The very first lines of chapter three give numerous clues as to what has actually happen to Peyton. “As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead. From this state he was awakened-ages later, it seemed to him-by the pain of the sharp pressure upon his throat, followed by a sense of suffocation.” (1481) Bierce basically uses the first line to explain that Peyton was now dead, and the reader would believe it. He then purposely throws in a twist with the second line, saying Pey

Bierce gives various clues and hints through the story to explain that Peyton was dreaming the entire time. His clues ranged from the use of precise words as “ages later” to the image of a man having superhuman powers. Although he did throw in twist all through the story to make you believe it was real, he always left clues along the way for the reader to discover this was actually a dream.

ton was now awakened and feeling the pain of the rope suffocating him. From a reader’s perspective, Peyton is actually alive, fighting for his life, but there are two keys words that Bierce uses to hint to the reader that this is actually a dream, “ages later.” These two words along with the hyphen present a clear and discrete image. They describe the beginning of a dream, where everything seems out of place at first, but become very real and clear to the dreamer.

The final paragraph of chapter three is the final hint of the reality this is a dream and not real life. “Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs forward with extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the bac

Some topics in this essay:
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