Ambrose Bierce "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is an incredibly powerful and suspense story; told of all fears of a young father coming to light as his life swings in and out of reality. Ambrose Bierce writes this story during the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century. During this time period, the two writing styles of romanticism and realism were coming together. This melding of styles was a result of the romantic period of writing and art coming to an end, just at realism was beginning to gain popularity. "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a perfect example of this transition of styles as it combines elements of both romanticism and realism to create a story that can be far-fetched while still believable at times. The author has plotted the story in a very gratifying manner.
             The setting plays a big part because it is dived into three different sections. Section I, actually tells the reader about when Peyton was about to be hanged and leads us from the beginning of the ceremony to the end where he is actually hung. It then goes on to Section II, where it tells us how he found out about Owl Creek Bridge, and what could happen if a civilian interfered with anything dealing with the bridge. Last of all Section III, tells the reader about Peyton's hallucination of escaping the hanging. When reading the story for the second time, it seems to be more interesting because you know the plot. The plot puts all the pieces of the puzzle together that were left apart during the first reading. For example, you know that Peyton Farquhar is the man that is being hanged without having to read almost to the end of the story and also why the hanging is taking place.
             While the story is based on a realistic plot and even set up as a piece of historical fiction, it soon takes a drastic turn towards romanticism. As a captured Southern loyalist, the character is bound by the neck and to be hung, when his life, all that is to be, flas...