Compare And Contrast The Return Of The Soldier And Pale Rider

The Many Reactions to War
The characters of “The Return of the Soldier” and “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” waver from wanting to acknowledge the war and its effects to wanting to erase all traces of the war. Within both novellas there are characters who want the war to go on so that it can run its course, and there are characters who just want the war to end so that their loved ones might be safe. With the war being so prevalent in everyone’s daily lives, there is also the feeling of needing to contribute to the war effort, or at least keep up appearances, however unwelcome it may be. A transition exists, from characters believing that the war will run its course to the realization that there may be no future outside of the war in its effects for …show more content…
Miranda never shifts her opinion of the war, especially since she has more contact with propaganda than the characters in “The Return of the Soldier.” Miranda’s thoughts revolve around her love, Adam, when she worries about the war, not a nationalistic cause. For the majority of the novella Miranda’s greatest grievance with the war in her daily life is that it will take Adam away from her. When thinking about Adam going off to war, Miranda expresses the sentiment that “there was only the wish to see him and the fear, the present threat, of not seeing him again” (Porter 173). If there was any change in Miranda’s attitude towards the war, it is that the war became more personal throughout the novella. The faster that Adam’s departure approached, the more tailored Miranda’s thoughts become towards him. However, Miranda does dislike the frivolity and need for appearances that comes with the war. When volunteering with the Red Cross, as expected for women in that time, Miranda felt “miserably embarrassed at the idiocrasy of her errand” (Porter 151). Miranda knew that putting flowers out for injured soldiers was not making any kind of significant impact in a war that was ripping loved ones away. Everybody had to keep up appearances that they support the war effort and the soldiers through …show more content…
The shift is most prominent in Adam of “Pale Horse, Pale Rider.” He is the only main character out of the two novellas who outwardly supports the war, even if a lot of it is all talk. He truly believes, at least early on in the story, that the war will end and all will be well. To Miranda he says: “Oh, there won’t be any more wars, don’t you read the newspapers? We’re going to mop ‘em up this time, and they’re going to stay mopped, and this is going to be all” (Porter 159). However, there are subtle shifts throughout the novella that show reality slipping in on his part, with the fact that Adam may not make it to his thirties. One instance is where he talks about the career plans he had in past tense. “‘I was going to be an electrical engineer’ said Adam. He stopped short. ‘And I shall finish up when I get back’” (Porter 187). While Miranda understands the risks from the start, others like Adam take a while to reach that point of understanding. Worries like this start to affect daily life, no matter how desperately people tried to keep an optimistic