Concepts of American Realism

 

Weir, Julian. "The Red Bridge." 1895, The MET

            Between 1865 and 1900, American authors broke away from the themes of the romantic age and pursued literary works that sought to portray life as it was. They sought to bring verisimilitude and objectivity to their works, often focusing on social and economic injustice, or highlighting the importance of the individual. With strict attention to detail and character driven tales, the authors of this time strove to highlight the realities of everyday life and people. This can be seen explicitly by examining “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, published in the 10^th Edition of The Norton Anthology of American Literature 1865 – 1914 (395-401.) During this tale, Bierce uses rich details of both the setting and military practices to create a character driven social commentary that beautifully captures the spirit of the age of American Realism.

            Throughout “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Bierce employs an abundance of rich and vivid details of the landscape, the bridge, the soldiers and their actions, as well as the actions of Peyton Farquhar, the southern civilian gentleman sentenced to die for his attempted sabotage of the federal soldiers’ efforts to repair Owl Creek Bridge, in his attempt to capture the spirit of realism. When we are initially introduced to Peyton, Bierce provides us with these rich details as he attempts to connect this tale to the physical world. For example, on page 395, he takes the time to describe Peyton’s circumstance in exacting detail, from the way the rope was hung, seen in paragraph 1,  “It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head, and the slack fell to the level of his knees,” to the descriptions of the federal soldiers surrounding him and the exacting details of their stature and formations, seen in paragraph 2, “Midway of the slope between bridge and fort were the spectators – a single company of infantry in line, at “parade rest,” the butts of the rifles on the ground, the barrels inclining slightly backward against the right shoulder, the hands crossed upon the stock.” From the precise details of the landscape, seen in paragraph 1 on page 396, “A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current. How slowly it appeared to move! What a sluggish stream,” to the sensory details as his watch ticks away his last few seconds of his life, in paragraph 2 on 396, “Striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore or understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality.” These rich and vibrant details allowed Bierce to capture the complexities of real life; however, this connection to real life is also obtained through the focus on the character Peyton Farquhar himself.

 Peyton is an ordinary man, not a member of the military, but a civilian, as we learn in paragraph 3 on page 395. This focus on ordinary, everyday people, was a key characteristic of American Realism. Bierce took an everyday man, a southern planter, and focused on the way this ordinary man reacted as he faced imminent death. Like the way in which Bierce highlighted Peyton’s fear as the clock ticked down the seconds remaining of his life, seen in paragraph 2 on page 396, “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.” Or as seen through Peyton’s agony as he hangs from the bridge, on page 398 within the trailing paragraph from page 397, “These pains appeared to flash along well-defined lines of ramification and to beat with an inconceivably rapid periodicity. They seemed like streams of pulsating fire heating him to an intolerable temperature.” This allowed Bierce to make the events seem more believable and further helped to ground the story into reality.

When examined, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce is an excellent example of American Realism. It clearly highlights the shift away from the romantic age, as Bierce employs vibrant details with a focus on an average man placed in circumstances now beyond his control and captures the complicated reality of life. Through his abundance of rich details surrounding the landscape, the soldiers and their military procedures, the bridge, and even through the thoughts and actions of Peyton himself, Bierce beautifully captures the spirit of the age of American Realism.  

Works Cited: 

Levine, Robert S., et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volume C: 1865-1914. W.W. Norton & Company, 2022.

Artwork Cited: 

Weir, Julian. "The Red Bridge." 1895, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Post Edited: May 5, 2025 - added image