Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter centers on Miranda, a young woman who survives the influenza epidemic in 1918 at the end of World War I. Both the epidemic and the war lead to distress and loss of life. The tale takes readers through Miranda’s life as a columnist, an observer of World War I, and a young single lady who struggles with a relationship with a soldier called Adam. The tale is structured in three sections of action where the first section presents Miranda and extends her collapse to the influenza epidemic, the second outlines Miranda’s night of frenzy in the boarding house room, and the third one presenting her experience in the hospital.
The author seems to show how sometimes humans go through difficulties of isolation and trauma. The protagonist suffers depression and the only time she is comfortable is when she is unconscious. The final sections of the semi-autobiographical account are made up of Miranda’s recurrent emotional perceptions and dreams from her illness. Miranda gradually recovers but discovers that Adam has succumbed to the influenza epidemic and the war has ended. The events of the influenza epidemic and war highlights the importance of relationship and the delicateness of life. From the story, it is clear that humans always experience misery and grief in life.
Furthermore, Miranda's illness and life in the war-time U.S. heightens the sense of alienation. She's lost family and friends to the influenza and unknowingly looks for someone to care for, and care for her. When she finds Adam, she finally feels a sense of belonging; however, his death and her recovery only emphasize the fragility of life and human relationships. She is yet again left with no one in her life, and she remains detached from society. Thus, Adam's death is not the ultimate tragedy of the book, but Miranda's recovery instead. She is the victim of the cruel truth of the fleeting nature of our relationships. It is inevitable that our relationships will succumb to the power of mortality.
