Ambrose Bierce, "An Occurrence at OwlCreekBridge"
1. What exactly is the conflict in this story?
2. In what ways does section I suggest a psychological time much slower than actual time?
3. At the beginning of section II, what do we learn about Farquhar's ambition, his feelings about the South and the Civil War, and the dictum that "All is fair in love and war"?
4. What's the function of Farquhar's conjectures about escape at the end of section I?
5. What elements of the story make Farquhar's escape seem real, and what specific elements make it seem unreal?
6. Are you sympathetic to Peyton Farquhar? Does Bierce try to make Farquhar a likeable character?
7. How does the ending change the meaning of the story? What would the story mean-what would it be about-if he had actually made his escape? What does it mean now that we know he did not?
"The Necklace"
1. What kind of person is Madame Loisel?
2. What sort of evening does Madame Loisel have at the ball? What does this suggest about her understanding of high society?
3. Once Mme. Loisel is resigned to replacing the necklace, what sort of change occurs in her personality? Does the narrator present the new or the former Mme. Loisel as the more sympathetic?
4. Why does Madame Loisel choose to tell Madame Forestier the truth?
5. What is the role of Madame Loisel's husband in this story?
6. Is the ending a complete surprise, or has it been foreshadowed?
7. How does the ending change the meaning of the story?