How does the author create a surprise ending? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

Answer:

The author creates a surprise ending by manipulating the narrative perspective and using sensory details to blur the line between reality and Farquhar’s dying hallucination. In Part III, the author provides a vivid, heroic account of Farquhar's 'escape,' describing how he 'dived as deeply as he could' to avoid bullets and eventually reaches the gates of his own home. Throughout this journey, however, the author includes clues about Farquhar’s actual state, such as the intense pain in his neck and his 'swollen' tongue. The surprise is finalized in the last sentence when the narrative shifts back to an objective perspective, revealing that Farquhar is actually dead: 'Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.'