The story follows Peyton Farquhar, a well-off civilian planter from Alabama who is about to be hanged by Union soldiers for attempting to destroy the Owl Creek railroad bridge to aid the Confederacy.
The story is divided into three sections:
Farquhar stands on the bridge with a noose around his neck, about to be hanged.
A flashback reveals how Farquhar was tricked by a Union scout posing as a Confederate soldier into revealing his willingness to burn the bridge. This led to his capture.
As Farquhar drops from the bridge, the story enters a surreal sequence where he imagines escaping the hanging, swimming to safety, and reuniting with his wife - only ... but read the ending yourself.

Perception of Reality
The story blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, as the protagonist Peyton Farquhar envisions an elaborate escape from his execution, only to reveal it was a dying dream. This challenges the reader's perception of what is real and highlights the subjective nature of human experience.

Time and Consciousness Bierce employs a non-linear narrative structure and stream of consciousness technique to depict Farquhar's shifting sense of time as his mind races during his final moments. This innovative style was groundbreaking for its era and influenced later works of fiction.

Death and Mortality
The story grapples with the inevitability of death, particularly in the context of war. Farquhar's vivid fantasy represents a psychological coping mechanism to escape the harsh reality of his execution, underscoring humanity's desire to transcend mortality.

Dehumanization of War
Through Farquhar's dehumanizing treatment by the Union soldiers, the story critiques the brutality and injustice inherent in warfare, where human life is disregarded. This anti-war sentiment reflects Bierce's own experiences in the Civil War.

In exploring these weighty existential themes through its haunting twist ending, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" cemented its place as a seminal work of American literature.