Leeanne Joyce Mandac

AP English 11-Period 1

Mrs. Angulo

31 January 2017

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and the film of it have some similarities

and differences. Although they seem so similar since the plot are the same, the events that

occurred in both sources have numerous dissimilarities.

From the first section, both sources were similar in that both had the part where

Farquhars wrists were tied behind his back and a noose was tied around his neck. Also, in both

sources, Farquhar was positioned on loose planks and two soldiers were alternating on stepping

on the plank, waiting for the lieutenants signal to step back causing Farquhar to hang from the

side of the Owl Creek bridge. In both sources, two soldiers from the Northern army, a sergeant,

and a captain surrounded him, waiting for the execution and armed sentinels stood at attention.

While waiting for the captains signal, Farquhar stared into the swirling water below, he also

watched a piece of driftwood being carried downstream. Farquhar then started to distract himself

from his current position by thinking about his wife and children. He then started to imagine

freeing his hands, removing the noose, and swimming home. However, in the film, Farquhars

knees and legs were tied up and Farquhar didnt hear a sharp, metallic ringing from his watch

causing him to wake up.

From the second section, both sources were really different in that, the story talked about

how Farquhar was a successful planter. In the story, it talked about how him and his wife were

sitting on the edge of their property when a gray-clad soldier rode up, seeking a drink of water.
Itt turned out that the soldier was actually a Northern scout in disguise. However, in the film, it

didnt show any traces of flashbacks. It was just about Farquhar facing obstacles and escaping.

From the third section, both sources were similar in that both had the part where Farquhar

woke up because of a loud splash, realizing that the noose has broken, sending him falling into

the stream below. Also, Farquhar freed his hands and came up for some air. He was scared to get

shot by Northern soldiers as soon as he spotted. When Farquhar looked back, one of the sentinels

fires his rifle at him twice. Farquhar then saw the gray eye of the marksman through the guns

sights. The lieutenants men started to fire causing Farquhar to dive down to avoid the shots. A

cannonball landed two yards away causing him to run faster. When he was running, he found

himself in the early morning standing at the gate of his home. As he walks toward the house, his

wife steps down from the veranda to meet him. He felt a sharp blow on the back of his neck and

sees a blinding white light all about him. Then darkness swept over him. He was dead, his

broken body swung from the side of the Owl Creek bridge. However, in the film, Farquhar

looked like he was about to be affectionate towards his wife when he saw her instead of

embracing her.

To sum up, the story and the film of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge seem similar

but they have several different qualities regarding the events that occurred, the music that was

used, the dialogue, and the characters. So it is crystal clear that there are similarities and

differences between the story and the film.