Plot and Structure of Bierce and Hardy Stories
Plot of An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge And The Three Strangers
In the stories An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce, and The Three Strangers, by Thomas Hardy, there are major surprises that conclude the story and provide for an exciting tale of criminal justice. Both of these stories are set in the late 1800's, while An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge takes place in Alabama and The Three Strangers takes place in England. In The Three Strangers, there is no apparent protagonist, no single major character but rather a number of characters, and there is no apparent conflict. At first the major character seems to be Shepherd Fennel, but he stands out only as the host and the opener of doors for the three strangers. The first stranger might then seem the major character, especially when the second stranger arrives and is not given as much attention by the guests or by the author as the first stranger. Here the story establishes the beginning of a conflict, but a confusing one because it seems no more than a contrast of personalities. The third stranger to enter the cottage does not stay long enough to be a protagonist, for he leaves as quickly as he enters. However, it is clear, once all the characters have been involved in the story, that a conflict between aspects of legality and the law. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, the conflict is between the planter and the officials or between life and death. There is also a conflict between the reader and the story, who is rather confused in justifying if the planter is in reality alive or deceased. The major character is the planter, who is subjected to be hanged for war conflicts and is trying to think of a way to defeat his given fate. As his time of death approaches, there is a time of mixed feelings and images to whereas it is hard to distinguish between life and death or somewhere in the middle. Then, a sense of reality takes place, where the planter is freeing himself from his ropes, from which he was hanged, and dodging bullets. From there, the planter is finding his way home. He finds his way home, to his wife, when is feels a sharp pain, as in a bullet. The story ends briefly with a message stating that the...