Why does Bierce use a flashback in section 2 of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" instead of proceeding with the events taking
place? to introduce Peyton Farquhar
to emphasize the folly of romanticism
to depict the cunningness of the Federal soldiers
to emphasize the naivety of the Confederacy
to help the reader know what led to the events in section 1
In section 2 of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, the narrator uses a flashback instead of proceeding with the events taking place to depict the cunningness of the Federal soldier. In the first section, Peyton Farquhar is on a railroad bridge twenty feet above the water. His wrists are tied on his back and in his neck, there is a noose. He is surrounded by soldiers of the Northern army. His execution is going to take place very soon. In section 2, the narrator introduces Farquhar using a flashback to tell us that he is a planter devoted to the Southern cause. One afternoon a gray-clad soldier rodes to his house and asks for water. This soldier, pretending to be from the Southern army leads Farquhar into a trap. We learn afterwards that he is in disguise.
