Characters

The main characters of the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce are Peyton Farquhar and the undercover Union soldier who tricks him. The other army men surrounding the bridge can be seen as a collective character; they do not talk or get to be individualized, and they are only important because they represent a military behavior.

Peyton Farquhar

Peyton Farquhar is the protagonist of the story. He is a Southerner, a plantation owner and the victim of trickery by a Northern soldier.

Outer characterization

Farquhar’s appearance is given directly by the author. He is portrayed just as he is seen in the last moments before being hanged. Initially, it is revealed that he is quite a young man: “The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty-five years of age.”

Then, his other physical features are described:

“His features were good—a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well fitting frock coat. He wore a moustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression...”

As you can see, Farquhar is a good-looking man. What is more, his features reveal that he might also be a gentleman: “Evidently this was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.”

Nothing about his outer characterization indicates he might be a man capable of infamous deeds. Obviously, there is a big contrast between the way he looks and the deed because of which he is about to be hanged.

Inner characterization

To better understand Farquhar and his inner traits, we should focus on the chronological depiction of the facts in the story. First of all, Farquhar is depicted regarding his allegiance: he is a Southerner, a plantation owner, and a slave owner. Still, something has prevented him from joining the army:

“Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with th...