Owl Creek Bridge summary

Peyton Farquhar a confederate planter lands himself on owl Creek Bridge with hands and neck tied in preparation of his lynch. He hears a sound similar to a blacksmith’s hammer clanging on an anvil seconds before his death.

 A disguised Union soldier as a confederate stands outside his home. Peyton is informed that Union soldiers have gathered to rebuild railroads near Owl Creek Bridge. The soldier successfully convinces Peyton to help sabotage the bridge however upon his arrival he is ambushed. When Peyton is hung, the rope breaks and he falls into the waters. He manages to escape by diving into the river avoiding fired bullets. He follows a road leading to his house and by morning break, he has found his wife. Peyton is fatigued and as he hugs his wife, he is shot.

The gunfire shot that killed Peyton represented the moment he was lynched. His escape was the imagination thought in merely seconds before he was hung.