Short Shop by A. Bierce An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a third-person narrative. This type of narrative is generally perceived as objective and reliable. By choosing this point of view the writer creates the world that does not depend on the author's opinion or evaluation. The narrator does not distort reality using the power of his imagination. In the story the narrator is an impartial witness who observes destiny in action. However, when describing some scenes, the narrator seems to hesitate and cannot understand what is happening. This is evident in the use of words such as “may”, “probably”, “perhaps”. The writer describes the setting in detail to create the effect of "presence" and stimulate the readers' imagination to convince them that the universe of the story is real: "Beyond one of the sentries, no one could be seen; the railway ran straight into the woods for a hundred meters, then, curving, disappeared from sight. No doubt there was an outpost further away. The other side of the stream was open ground: a gentle slope topped by a palisade of upright tree trunks, with slits for rifles, with a single slit through which protruded the barrel of a brass cannon that commanded the bridge . Halfway up the slope between the bridge and the fort were the spectators: a single company of infantry in line, in "parade rest," rifle butts on the ground, barrels tilted slightly back against the right shoulder , hands crossed on the block." The narrator shows little emotion to make readers feel that the situation cannot be changed, that the course of events is predefined, and that the character will not escape his fate. There are two conflicts in the story. The first... middle of the paper... plants; he noticed a precise order in their arrangement, he breathed in the scent of their flowers". Then consciousness begins to give way, there are moments of blackouts, drops, the story becomes incoherent. And in the end the protagonist opens his eyes in the darkness, that is, he dies. The story suggests that trauma affects the physical state of humans as perception becomes sharper and the senses sharpen. Several seconds before his death, the protagonist is still able to think quite coherently and logically. The story suggests that war appeals to the universal human instinct, the need to fight, the desire to take part in the struggle. That is why the farmer is not satisfied with his insignificant role in the great war. However, as soon as the instinct of destruction awakens, the person becomes doomed. In this vision the fate of the protagonist is inevitable and unavoidable.