The characters and setting of this story are important for many reasons. First, they give us a true idea of what life was like back in the Civil War era. The desire to help a side involved in the conflict meant risking life and death. The heroism of Peyton raises many questions in us of whether his actions were right or wrong. They force us to examine our own moral values, and make a choice of sides. The solemn nature of the soldiers conveys the atmosphere and gravity of the situation.

The moral of this story is to make us aware of our own morality, and the decisions we would make in a "what if" situation. It also leads us to understand that some decisions have life and death consequences. We learn that the loss of one life may have saved thousands of other people. It encourages us to take a moment to think about what courage it took to make this grave choice, and examine if we could do the same.

The surprise ending was rather unique. It is very difficult to fores

Some common words found in the essay are:
Civil War, Unknown Peyton, Peyton Farquhar, Creek Bridge, peyton farquhar, owl creek, free rope, detail story, civil war, life death, Owl Creek,
Approximate Word count = 663
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)