Sleep and Bierce Essay Example

soldiers to his father's black slaves, stating that he had witnessed his father's slaves crawling on their hands and knees for his entertainment. He had even ridden them as if they were his horses. As he approached one of these figures, he mounted it swiftly, demonstrating his agility."

At the beginning of the story, the author introduces the main character as a young and naive boy who lacks understanding of his surroundings. Bierce provides insight by stating, "He moved among them freely, going from one to another and peering into their faces with childish curiosity" (127). Throughout the narrative, Bierce hints that the boy is deaf. Bierce elaborates, "He rose to his knees, the child to his feet. The man shook his fist at the child: the child, terrified at last, ran to a tree near by, got upon the farther side of it and took a more serious view of the situation."

Despite the immense suffering and grotesque appearance, the multitude of people continued their slow, painful march in eerie silence. The boy, oblivious to the chaos around him, slept undisturbed as the battle unfolded nearby. The noise of guns, cannons, and the shouting of soldiers went unnoticed by him. In the end, the child awoke and made strange gestures while emitting a chilling sound, resembling the cries of an ape or a turkey. It became clear that he was not only deaf but also unable to speak.

The author employs disturbing details to describe the soldiers, as shown by Bierce's mention of them crawling on their hands and knees, using only their hands or only their knees, and struggling to stand but falling to the ground

(127). Additionally, Bierce describes a man who sinks to his chest, then recovers and violently throws a small body to the ground, revealing a face without a lower jaw and a gruesome red gap from the upper teeth to the throat adorned with dangling pieces of flesh and bone (129).

According to the author, the man's nose seemed unnatural and stood out, while his chin was absent and his eyes were fierce. This gave him the look of a bird of prey that was colored crimson in the throat and breast due to the blood of its prey. Bierce employs the technique of allowing the characters to unveil themselves through the actions described by the narrator. Additionally, the author includes considerable detail in the story to depict and expose his characters, notably the main character.