For the answer to the question above, an Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a short story written by eternal pessimist Ambrose Bierce in 1890. It's set in the Civil War, 30 years prior. Bierce actually fought in the Civil War, he was enlisted for the Union's 9th regiment and was active at the Battle of Shiloh. That being said, Bierce has real life experience with war, something that is really reflected in Owl Creek Bridge. He sees that the war is treacherous and brutal. The events that seemingly occur are highly romanticized, as war is often portrayed by the government, media, etc. However, the ending is the biggest key into Bierce's thoughts on war. War and death can not be dramatized, they can only be realized as a cold and unforgiving force.
Bierce chose to tell his story from the point of view of a Confederate supporter because he wanted to highlight the flaws of a romantic perception of life. Bierce’s protagonist, Peyton Farquhar, was a Confederate sympathizer and a romantic. In the third section, as it is written from Peyton’s perspective, Bierce chose to write as a romantic would. The reader feels the thrill of Farquhar’s escape, only to later be deceived by the author as he returns to realism and ends the story abruptly with Farquhar’s execution, thus showing the reality and lack of emotion present in war.
