ght the greater change than hath been shown. Whereas in general the spirit that removed cometh back upon occassion,and is sometimes seen of those in flesh (appearing in the form of the bodyit bore) yet it hath happened that the veritable body without the spirit hathwalked. And it is attasted to those encountering who have lived to speakthereon that a lich so raised up hath no natural affection, nor remembrancethereof, but only hate. Also, it is known that some spirits which in lifewere benign become by death evil altogether. (Bierce 15).In this short story Bierce uses more of the supernatural than flashbacks like in "TheOccurrance at Owl Creek Bridge." The primary requirement of a writer, according toBierce is that he produce something interesting, and it was this very concern with "theinteresting" which led Bierce to choose unusual characters and situations. Many thinkthat all Bierce writes about is the death of men. Yes, he does write about death, but theway he puts things is so amazing people can't help but to read his stories and enjoy them. "...only two are common to all men - that moment when they enter life and that instantwhen they depart from it." (Bahr 161). "Consequently, Bierce's representation of man'sstruggle against death, presented in realistic terms, could very easily arise from an impulse other than that of wanting to shock the reader's sensibilities with horribledetails." (Bahr 161). Many people misread toe works of Bierce and thing he is obsessedwith death and the away people die. The fact that many people refuse to think aboutdeath, even death in a nonviolent way form, may be partly responsible for this type ofmisreading of Bierce. George Sterling sums up Bierce's work very well by saying:There was a ray [in Bierse's writing technique] that touched only man inhis hour of pain, of terror, of death -- a ray that revealed what we hesitateto behold and which leaves the weaker beholders ungrateful for the v...
