“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “To Build a Fire”
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce and “To Build a Fire” by Jack London both use the same story-telling elements to create compelling stories of men trying to outlive the dangers they face. Peyton Farquhar in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” faces death by hanging for attempting to sabotage a bridge under Union control while the man from “To Build a Fire” attempts to make a long and dangerous trek through the wilderness, his only companion being that of a dog. Both men have their own motivation for enduring the predicament they find themselves in but are also the reason they face problems in the first place. Farquhar’s thoughts and motivation to see his family again are only important because he is facing execution. The man’s desire to reach the campsite before sundown is driven by his own pride, thinking he could make the long and dangerous journey alone. Both characters reach the same conclusion, although in different ways, dying as a direct result of both characters actions. The similar situations and elements presented in each story makes for a compelling compare and contrast of the motivation, fatal flaw, and death each character experiences.
Motivation
The motivation behind both stories incorporate the idea of community, The man from “To Build a Fire” is making is long journey through the wilderness to reach a campsite “by 6 o’clock; a bit after dark, it was true but the boys would be there, a fire would be going, and a hot supper would be ready”, giving the man good reason to complete his journey and see his friends since he will definitely not survive the night out in the cold (London 125). The man, however, not only wants to be in the safety of the campsite with his buddies, but also wants to prove to himself and the old timer from Sulphur Creek that he could survive the fifty degrees below zero journey by himself. This motivation is implicit since the man does not admit to why he’s doing this journey, but rather the narrator has. Due to his arrogance and hurriedness, the man’s motivation brings out his fatal flaw. In contrast, Farquhar’s fatal flaw is what brings out his motivation. Once he is believed to be free from his death sentence, Farquhar travels through the woods, and “by nightfall he was fatigued, footsore, famishing. The thought of his wife and children urged him on”, giving him a reason to not give up (Bierce 355). Farquhar’s motivation is also implicit since he never says he wants to reunite with his family, but the narrator does several times throughout the short story. While both characters have personal relationships behind their motivation, they’re fatal flaws overshadow that and finally end their journeys in tragedy.
Fatal Flaw
The same fatal flaw is shared by the protagonists, but lead to very different circumstances. The man is warned by the old-timer of Sulphur Creek that travelling in this weather is basically a death sentence. Yet, the man chooses to ignore this advice, calling the old-timer “rather womanish”, believing “any many who was a man could travel alone” (London 129). This leads to the man being stranded by himself, left to indifferent wilderness that does not care if the man lives or dies. This lackadaisical attitude the man has about his situation is what causes his plans to fail, proving the old-timer right and the man succumbs to the environment. This year, the East Coast of the United States faced an extreme cold front, resulting in extremely low temperatures.
With the wind chill in the area expected to dive as low as 25 degrees below zero, the Weather Service warned that any exposed skin could be frostbitten in as little as 30 minutes.
This quote from Kate Taylor of The New York Times shows how dangerous winter conditions can be. I connected this story mainly to “To Build a Fire” (TBAF) since the weather conditions were similar and everyone within the wind chill area was told to stay inside and wait it out like the man in TBAF. THis other article from Time Magazine shows the dangerous consequences of disregarding weather advisements such as these.
At least 21 people have died in weather-related incidents brought on by the extreme cold snap that hit much of the United States this week.
Millions of people were unprepared for the harsh storms, resulting in panic and 21 deaths, just like the man in TBAF. however, this mans downfall was due to his own ignorance instead being caught off guard by something he didn’t know would happen. Farquhar, on the other hand, is tricked into admitting he is conspiring to commit a crime by a disguised Union soldier, leading to his arrest and sentence to death. After the disguised Union soldier tells Farquhar about the Union seizing the bridge, he asks if “a civilian and student of hanging should elude the picker past and perhaps get the better of the sentinel… what could he accomplish?”, wanting to help the Confederacy in any way possible as he cannot fight in the actual war itself (Bierce 352). Farquhar has no ruined the chance to redeem himself by openly admitting his thoughts. While Farquhar merely says he is going to commit the crime, his strong desire to help the Confederacy and his loose, incautious mouth makes him all too eager to express his plans, making him the only one to blame for his hanging. As in the nature of the fatal flaw, it leads to both characters’ demises in which both happen to be death.
Connotations of Death
The endings of both short stories are similar since they end with the death of their respective protagonist, but are also different in the way death is portrayed. After realizing his mistake in travelling the dangerous terrain alone, the man in “To Build a Fire” then decided to “drowse off into what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known”, finally giving in to nature’s will and dying (London 133). Instead of referring to the man dying as it is, the narrator describes it as a long sleep, giving death a peaceful and somewhat happy connotation. This changes the tone of “To Build a Fire” from cacophonous to harmonious because the man was fighting against nature throughout his journey until he eventually caves and embraces his situation. Farquhar in “An Occurrence at Ow Creek Bridge” does not get the same peaceful drift into sleep. After his long hallucination, “Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge [and] he lost consciousness and was as one already dead” (Bierce 355). The connotation here is abrupt and cold, in sharp contrast with the vivid descriptions of Farquhar’s hallucinations. This shift in tone is grim, leaving the ending on a sober note. Although the short stories end in death,a the two differ in the way the narrator depicts the concept. Here is a student film based on “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”:
This shows Peyton Farquhar’s death and the hallucinations he experiences during it. I chose this interpretation since I thought it most closely resembled the short story it was based on.
Although “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “To Build a Fire” are very similar in plot, the stories of each man are unique with a different set of circumstances.
