly trying to portray will see that she encourages people to have purpose in their lives and leave a legacy behind; a legacy that is formed by what they believed in. In a similar way to how Atwood uses the way her characters die, Bierce uses the tool of

3 death, to express a deeper meaning. Conlouge William tells of how the author connects Farquhar as a student of hanging and that there are multiple references to hemp, which is the plant that made up the noose that killed Farquhar (Bierce s ). This reference to hemp is significant because Farquhar grows it for a living. Hemp is a mood-altering plant that would have been the logical Comment [G13]: Interesting metaphor. Are you saying that death in the Bierce story is a symbol of something else? Comment [G14]: You need quotation marks here to indicate the article s title and an elilipsis (...) to indicate that there is more to the title. explanation behind Farquhar s fascinating experience. As he is about to fall off the bridge Farquhar must have started to experience a dream like state. This hemp was not only the physical tool used to kill Farquhar, but was an instrument used by Bierce as a catalyst of emotional suffering before Farquhar died. After Farquhar resurfaces from his jump into the creek, Bierce tells us that Something in the awful disturbance of his organic system had so exalted and refined them that they made record of things never before perceived (489). These heighten senses must have made all of the fear and pain that he experienced dreadfully more extreme. Ironically, Farquhar imposed immense suffering to the slaves who worked on his plantation to produce that same hemp. The author is showing that because of what Farquhar did in his life he is uniquely punished in his death. In both stories the main characters weren t dynamic and were portrayed as almost completely flat, that is to say, they had very little detail. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge the definition of Farquhar is, he was a slave owner a politician (487). These things don t really define his outer appearance, but instead they show what he supports. This explains Comment [G15]: Not sure this is the correct word choice. his support of slavery. The author tells that he was ardently devoted to the Southern cause (487). From this passage it is evident Farquhar is extremely proud and supportive of the South. Interestingly, the author fought for the opposite side in the Civil War. Maliciously, it seems the author had no intention of letting Farquhar live, instead he proposed to give the character hope allowing Farquhar s death to have more impact on the reader. The detail and prolonging of

4 Farquhar s death is more important to the author s theme than his character and outward appearance. Similarly, both John and Mary have very little descriptive qualities in the first scenario in which their lives end happily. In each scenario they are given slightly more Comment [G16]: This is a very interesting hypothesis. I wish you had more time developing this idea. developed character traits and behaviors, but never any physical description other than their age. Atwood justifies her lack of detail in the last lines of her story by encouraging others to Try a How and a Why (485). She is explaining that there are too many stories written that give elaborate descriptions, with no deep plot or meaningful lesson. Atwood intentionally skips out on the description of the characters to emphasize the preeminence of her plot. Both authors are describing the characters intentions and leaving out details to help strengthen the impact their deaths which support their theme. Comment [G17]: Is her plot that she is highlighting or the meaning of her storyline as it connects to a much broader understanding? Comment [G18]: Apostrophe needed here. Atwood was establishing her point by showing that no matter how the lives of the characters played out they would both still die, also Atwood makes statements that allure to her view of society. In almost all of the stories, Atwood uses the phase stimulating and challenging ( Happy Endings 483). This statement is ironic because there is almost nothing interesting about the story other than the reader s interest in why the author wrote it. The entire story is a Comment [G19]: These are contradictory. Comment [G20]: Same construction here. I know what you mean, but it does weaken your statement as it is really a safe contention to hold. sort of mockery to literature that lacks interesting motivation and theme. This use of phrase to hint at an opinion of the author is also seen in An Occurrence at Owl Creek when the wife of Farquhar is talking about how she served a visiting Confederate soldier. She says she did it with her own white hands (487). This statement shows her racist mentality. She is thinking that what she did was worth more for their cause because it wasn t done by a slave. Also she doesn t seem to do much work herself. Ironically, she and her husband are being tricked by a scout from the North. Bierce portrays those who support the South as easily confused. The attitude of Comment [G21]: Is this important enough to mention? If so, connect it to the point you re making. Farquhar s wife is used by the author to protest against the lifestyle of the plantation owners.

5 This is supported more fully in the end of the story when Farquhar is deceived again before being killed. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek, Bierce depicts the scene of Farquhar s execution with extreme detail, giving information regarding each bystander s reaction to the last moments of Farquhar s life. In contrast it seems that there are many things that don t make logical sense in Farquhar s dream-like before death experience. After Farquhar falls, Bierce tells us that Farquhar was not conscious of the effort, but a pain in his wrists told him that he was trying to free himself (488). In this dream state Farquhar was simply giving logical explanations to what was happening. His miraculous breaking of his bonds wouldn t make much sense to anyone who wasn t experience his delirious pre-death dream. Bierce is using this lack of detail to foreshadow that something wasn t right with Farquhar. By showing that there wasn t something quite right with Farquhar, Bierce is paralleling Farquhar with his theme that the Civil War, and the oppression by the south was a delirious and self-centered act. In the same way Bierce uses a Comment [G22]: Needs to be capitalized. fictional experience to prove a very important point, Atwood s later stories become slightly outrageous. Story F of Happy Endings starts with Make John a revolutionary and Mary a counterespionage agent, and see how far that gets you (484). This is an exotic turn from the previous stories whose only interesting parts involved scandal and suicide. In a very cocky way, Atwood is telling the reader that the plot might make an interesting story, but it would still end up with both characters being dead. Her point in this is that writers that don t care about why something is happening or what thematic effect it will have on the reader will never be defined. That is to say they won t have their own literary style. The deaths of the characters in both stories had literary significance because they enticed the reader to find the meaning behind their abnormality. In an essay on Happy Endings Rene

