I think that perhaps Bierce was trying to tell us that we may think that people are so wrong/evil, when really, we find many similarities between them and ourselves. Example: Farquhar was eager to trick the Yanks. I for one love a good adventure, and I can see how this opportunity would have been tempting for Farquhar. Also, he had a wife who loved him, and he had children. He had hopes and dreams just like anyone else. I found myself hoping he would live, hoping he would escape.
I think Farquhar should never have gone near Owl Creek Bridge in the first place, but, honestly, Farquhar thought he was doing the right thing. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions. Farquhar's opinion was that the Yanks should be defeated in every way, and that the Confederates were in the right. Can I condemn him for his opinion? Bierce was comparing and contrasting the "common" enemy (the Confederates) with the Yanks. He made the Yanks look evil, and the Confederates look good. It's all a matter of perspective.
Wow...good stuff here, Sarah! It's always interesting when an author doesn't hint as to what kind of perspective with which a reader should be reading a story.
I don't know if Bierce had an underlying meaning to his story. I think I tend to read too much into stories when really, perhaps they weren't meant to be much more than merely stories. That being said, I really do wonder if Bierce was trying to communicate a deeper message with his readers.
Whether or not Bierce meant to do so, he created a character that isn't TOTALLY good - and yet, not TOTALLY evil. When I read a book, it's the confusing characters that seem to stick with me the most. I think many writers try to make their heroes as good as possible, and their villains as bad as possible. I know I've already rambled about this in my first task, but Bierce really set up a convoluted character, one that makes the reader realize that perhaps Confederates weren't all rotten. We don't really know. And honestly, I wonder if Bierce didn't really know, either.
I think that perhaps Bierce was trying to tell us that we may think that people are so wrong/evil, when really, we find many similarities between them and ourselves. Example: Farquhar was eager to trick the Yanks. I for one love a good adventure, and I can see how this opportunity would have been tempting for Farquhar. Also, he had a wife who loved him, and he had children. He had hopes and dreams just like anyone else. I found myself hoping he would live, hoping he would escape.
ReplyDeleteI think Farquhar should never have gone near Owl Creek Bridge in the first place, but, honestly, Farquhar thought he was doing the right thing. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions. Farquhar's opinion was that the Yanks should be defeated in every way, and that the Confederates were in the right. Can I condemn him for his opinion? Bierce was comparing and contrasting the "common" enemy (the Confederates) with the Yanks. He made the Yanks look evil, and the Confederates look good. It's all a matter of perspective.
Wow...good stuff here, Sarah! It's always interesting when an author doesn't hint as to what kind of perspective with which a reader should be reading a story.
DeleteI don't know if Bierce had an underlying meaning to his story. I think I tend to read too much into stories when really, perhaps they weren't meant to be much more than merely stories. That being said, I really do wonder if Bierce was trying to communicate a deeper message with his readers.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not Bierce meant to do so, he created a character that isn't TOTALLY good - and yet, not TOTALLY evil. When I read a book, it's the confusing characters that seem to stick with me the most. I think many writers try to make their heroes as good as possible, and their villains as bad as possible. I know I've already rambled about this in my first task, but Bierce really set up a convoluted character, one that makes the reader realize that perhaps Confederates weren't all rotten. We don't really know. And honestly, I wonder if Bierce didn't really know, either.