The perception of time and motion are changed in Farquhar’s head. Farquhar sees that he has escaped the hanging and tries to reach his home. It seems that waiting several minutes for his death, the reality and his imagination play a trick with him and he appear at home. The desire to see a wife and a child is so strong that his dream seems to come true. But, the reality is inevitable.
Farquhar agrees with the saying that “all is fair in love and war” (Bierce 5) in spite of the fact that he believes it to be a “villainous dictum” (Bierce 5). This phrase seems ironic as having disagreed with the claim he tries to agree with it. The same is with the job as he can do any and becoming a soldier, but only in heart.
There are a lot of moments which give a slight guess that everything is a dream. For example, the opportunity to see the smallest details on a long distance, a chance to see the world as if wheeled slowly round. Moreover, the description seems to be abrupt. Being in one place, the main character appears in another one.
The limited third-person point of view appropriate for this story as it helps the reader be unaware about the end. The reader is kept wondered up to the last page of the book. The whole twist ending effect could have been destroyed if the story had been told by the person who was aware of the irregular time sequence.
The Secrets of the Living by Sarah Langan
The Secrets of the Living by Sarah Langan is an additional story which has been chosen to read. The story takes place in Omaha, Nebraska, but is not the very idea of the plot. The actions in the story take place in Anna’s head, she remembers her life and some specifically important parts of it.
The story under discussion mentions a number of character which seen to be main as they appear in Anna’s head not by chance. The whole story is based on Anna’s recollections from her life about her relations with Brendan, her husband Richard and daughter Carole, Dr. Sandstone, her mother and other people the life connected her with.
The conflict of the story is laid in the fact that people have something to remember and regret, but at the same time the author asks a number of questions, the main of which is “Where was her life right now?” (Langan). but no answer is found as “too many unseen variables” (Langan) exist. I liked the story as it has made me to think about my life.
Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan is a singer, dancer and actress who knows what she means for many people and has an opportunity to show that she deserves attention. Having a lot of fans and admirers, it seems that Noor Jehan has always known what to do in this life. Some people say that she has arrogant nature, but it may be because she worked hard to achieve the position she occupies for now. So, it seems that she has an opportunity to be arrogant.
Noor Jehan is not beautiful, but her voice is awesome. Having read her story, it seems that she has lived a good life, she has a husband, beautiful and talented children and she understands that all she has reached is her personal merit. Being accused for fight with Nighat Sultana, Noor stile feels the support of relatives and admirers.
Works Cited
Bierce, Ambrose. An occurrence at Owl Creek bridge. Charleston: Forgotten Books, 2008. Print.
Langan, Sarah. The Secrets of the Living, 2003. Web.