6 Korb explains that, Atwood is criticizing writers who have predictable plots (Critical). Comment [G23]: See comment 4. Contrary to this, Atwood makes the reader want to finish Happy Endings because of the unique way it is written. The authors hook is that the reader wants to know what Atwood is trying to do with the story, and there is very little interest in the plot and characters themselves. While chiding lazy authors to add more of a meaningful theme to their work, Atwood is, at the same time, giving other writers an example of how to use a why to entice readers. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Bierce also manipulates the death of his main character to make readers question why Bierce chose such a bizarre telling of Farquhar s last moments. Bierce wanted readers to look deeper into the story so they could understand the underlying themes he conveyed. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge there is some verbal irony that the author uses to show he is prolonging Farquhar s death, but it is only to make his point more valid. When Farquhar is resurfacing after falling from the bridge the author says that he didn t want to come back up because he was so comfortable. Then Farquhar thinks to himself To Be Hanged and Comment [G24]: Comma usage needs work throughout the essay. Here is one example of where there needs to be one. drowned is not so bad but I do Not want to be shot, that is not fair (488). In this statement we see that the author is intentionally making Farquhar die horrid deaths over and over again. He is attacking Farquhar to express his distaste for the causes which Farquhar represented. The multiple deaths of Farquhar might seem terrible, but this unnecessary trauma relates to the authors opinion of the Civil War, which also caused multiple unnecessary deaths. When talking about the theme of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Lawrence Berkove contends that Bierce wants readers to understand that failure to use reason, or the misuse of it, will hasten death or bring it on needlessly. (Nothing). Berkove is echoing the idea that Bierce thought of the society which caused the Civil War insensitive and intolerable.

7 The concluding, and even deeper mystery, behind both stories is a question of why. What could bring both Bierce and Atwood to the idea that Death would be the best way to convey an ideal about life? In both stories there is traumatic death, and this death is inspired by the trauma of two other deaths that were happening. For Bierce it was the disheartening deaths of the Civil War, and the necessary death of the cruel social mentality that was held by slave owners and the south. Similarly, Atwood was inspired by the decline of literature, to the point that it was becoming a dying art form. Atwood also portrays the death of those in our societies, who were desperately looking for a happy life, and couldn t find it. This is because they were avoiding a reality, which makes no sense without a purpose. Both Atwood and Bierce use the subject of death, which is very grave and causes immense suffering, to warn readers of where themes importance. Death is an excellent example because of the suffering and gravity associated with Comment [G25]: Can t understand this. it. The deaths in both Happy Endings, and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge held incredible and influential meanings behind them.

8 Works Cited Ames, Clifford R. "Do I Wake or Sleep?: Technique as Content in Ambrose Bierce's Short Story, Comment [G26]: Spacing is off throughout the essay, Joe: Too many spaces between paragraphs and citations. 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 72. Detroit: Gale, Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 Apr Atwood, Margaret. Happy Endings. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. 11 th ed. New York: Pearson-Longman, Print. Berkove, Lawrence I. "'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge': Nothing Better Exists." A Comment [G27]: If you check the Little, Brown Handbook, you ll note that this type of citation also needs the editors of this anthology. This is also true for the Bierce citation. Prescription for Adversity: The Moral Art of Ambrose Bierce. Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 72. Detroit: Gale, Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 12 Apr Bierce, Ambrose. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. 11 th ed. New York: Pearson-Longman, Print. Conlogue, William. "Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 72. Detroit: Gale, Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 Apr Fabó, Kingo. "Ambrose Bierce: 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 72. Detroit: Gale, Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 Apr Henningfeld, Diane Andrews. "Critical Essay on 'Happy Endings'." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, Literature Resources from Gale.

9 Web. 8 Apr Korb, Rena. "Critical Essay on 'Happy Endings'." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 Apr xxxx, Before I begin let me say that I have been consistently impressed with the level of your participation in class discussions throughout the semester. There was never a time that I thought you might be illprepared or not engaged in class discussion. Now for this essay: The topic was strong, the thesis not bad, but the development needed further work, I am afraid. I say this because there were several times where I felt you were reporting on the secondary analyses rather than using them to support YOUR unique view of the stories. You have very strong analytical skills as demonstrated in class and those skills really were not showcased in this essay, unfortunately. With the number of secondary sources listed and used throughout the essay, it would have been difficult for you to come up with much of anything new and fresh. It would have been difficult for anyone to have done so. I saw where you made strong attempts at explication/interpretation with many attempts to bring in the primary sources for illustration, but there are just as many places that appeared to drop off with no support or connection to your major point. One technical flaw that I was amazed to note is that you somehow forgot why wasn t it picked up in PEER EDITING? is that there are no headers, an MLA requirement, throughout the essay. Please know that I have considered it a pleasure to have you in class both semesters. C/O=15 D=16 S/S=15 G/M=14 R/D=13 TOTAL=73C FINAL EXAM=82B

Point of View. There are several types of point of view:

Point of View. There are several types of point of view: Ambrose Bierce Pre-Discussion An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge opens with an execution about to take place. Standing on an isolated, heavily guarded bridge, with a noose around his neck, Peyton Farquhar