While responding to the post regarding the loss of body in PHPR, I stumbled upon and idea that I would like to investigate in more depth. Moreover, I would like to pose this idea as a springboard for discussion. I am not going to come to any definite conclusions within this post, but I would like to see what the rest of you think about the idea of self-actualization not only within PHPR, but also within other works by Flanner O'Connor and Katherine Anne Porter.
In class, we have frequently discussed the idea of emptiness or flatness in Porter and O'Connor's protagonists. Do you think that it is possible that this emptiness results as a consequence of the process of self-actualization. I'm not sure that any of Porter or O'Connors characters ACTUALLY achieve self-actualization within these stories, but I definitely think that they come very close in that they have startling realizations about themselves and the world in which they live that lead them to feel emptiness and loss of body.
Anyhow, I was going to post quotations from PHPR regarding this idea, but I think there are several examples of these quotes in the post that I just posted and I don't want to be redundant/I'm being totally lazy.
Another interesting thought I had regarding self-actualization within PHPR relates to the journey via horseback that Miranda embarks on within the first few pages of PHPR. Based on the short, often repetitive structure of the sentences in this section, Miranda is obviously feels very frantic and lost. I think that this franticness on her part reflects a mass production of introspective thoughts that she is experiencing at this point in time. I feel that this journey to an unknown destination could be interpreted as being symbolic of a journey towards self-actualization. This voyage via horseback is not mentioned again within the story and therefore, I don't think that Miranda actually reaches self-actualization within the story, but rather works towards it and the self-actualization occurs in a manner that is external to the physical text.
Anyhow, any thoughts on this idea?
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Again, Emptiness in Pale Horse Pale Rider in the Bookends
After finishing PHPR, I still noticed an overlying theme of emptiness. This theme seems to overwhelm the story. Not only do we see the emptiness that war brings, physically, through death and loss of loved ones, but we also see emptiness in the overall tone of the story. The theme of emptiness is most explicit in the beginning and ending of PHPR. Some examples of emptiness occur in the following examples:
"Her heart was a stone lying upon her breast outside of her..." (269).
Here, Miranda notes a disconnect between herself and her heart (which she describes as stone, thus void of feeling).
"And the stranger? Where is that lank greenish stranger I remember hanging about the place..."
There is a recurring motif of Miranda's "stranger" within the beginning of PHPR, which seems to embody the Miranda's inexplicable feelings of panic and emptiness. (269-70).
"Do I even walk about in my own skin or is it something I have borrowed to spare my modesty?" (270).
This quote seems to demonstrate Miranda's feelings of emptiness in that she does not seem to recognize herself. She feels that she is borrowing someone else's body and does not understand the feelings of loss and void that this skin possesses.
In the end of PHPR, emptiness is very prevalent after Miranda's loss of Adam.
"The room was silent, empty, the shade was gone from it..." (317).
Here, emptiness is explicitly stated. More importantly, Miranda seems to feel that it is her own existence that causes this emptiness. Prior to the aforementioned quote Miranda states, "The room was silent, empty, the shade was gone from it, struck away by the sudden violence of her rising and speaking aloud." This statement is interesting because rather than emptiness forcing itself upon Miranda, she seems to be forcing emptiness upon herself by merely existing.
As a whole, the theme of emptiness within this story is pervasive. However, what is more interesting is observing the ways in which the characters create their own feelings of emptiness and void.
"Her heart was a stone lying upon her breast outside of her..." (269).
Here, Miranda notes a disconnect between herself and her heart (which she describes as stone, thus void of feeling).
"And the stranger? Where is that lank greenish stranger I remember hanging about the place..."
There is a recurring motif of Miranda's "stranger" within the beginning of PHPR, which seems to embody the Miranda's inexplicable feelings of panic and emptiness. (269-70).
"Do I even walk about in my own skin or is it something I have borrowed to spare my modesty?" (270).
This quote seems to demonstrate Miranda's feelings of emptiness in that she does not seem to recognize herself. She feels that she is borrowing someone else's body and does not understand the feelings of loss and void that this skin possesses.
In the end of PHPR, emptiness is very prevalent after Miranda's loss of Adam.
"The room was silent, empty, the shade was gone from it..." (317).
Here, emptiness is explicitly stated. More importantly, Miranda seems to feel that it is her own existence that causes this emptiness. Prior to the aforementioned quote Miranda states, "The room was silent, empty, the shade was gone from it, struck away by the sudden violence of her rising and speaking aloud." This statement is interesting because rather than emptiness forcing itself upon Miranda, she seems to be forcing emptiness upon herself by merely existing.
