Question

In the passage from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," what is really happening when the narrator says, "Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round–spinning like a top. The water, the banks, the forest, the now distant bridge...."?

Answer 1

The narrator's description of the protagonist being 'whirled round and round' in 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' reflects Peyton Farquhar's disoriented state during his execution.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the passage from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," when the narrator describes the protagonist feeling "whirled round and round–spinning like a top," it implies a disorienting experience that the character, Peyton Farquhar, is undergoing during his execution.

This sensory overload and dizzying swirl of images represents a psychological escape into an altered state of consciousness as he is hanged.

Farquhar experiences an intense and surreal vision in which time and reality seem distorted; the rapid spinning sensation reflects his mind's frantic attempt to escape from the grim reality of his imminent death.