Who is Miranda in Pale Horse Pale Rider?

Who is Miranda in Pale Horse Pale Rider?

Miranda is the protagonist and narrator of the story (though the text switches between her first-person point of view and a third-person perspective). She is 24 years old and works as a drama critic at a newspaper in Denver. The job is arduous and she walks about in a perpetual state of exhaustion.

What is the main theme of Pale Horse Pale Rider?

Alienation. Throughout “Pale Horse, Pale Rider,” protagonist Miranda suffers with the feelings of loneliness, emptiness, and depression that result from a perpetual sense that she exists separate of the rest of the world.

Where does Miranda live in Pale Horse?

In the titular story, Pale Horse, Pale Rider, there are two main characters: Miranda: A young woman who works at a newspaper in Denver. She’s in a romantic relationship with Adam, and she’s anxious about the fact that he might be called to war at any moment.

What does pale horse mean?

death
Definition of Pale Horse : death —used with the.

What is the plot of Pale Horse Pale Rider?

This short novel, set in Denver during World War I and the influenza epidemic of 1918, is based loosely on Porter’s own life story and centers around themes of death, mortality, and young love. The narrative tells the story of a youthful couple: Miranda, a journalist, and Adam, a soldier.

In which year is Pale Horse Pale Rider set?

1918
It is 1918, in the midst of both World War I and the influenza epidemic, a concurrence that one character gives a decidedly contemporary spin: “They say that it is really caused by germs brought by a German ship to Boston,” she tells Miranda.

When was Pale Horse Pale Rider?

1939
Pale Horse, Pale Rider/Originally published
Pale Horse, Pale Rider, a collection of three novellas by Katherine Anne Porter, published in 1939.

What is Death’s horse name?

Binky is a white horse owned by Death, being a living breathing creature.

What are the names of the three horsemen of the apocalypse?

The Book of Revelations in the New Testament lists the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as conquest, war, famine and death, while in the Old Testament’s Book of Ezekiel they are sword, famine, wild beasts and pestilence or plague.

Why is it called Pale Rider?

The title of Pale Rider is taken from Revelation and the apocalyptic “Pale Horse, Pale Rider”, an African-American spiritual in which the rider’s name is Death. One thing is certain, though: the flu, despite its name, did not emanate from Spain. Pale Rider is not just an excavation but a reimagining of the past.

Did Katherine Anne Porter have the Spanish flu?

Porter was 28 years old when she contracted influenza in 1918. Not much documentation exists for this period of Porter’s life, but we do know that, by late October, she had contracted the disease and was suffering terribly with a severe case.

Why does death ride a pale horse?

DEATH RIDES A PALE HORSE…. In the Bible’s Book of Revelations it is said that four horsemen shall ride across the land bringing with them horrors marking the end of the world. The first horseman, riding a white horse, represents either conquest or pestilence (depending on the interpretation).

What does Miranda dream about in her dream?

In her dream, Miranda lies in a bed that she knows, somehow, is hers. The bed is in a house with which she is also familiar: “Too many people have been born here,” she thinks, “and have wept too much here, and have laughed too much, and have been too angry and outrageous with each other here.”

What was Miranda’s dream about WW1?

Miranda’s dream might have been morbid, but her reality is not much different: the country is in the midst of World War I. There is no escaping the reality of this; the realization that the country is at war hits Miranda like “a gong” the minute she wakes up.

What is the name of Miranda’s horse?

Still in her dream, Miranda pulls herself out of bed to embark on a mysterious journey “to outrun Death and the Devil.” She considers which horse to take: Graylie, Fiddler, or Miss Lucy. She settles on Graylie, “because he is not afraid of bridges.” Graylie is a gray, or pale-colored horse, pointing to the story’s title.

How does Miranda feel about being thrown in jail?

Miranda remarks wryly that if they were thrown in jail, at least they’d “catch up on [their] sleep.” Miranda constantly longs for sleep. This shows how exhausted she is by the task of living. It also foreshadows the illness that lies in her near future. After commiserating with Towney, Miranda heads out to fulfill her volunteering duties.