As a whole, the theme of emptiness within this story is pervasive. However, what is more interesting is observing the ways in which the characters create their own feelings of emptiness and void.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Devastation of PHPR
The devastation that occurs in PHPR I think directly connects all of the themes that are presented within the story. I think without one specific theme we would not grasp that amount of devastation that is occurring and how Porter feels about it.
The autobiography point of the story I think actually has some real weight in this story even if we do not parallel the characters of Miranda with Porter, it is obvious that Porter conveys her feelings about the war and the forced patriotism, and also the way Miranda lives her daily life of being alone and working. It just so happens that Miranda is the character which has the most in common with Porter herself. Also I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that Porter as well as Miranda both lived through the flu epidemic after becoming very ill. I think this not only a huge part of the story but also a huge influence in how she viewed the war during this tragedy as not only were they fighting across seas but fighting for their lives at home and even more the evil within. I even think that maybe Porter thought that the war was not where the people should have been contributing their time worrying about being patriotic and what not. But rather people should have been more concerned with the epidemic. I just feel like that could be due to Miranda's unpatriotic tone and also that Adam does not die in the war but by the epidemic.
I also think that the romance aspect of the story greatly develops the idea of the devastation of the war and epidemic. I think the relationship puts a realistic time period on the tragedies that are occurring around them because the forbidden love/romance idea is placed upon us all the time in other piece of literature and movies, so we can relate to a romance that occurs within days. Also it stresses the importance that one must find some sort of joy no matter what devastation is upon you.
The gender differences within the time period are also really stressed and even the boundaries are crossed at so points during the story. The gender distinction of the female are set within the aspect of the war and how women are not allowed to participate in the warfare. This shows that the men still perceive women during this time period as fragile things that they must take care of. The gender lines are crossed with Miranda and her job as a journalist and how she operates her job by putting it first and foremost before Adam or any real life of her own. The gender lines are also crossed when Miranda becomes ill and Adam begins to care for her. He essentially becomes her nurse helping her become well which is inevitably the downfall of Adam.
The autobiography point of the story I think actually has some real weight in this story even if we do not parallel the characters of Miranda with Porter, it is obvious that Porter conveys her feelings about the war and the forced patriotism, and also the way Miranda lives her daily life of being alone and working. It just so happens that Miranda is the character which has the most in common with Porter herself. Also I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that Porter as well as Miranda both lived through the flu epidemic after becoming very ill. I think this not only a huge part of the story but also a huge influence in how she viewed the war during this tragedy as not only were they fighting across seas but fighting for their lives at home and even more the evil within. I even think that maybe Porter thought that the war was not where the people should have been contributing their time worrying about being patriotic and what not. But rather people should have been more concerned with the epidemic. I just feel like that could be due to Miranda's unpatriotic tone and also that Adam does not die in the war but by the epidemic.
I also think that the romance aspect of the story greatly develops the idea of the devastation of the war and epidemic. I think the relationship puts a realistic time period on the tragedies that are occurring around them because the forbidden love/romance idea is placed upon us all the time in other piece of literature and movies, so we can relate to a romance that occurs within days. Also it stresses the importance that one must find some sort of joy no matter what devastation is upon you.
The gender differences within the time period are also really stressed and even the boundaries are crossed at so points during the story. The gender distinction of the female are set within the aspect of the war and how women are not allowed to participate in the warfare. This shows that the men still perceive women during this time period as fragile things that they must take care of. The gender lines are crossed with Miranda and her job as a journalist and how she operates her job by putting it first and foremost before Adam or any real life of her own. The gender lines are also crossed when Miranda becomes ill and Adam begins to care for her. He essentially becomes her nurse helping her become well which is inevitably the downfall of Adam.
Nature/Disease/War
In the hallucination segments of PHPR, when Miranda is sick and delirious between half-recognized visits from Adam and later the nurse and doctors, I noticed a strong correlation between nature imagery and death, which of course is tied to disease and war in this text. Her first hallucination involves feeling that she is lying down in a deep field of snow high in the mountains. The sensation of lying in a deep field of snow, for me, invokes an image of a body in a morgue's freezer. Also, prominent images of world war I often involve bodies strewn out in frozen European fields. Miranda moves from this image to a dense jungle, which she sees as "a writhing terribly alive and secret place of death," the jungle here is the unknown approach of death (in the forms of war and plague), that grows into a cacophonous refrain of "danger danger danger...war war war." It is as if the war has become so dense with pain and suffering that it has spread an arm out towards Miranda, striking her with influenza, a silent manifestation of its violence.
