Literary Analysis: Pale Horse, Pale Rider

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April 3, 2021
Literary Analysis Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Understanding the relationships between the different elements of a story is essential for any reader. It allows him to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the author's state of mind as well as the external circumstances that could have influenced his thinking as of the time of writing. In this article, the author would like to focus on analyzing a classic novel written by Porter, entitled Pale Horse, Pale Rider. To conduct the analysis, the author would like to provide an overview of the novel initially. Subsequently, a literary analysis of the themes, characters, and other elements would be done by the author. All in all, it is the author's belief that by contrasting the historical circumstances during the time of the novel's writing with the various elements of the story, it becomes possible to have a better appreciation of the novel itself.
Overview of the Novel
Pale Horse, Pale Rider was written by Porter during the First World War. It was a very chaotic and tumultuous time as people are suffering, not only from the war but also from the Influenza Pandemic from 1918 to 1919. Similarly, the setting of the novel was based on Porter's own experiences during the times as she tried to survive and live an everyday life despite what was happening in the society. Nonetheless, because of the external circumstances that are happening in the society during those times, it could be seen that Porter's novel provides a juxtaposition of opposing themes like death on the one hand and love on the other. This representation of the possibility of falling in love despite the tumultuous times is one of the main appeals that the author wanted to illustrate in writing the story.
Literary Analysis
As stated earlier, one of the main themes of the novel is youthful love. In one of Miranda's dreams, the main character has experienced, the author has shown how she lived an ordinary and contented life as a child. Miranda lived in a big house, had a lovely family, and was able to live in relative comfort while growing up. However, similar to other average households, the main character's dream subsequently provides a grim moment that serves as a transition from the 'dream world' to reality. This idea was further evidenced when her dream finally ends with her being back to reality.
Grim Reality
In line with the story's central theme, it could be seen that this transition from happy, to grim, to reality exemplifies the tragic theme of the story. As stated earlier, the novel was an account of the experiences of people during the onset of the First World War and the Influenza Pandemic. Thus, this juxtaposition of a 'dream-like childhood' and a 'nightmarish reality' creates the feeling of how tragic and hopeless the situation is du...