Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter
"Pale Horse, Pale Rider" is a short story by Katherine Anne Porter that explores themes of love, loss, and the impact of war and disease during World War I. The narrative centers around Miranda, a young woman working at a newspaper, who grapples with the chaos of the war and the influenza epidemic that is sweeping through society. Her experiences include late nights reviewing plays and caring for wounded soldiers, which highlight her isolation and the emotional toll of the era.
Miranda finds solace in her relationship with Adam Barclay, a fellow tenant who supports her during challenging times. As the influenza virus takes hold, Miranda's health deteriorates, complicating her already strained life. The story delves into her vivid dreams, filled with haunting imagery and reflections on mortality, ultimately foreshadowing tragic losses. On Armistice Day, a sense of irony unfolds as she awakens to the news of Adam's death, forcing her to confront her grief and the realities of her new existence. Through Miranda's journey, Porter captures the fragility of life and the profound effects of love and loss amidst the backdrop of historical turmoil.
Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter
First published: 1939; includes Old Mortality (1937); Noon Wine (1937); Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1938)
Type of work: Novellas
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of plot:Old Mortality, 1885-1912; Noon Wine, 1836-1905; Pale Horse, Pale Rider, 1918
Locale: New Orleans, Louisiana; Texas; Colorado
Principal Characters
Miranda ,Maria , her sisterGabriel , her uncleAdam Barclay , an officer whom Miranda lovesRoyal Earle Thompson , a farmer with a weak characterMrs. Thompson , his wifeOlaf Helton , a strange farmhand who works for Mr. Thompson
The Story
Old Mortality. Miranda and her sister Maria, age eight and twelve years, respectively, live after the death of their mother with their father and grandmother. Legends of the family’s past surround them in the house, especially tales of their dead Aunt Amy, whose melancholy photograph hangs on the wall.
According to the story, Amy had toyed with the affections of her fiancé Gabriel by appearing scantily dressed at the Mardi Gras with another man. Harry, Amy’s father, defended her honor by shooting the man. Amy and Gabriel married, and six weeks later, Amy died of consumption (tuberculosis). Although the two young sisters understand now that some details are untrue, they continue to believe the story.
Two years later, after their grandmother dies, the girls are sent to a convent school where, to relieve the sedate life, they read romantic novels. Except for Saturday afternoons, when their father sometimes appears, they are cut off from life. One Saturday, their father takes them to the racetrack, where their Uncle Gabriel’s beautiful horse is entered in a race. Instead of the romantic figure of the family’s legends, Miranda sees that Gabriel is an alcoholic who lives in a slum hotel with his second wife. The horse, rather than winning elegantly, ends the race trembling and bleeding at the nose.
Eight years later, Miranda, now married, returns to Texas to attend Gabriel’s funeral. On the train, she meets her cousin, Eva, who tells her about Gabriel and Amy. Eva refutes every romantic family legend with realistic details of Amy’s scandalous behavior and death from tuberculosis. When they arrive, Miranda finds herself distanced from her father. When Eva and he begin to speak of the past, Miranda vows she will face the truth and leave her fictions behind.
Noon Wine. As Royal Earle Thompson churns milk on the porch one day, a stranger arrives and, in an English unfamiliar to the Texas farmland, asks for work. Thinking the man will work cheaply and do all the nasty chores on the small dairy farm, Thompson hires him. Olaf Helton speaks almost not at all, even at dinner with Thompson, his wife, and two sons. All he reveals is that he is a Swede from North Dakota and that he knows how to make butter and cheese. He also plays the harmonica, the same tune over and over.
After a while, the farmhand’s strangeness ceases to bother the Thompsons, especially Mr. Thompson, who sees his farm prosper with Helton’s work. The cows and chickens are cared for, the yards are cleaned up, and the income from dairy products increases. He and his wife try repeatedly to make conversation with Helton, but it is no use. He remains silent, even when the two boys tease him. In the second year, an incident occurs that makes Mrs. Thompson uneasy. One day she comes upon Helton shaking her sons ferociously by the shoulders. When her husband questions Helton, he replies that the boys had entered his shack and damaged his harmonicas. Mr. Thompson threatens his sons with a beating if they ever do that again—the end of the incident.
Nine years pass, and Helton continues to work and play the harmonica. The boys grow into responsible young men, the farm makes a profit, and Mrs. Thompson’s health gets no worse. One day another stranger appears in the hot, dusty yard and introduces himself as Mr. Homer T. Hatch. Hatch is looking for Helton, whom, he says, had escaped from a mental hospital in North Dakota, where he had been committed after killing his brother in a fight over a harmonica. Hearing the tune of the harmonica, Hatch realizes that Helton is on the farm and gets out a pair of handcuffs. In the scuffle that ensues, Mr. Thompson, thinking Hatch is going to harm his hired man, kills Hatch with an ax. Helton flees the farm but is caught by the sheriff’s patrol and killed by a mob.
A jury acquits Mr. Thompson, but he keeps trying to explain to his neighbors exactly what had happened. Day after day, he makes the rounds of the small farms, telling his story. The boys take over the task of farming. One night, unable to sleep, and realizing that no one, not even his own family, believes him, he kills himself with his gun.
Pale Horse, Pale Rider. Miranda dreams of riding a horse with a stranger. When he beckons her to ride further with him, she demurs because she feels there will be another ride and another time. She wakes to face the world of World War I and the deadly influenza epidemic that is sweeping the country. Her job at a newspaper requires her to work late hours reviewing plays and vaudeville acts and putting up with complaining fellow employees. The war and its rumors take their toll. She makes the rounds of the veterans’ hospital to bring flowers and cheer to wounded soldiers. They reject her offers. Professional patriots try to force her to buy bonds with money she does not have. Miranda finds peace and stability with Adam Barclay, a Texas-born officer who lives at the same rooming house as she. He accompanies her to the shows she has to review, and afterward they visit cafés and talk of their past lives and of the war.
Miranda is infected with the influenza virus, and as she gets sicker and sicker, affairs at work become too hard to handle. Other reporters deal with her reviews. Her dreams continue, now full of torturous images of childhood memories mixed with jungles and icy mountains. She gets more and more ill, but the hospitals are full. Adam appears at her bedside to care for her as the influenza progresses, and the two confess their love for each other. Soon afterward, Miranda dreams of singers who are swept away by death and, finally, that Adam had died. When at last she is taken to a hospital in a half-conscious state, she mistakes the doctor for a German murderer. Dreams continue to haunt her. On Armistice Day, she regains consciousness fully, only to learn that although the war had ended, Adam has died in the epidemic.
Gradually, with the help of friends, Miranda’s health returns. She is able to read Adam’s letters and cope with the fact that she has been the agent of his death. After a period of mourning, Miranda emerges as a stronger person.
Bibliography
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