Owl Creek and Letter to Sarah Ballou REVIEW

The beginning of “Owl Creek” �The main character is Peyton Farquhar. �As the story opens, the narrator is describing the scene as a military company are preparing to hang Farquhar. �Section 2 lets us know that Farquhar is being hung for attempting to burn down the Owl Creek Bridge. �Section 2 also lets us know that he was set up by a scout from the north. Farquhar was sympathetic to the southern cause, but was unable to serve in the military. The scout knew that if he gave him the idea to attempt to burn the bridge, that Farquhar would act on it.

POV of Owl Creek �Sections 1 and 3 of this story are told in the 3 rd person limited point of view (POV). �This means that we get all our information and see the events of the story unfold through the eyes of one character – Farquhar. We cannot know things that he doesn’t know. �Section 2, a flashback, is told in 3 rd person omniscient point of view. �This means that we see everything that is going on, including things that Farquhar doesn’t know. This is how we know about the soldier being a northern scout.

The escape �When the story returns to what we believe is present time on the bridge, a miraculous thing occurs and Farquhar escapes hanging. �When he emerges from the water, he looks back to see that the soldiers are all unarmed. They finally begin shooting at him with guns and a cannon, but they miss.

What really happened? �Farquhar escapes through the woods, and the narrator describes his travel through the endless woods, the voices whispering in the darkness and the way Farquhar’s head feels congested and his tongue swollen. �We are snapped back to reality just as he believes he has reached home and his wife, and we realize that his escape was all in his mind. �The details of Farquhar’s escape gives the reader hints, also known as foreshadowing, that he is imagining all these events and he is actually dead.

How did we know that? �The ticking watch that sounds so loud to Farquhar in part 1 ties to part 3 because it shows that Farquhar has become disconnected from reality. �The description of the soldiers as armed and ready in part 1 was reality, and in part 3 they are unarmed. That is not consistent with what the reader has already been told.

Major Sullivan Ballou �Major Ballou wrote this letter to his wife, Sarah. �Ballou’s word choice and tone show that the letter is very personal, and not intended for a wide audience. �His word choice also foreshadows his fate in reality, which is that he dies. �This is unusual for nonfiction, because usually the author would not have known what the future would hold. �Despite his uncanny knowledge about his fate, Ballou is very supportive of the war effort, and feels that it is his duty to give his life for his country.

How do these guys go together? �Both are set during the Civil War. �Both men are facing death. �Both men have tender feelings for their homes and families. �Both men feel strongly about the side they support. �Both texts foreshadow the fate of the main character. �Both texts have a tragic ending. �Both texts illustrate the fact that the soldiers lost during the Civil War were real people with hopes, dreams and loved ones that they missed.