An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

by Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Foreshadowing 1 key example

Definition of Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Foreshadowing
Explanation and Analysis—The Watch:

At the beginning of the story, Farquhar’s incessantly ticking watch foreshadows his impending death. After the narrator describes the soldiers surrounding Farquhar on the bridge, Farquhar attempts to focus his final thoughts on his family, only to be distracted by a frightening ticking sound that the narrator reveals to be his watch:

He awaited each stroke with impatience and — he knew not why — apprehension. The intervals of silence grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening. With their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of his watch.