Read the excerpt from "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. “If I could free my hands,” he thought, “I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take to the woods and get away home. My home, thank God, is as yet outside their lines; my wife and little ones are still beyond the invader’s farthest advance.” What theme does the motif of hands represent in the excerpt and throughout the story?

It represents the determinants of survival.

Explanation:

Free my hands shows the instrumental tool for his escape from death.

After reading the excerpt from the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," we can choose the following answer concerning the motif of hands in the story:

B) Hands represent the perpetual struggle against fate.

With the information above in mind, we can choose letter B as the best option.

The missing answer choices are the following:

A) Hands represent the indistinct line between dreams and reality.

B) Hands represent the perpetual struggle against fate.

C) Hands represent the idea of justice.

D) Hands represent the importance of love and family.

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