The Shenanigans of Corpses

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is one of those stories that is made a lot better because of its ending. The author spends the entire story building up the protagonist's character, which is ironic, because this character is already dead for most of the story. The reader gets a first hand account of Peyton Farquhar's drive and his outlook on life. Farquhar reasons within his mind how he can escape his execution in order to make it back to his family, the thing he cares most about. The reader also learns about this protagonist's sense of duty to country as he reflects on his upbringing and the series of choices leading to his execution. This is significant because the majority of this information is given after he has already been hung. The reader simply does not realize that he is dead until the very last paragraph of the story. The author structures the story this way in order to build empathy for the protagonist. The entire time the reader learns to identify with Farquhar, and even gets excited, believing that he will escape and return to his family. When the reader finally learns that Farquhar is dead, and that the entire escape scene was a figment of his imagination, it creates extensive irony.
Setting is another item that is important in the analysis of this story. Owl Creek Bridge itself is important in numerous ways, not the least of which is the fact that it is mentioned in the story's title. There is likely symbolism at play with the bridge. The majority of the story occurs at this place. The surrounding scenery as well is important in that it becomes important to the protagonist. The writing tells that as he escapes he notices the inherent beauty of the wild for the first time and is shocked that he has lived his life so close to such a thing. Of course, this may simply be due to the fact that he is dead when he comes to this realization.