# Peyton Farquhar — In the Midst of Life character guide

> Peyton Farquhar in In the Midst of Life by Ambrose Bierce.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Farquhar, II Peyton Farquhar

**First appearance:** 0008-an-occurrence-at-owl-creek-bridge

## Snapshot

An Alabama planter barred from army service, he burns to prove himself a soldier and seizes a stranger's word as his chance.

## Who they are

Farquhar is a wealthy secessionist whose imperious circumstances kept him out of the Confederate army, leaving him chafing for distinction on his own plantation. When a gray-clad rider shares news of Owl Creek bridge and its lone sentinel, Farquhar's eagerness to serve the South overrides his caution. His fatal willingness to treat war as an adventure for gentlemen is the engine of the story's central ordeal.

## In the story

### [In the Midst of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/in-the-midst-of-life)

Central figure in the story of a civilian executed during war, whose escape is revealed as a final illusion.

### [An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/an-occurrence-at-owl-creek-bridge)

Protagonist; a Confederate sympathizer condemned to hang, experiences a vivid escape fantasy in his final moments.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/i)

The condemned man standing on the bridge, awaiting execution.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/ii)

A well-to-do planter and ardent secessionist, chafing under civilian restraint and longing for military distinction.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/iii)

Protagonist experiencing a vivid hallucination of escape after being hanged; ultimately dies with a broken neck.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/characters/peyton_farquhar
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/characters