Amongst supernatural writers Bierce is also prevalent. In
some of his supernatural works, it appears that there is a subconscious or
intended references to the mental state of people in stressful situations. This
appears to be allusions to soldiers in battle. The Damned Thing is one such story, where an invisible creature
harasses Hugh Morgan until, in the company of a journalist, it kills him. The
damned thing appears to be a connotation of the war. The thing is at war with
Hugh Morgan as both refuse to leave. But instead of the focus being slavery and
other political arguments, it was about a hut and a small scrap of land. It
also shows how one may be "psychologically crushed by the weight of
fear"[1].
This statement conveys the portrayal of the soldiers in Bierce's Civil War
stories in comparison to his supernatural stories.
[1] Supernatural Literature of the World An
Encyclopaedia Vol. 1 A-F, edited by
S.T. Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowisc, pg 109-113
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