Dreaming about World War I
‘Pale Horse Pale Rider’ is a fictional retelling of Katherine Porter’s own experience as an influenza survivor during World War I. Porter does so in the form of a reporter, Miranda, and chronicles a month in her life, as she enjoys a romance with Adam Barclay, a young Army officer, until she becomes a victim of influenza. Adam nurses her, and before she fully recovers, he has to return to his unit, unknowingly carrying with the virus that ultimately causes his demise. Throughout the story, Porter uses Miranda’s delirious dreams and nightmares, crafting surreal dreamscapes to illustrate and convey the feelings shared by victims of World War I and the influenza pandemic.
From the first sentence, we are thrown into …show more content…
The dream can be seen as a premonition. The Influenza virus, metaphorically shown as the arrow, pierces through Miranda and causes chaos in her life, rattling her surrounding. However, the ultimate fatality was Adam who willingly sacrifices himself or in this case, exposes himself to the virus knowing he is going to perish. The “arrow” that passed through Miranda leaving her rattled but alive kills Adam and he calmly accepts this as he accepted his duty for his country. Being far away from him, Miranda is unable to shield him or support him during his tough time and can only watch …show more content…
She does so by shifting from 3rd person to 1st person allowing the reader to personify what Miranda is going through or simply watch it happen. By using the dreams and nightmares of her protagonist, Miranda, Porter effectively conveys the feelings shared by victims of World War I and the influenza pandemic. The nightmarish experiences Miranda faces are representative of the delirium inherent in suffering influenza. By vividly illustrating these terrors, Porter connects the reader more closely to the pandemic and its widespread effects. The dream-reality episodes are disorienting and chaotic, mirroring the emotions of many waiting for the Great War and the pandemic to
‘Pale Horse Pale Rider’ is a fictional retelling of Katherine Porter’s own experience as an influenza survivor during World War I. Porter does so in the form of a reporter, Miranda, and chronicles a month in her life, as she enjoys a romance with Adam Barclay, a young Army officer, until she becomes a victim of influenza. Adam nurses her, and before she fully recovers, he has to return to his unit, unknowingly carrying with the virus that ultimately causes his demise. Throughout the story, Porter uses Miranda’s delirious dreams and nightmares, crafting surreal dreamscapes to illustrate and convey the feelings shared by victims of World War I and the influenza pandemic.
From the first sentence, we are thrown into …show more content…
The dream can be seen as a premonition. The Influenza virus, metaphorically shown as the arrow, pierces through Miranda and causes chaos in her life, rattling her surrounding. However, the ultimate fatality was Adam who willingly sacrifices himself or in this case, exposes himself to the virus knowing he is going to perish. The “arrow” that passed through Miranda leaving her rattled but alive kills Adam and he calmly accepts this as he accepted his duty for his country. Being far away from him, Miranda is unable to shield him or support him during his tough time and can only watch …show more content…
She does so by shifting from 3rd person to 1st person allowing the reader to personify what Miranda is going through or simply watch it happen. By using the dreams and nightmares of her protagonist, Miranda, Porter effectively conveys the feelings shared by victims of World War I and the influenza pandemic. The nightmarish experiences Miranda faces are representative of the delirium inherent in suffering influenza. By vividly illustrating these terrors, Porter connects the reader more closely to the pandemic and its widespread effects. The dream-reality episodes are disorienting and chaotic, mirroring the emotions of many waiting for the Great War and the pandemic to