Pale Horse, Pale Rider Literary Elements

Pale Horse, Pale Rider Literary Elements

Genre

Novel

Setting and Context

The story is set in the 20th century in the context of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Narrator and Point of View

First-person narrative

Tone and Mood

Subdued, aggrieved, disheartening, gloomy

Protagonist and Antagonist

The main protagonists are Miranda and Adam.

Major Conflict

The major conflict is the outbreak of the influenza pandemic, which resulted in the death of Adam. Miranda was also a victim of the pandemic, but she survived to tell the story.

Climax

The climax is when Miranda recovers from an influenza attack but unfortunately realizes that the man who took care of her while sick died of the same disease contracted from her.

Foreshadowing

Miranda's uneasy feelings foreshadow the death of Adam Barclay.

Understatement

Dreaming is understated because it is not all about good things. For instance, Miranda’s dream is horrifying.

Allusions

The story alludes to the worst time in history when the world battled with the influenza pandemic.

Imagery

Miranda's picture at the bath tap in Adam's place is a depiction of sight imagery.

Paradox

Miranda and Maria are paradoxical characters because they behave like adults while they are very young girls.

Parallelism

Miranda’s actual life parallels what she sees in her dreams.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

The influenza pandemic is a personified monster that took the lives of many people.

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page