Peyton Farquhar: A True Hero

536 Words3 Pages
Peyton Farquhar is the handsome and kind protagonist in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Even though he is a dedicated supporter of the Confederacy, his imperious nature prevented him from joining. He experienced a life of ease coming from a wealthy family. This life of ease did him no good because he is vulnerable. Farquhar dreams of being something he is not which eventually led to his death. Farquhar may be considered a hero but others say he is an idiot. Peyton, being an ardent supporter of the Confederacy was set up by a Northern scout. The scout told him about the bridge and what was happening there. Peyton is foolish and tries to be the brave citizen. He is captured and hung. While he is being hung Peyton blacks out. His unconsciousness allowed him to dream. He thought about his family which is notable but does not help the fact that he is still being hung. He has illusions about escaping, and even after being shot at multiple times he makes it to an island and eventually makes it home. This says a lot about the kind of character he is.…show more content…
To be fair, the conversation he had with the scout makes the reader believe Farquhar had all intent of killing. He asks the scout what could be accomplished if a civilian was to perhaps get the better of the sentinel. The scout did lie to him about the amount of people at the bridge. Peyton knew from the beginning of the conversation that anyone caught trying to interfere will be hung. The reader is to assume that not just the scout but Peyton himself led him to death. If the reader notices that Peyton knew what was awaiting him then he would be called an idiot instead of a hero. Peyton deserves credit in attempting to save the South, his plantation, and family because the Union is known for destroying those things. He deserves credit but does not need to be honored because he is a civilian trying to do a trained soldiers work, therefore, he is an
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    irony plays a big part in the development of the story. They argue that Peyton Farquhar’s name is ironic in and of itself. The name means to be manly or brave, a person of noble descent. Even with this noble name, Farquhar is not a war hero and manages is caught and executed for his attempted spying. In addition to Cheatham and Cheatham, Farquhar’s actions also hold a lot of irony. Farquhar thought of himself as a war hero, even though he was just a planted. He went to spy on the enemy although

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