An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
By Ambrose Bierce
Plot Line
Rising Action: Farquhar sees a floating piece of driftwood imagines himself plunging from his placement under a noose into the flowing river beneath him. After escaping from harsh gunfire from soldiers on the bridge above him, he runs through the forest and to his wife and children.
Climax: As Farquhar is about to embrace his wife, reality hits him and he snaps out of his illusion. In this moment, his neck breaks and Farquhar has summarily died from a hanging.
Falling Action: The story essentially ends without a falling action because after the death of Farquhar, there is no following action.
Resolution: There is also no resolution for the same reason there is no falling action.
Theme
Characters
Peyton Farquhar
"No service was too humble for him to perform in aid of the South, no adventure too perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian who was at heart a soldier" (14). This line shows that Farquhar is outgoing, adventurous, and caring, all in one sentence. You can see here that this is shown through an action, and not through specifically stating these characteristics.