Previous
Tone
Unreliable Narrator
Explanation and Analysis—Physical Senses:
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” contains a clear example of an unreliable narrator, as it becomes clear at the end of the story that Farquhar’s perception does not accurately reflect the events that have occurred. Farquhar imagines escaping from his noose, swimming down the river, miraculously evading bullets, and making it almost home. His escape seems too good to be true because it really is—in reality, Farquhar has never even escaped the noose. While the narrator is not Farquhar himself, the omniscient narration is still unreliable throughout the story because it closely recounts these events as if they're actually happening.
When Farquhar surfaces above the water after freeing his hands and neck, the narrator remarks the following:
He was now in full possession of his physical senses. They were, indeed, preternaturally keen and alert. Something in the awful disturbance of his organic system had so exalted and refined them that they made record of things never before perceived.
Related Themes:
