The Stranger: Summary
The story, The Stranger depicts life of ‘comrades’ living in the Arizona desert. The campers had captured the stranger whose friends had committed suicide out fear of arrest by Apaches. That evening the stranger joins the rest of the camp at the campfire where he begins to narrate his story. He and a group of four other men were on their way across the Arizona desert. Their journey was marred by myriad of challenges as evident in his monologue that it had become a battle of survival. Coupled with lack of food and fear of attack by the Apaches, the convoy of men did not take long before they were spotted (Blume, 7).
It is in the attack orchestrated by the Apaches that their animals were taken from them. They managed to salvage their rifles and kept themselves safe but only for a moment. Soon they had hit a dead end and it was a matter of time before their assailants caught up with them. Due to their pride, the men decided to shoot themselves as opposed to have the Apaches capture them. After his four friends shot themselves, it was now the turn of the stranger (Blume 13). Unfortunately, the campers captured and took him to their camp. It is here that he is narrating his story.
Use of Irony
The author uses irony as the major stylistic device to keep the story interesting. First, it is until the end of the story that reader comes to learn that the stranger failed to kill himself due to cowardice. Unfortunately, the campers arrested him and he is in their camp. Blume explicate that the theme of irony comes out when the twist ending reveals that the narrator was among the captives (9). The captain threatens to throw them into the fire if they are unable to keep vigilance. Besides, the stranger disappears into oblivion after the end of his narration that catches the attention of the captain of the camp.
It is ironical that, contrary to the major objectives of adventures across the Arizona desert, it turned out to be a miserable journey and a captivity of the stranger and death of three of his compatriots (Blume 9). Indeed, the entire journey had transformed from an adventurous outing to a horrendous life where survival was the only objective. The stranger points out clearly that the crew had lost hope and all that was left of them was courage. The author uses this twist to narrate the story that revolves around the woes that befell the four men.
Phrase Significance
At the beginning of the story, the stranger (Bierce) proclaims that, ‘‘…you are not the first to explore this region…” (1). The significance of the phrase is that the campers had had an illusion that they were alone. However, they came to believe that other people existed in the wilderness with them. First, the captivity of the stranger was proof enough of the existence of other people. In addition, the narration by the stranger reveals the existent of the Apaches and native Indians. This does not only scare the campers but they are compelled to keep vigilance of any assailants that might ambush them.
The story ends with the revelation that Berry Davis was indeed the name of the stranger (Blume 11). However, the captain restrains Yountsey from shooting him since he was under the conviction that the presence of numerous people in the region limited his chances for survival. The captain says that regardless of the decision not to kill Davis, he would soon die. Shooting him could not make him any deader.
Similarity of Bierce Works
An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and The Stranger share a lot. Irony and twist of events typifies the author’s focus on the stories. In the former story, the protagonist seems to have escaped the death sentence at the bridge. Nonetheless, it is revealed that his escape only exist in imagination. The soldiers had successfully hanged him. In the latter story, there is a twist when the reader learns that Berry Davis had survived the Apaches.
Second, the author uses the concept of long journeys to explore the theme of life. The protagonist in the story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek encounters a challenging journey on his way to his house although it was an illusion. Similarly, the four men in The Stranger face unbearable journey where three of them die and their pack animals taken away from them. Finally, the author in the two stories has a distinctive way of describing the context under which the plot revolves. Describing the nature of the Arizona deserts and its inhabitants replicates the manner in which he portrays the woods in the other story.
Works Cited
Blume, Donald. Ambrose Bierce’s Civilians and Soldiers in Context: A Critical Study. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2004. Print.