Romanticism had among its characteristics the glorification of war and heroism. At first, that seems to be what Ambrose Bierce will do in his short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". The main character, Peyton Farquhar, is tricked into trying to burn a bridge that would allow Union soldiers to cross. Farquhar is a Confederacy supporter. He ends up being caught as a traitor and, when he is about to be hanged, he escapes. So far, Romanticism has prevailed.

However, Bierce is only deceiving readers. We are led to believe Farquhar has escaped, that the noose broke, and he found himself swimming in the creek, dodging bullets, free to return home. We are soon disappointed, however, as it is revealed that it was all his imagination - or even a hallucination - in the brief moments it took Farquhar to die. The ending of the story is based on Realism. Far from being romanticized, it describes how horrid and gruesome death and war are, and how heroism is not always rewarded:

Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.

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