In her next hallucination, Miranda finds herself in a small green wood (like the woods of France), where she witnesses Adam repeatedly stricken dead by arrows, only to rise again, in a macabre cycle that echoes the pointlessness and repetitious horror of war. Once again, nature holds the key to this death. Next she imagines her fathers well bubbling over with water to staunch a poison brought to it by an image of a german soldier; nature (plague) is drowning out human violence with violence of its own. In her final hallucination, she sees "a landscape of sea and sand, of soft meadow and sky, freshly washed and glittering with transparencies of blue;" this pastoral dreamscape contains the faces of all people she has ever known, whose movements are connected with clouds and waves. She feels herself moving among these faces "as a wave among waves" and she understands each individual as alone but not solitary. Her water is again posited as a cleansing manifestation of nature, which comes in waves that roll up upon humanity and retreat again, leaving humanity scattered as they face their individual deaths, but united in the fact of mortality.
In her next hallucination, Miranda finds herself in a small green wood (like the woods of France), where she witnesses Adam repeatedly stricken dead by arrows, only to rise again, in a macabre cycle that echoes the pointlessness and repetitious horror of war. Once again, nature holds the key to this death. Next she imagines her fathers well bubbling over with water to staunch a poison brought to it by an image of a german soldier; nature (plague) is drowning out human violence with violence of its own. In her final hallucination, she sees "a landscape of sea and sand, of soft meadow and sky, freshly washed and glittering with transparencies of blue;" this pastoral dreamscape contains the faces of all people she has ever known, whose movements are connected with clouds and waves. She feels herself moving among these faces "as a wave among waves" and she understands each individual as alone but not solitary. Her water is again posited as a cleansing manifestation of nature, which comes in waves that roll up upon humanity and retreat again, leaving humanity scattered as they face their individual deaths, but united in the fact of mortality.
Attitudes Towards World War II
It was interesting to me that Miranda seemed more disgusted by the war effort at home than the war over seas. This is the only time that I have ever heard of anyone criticizing the war effort during World War II. Miranda was more critical of the Liberty Bond salesmen, the knitting of socks, and the dances arranged with soldiers on leave than she was of the futility of the war itself. All of my grandparents were about the same age as Miranda during World War II, and I guarantee that none of them ever shared any of the feelings that Miranda did towards the war. Obviously it was financially impossible for her to support the war financially by buying bonds, but it does not seem unreasonable to expect her to go along with all of the other fanfare involved in publicly supporting the soldiers and the war. Perhaps if she had been morally opposed to the war and had given more of a reason for her distaste of all things surrounding the war than her belief that it was a distraction from the real horrors of war it would have been easier for me to sympathize with her. However, I believe that it was necessary to make all of the Americans at home believe that they were directly involved in the war to distract them from the guilt and shame of sending other people to the front to die. I know that my grandmothers on each side of my family approached the rationing of sugar, the knitting of clothing, the buying of war bonds, and the other elements of the war effort at home with zeal and enthusiasm at the idea that they were aiding their husbands, brothers, cousins, and neighbors overseas. It is important to rememeber that while some of the things that Miranda opposed to may have been frivolous, World War II was a war that needed to be fought and the propaganda that surrounded it was necessary to keep the general population from experiencing the depression and cynicism that Miranda experienced.
Fiction as Autobiography
Austin brings up an excellent point in his blog: What does it matter if Miranda is the fictional version of Porter?
What matters is: Does it change our realtionship with the story?
I'd like to say no, because it shouldn't change our relationship with the story, but honestly, I think it does. Obviously, this is not a new phenomenon, as Porter dealt with it in her time, but in an era of post-modernism, self-referential essayists and the proliferation of memoirs, I think the natural tendency is to make that assumption.
I've noticed that a lot in English classes. When a classmate submits a story in which the narrator's gender isn't identified, nearly everyone makes the assumption that the narrator is the same gender as the author. When I read someone's story, unless I'm told otherwise, I make the assumption that the narrator is the same gender. That's short-sighted, yes, but I think it's natural for most people.
I've also noticed, in these classes, in myself and other fiction writers I know, that when someone submits a story with a protagonist at all similar to themselves, everyone assumes the story to be somewhat revealing or confessional. Ironically, as Austin pointed out, the same writers that submit these stories tend to make fun of that assumption, but at the same time do use their fiction as a way to work through their issues. At the very least, they do reveal a lot about themselves, whether or not they intended to.
So I think it's natural to read Porter's Miranda stories and make that assumption. Is it correct? Only Porter knows. Should it matter? It shouldn't. Ultimately, as Austin point out, even if it is autobiographical, so what? Is a fictional narrator the most trustworthy of sources? I doubt it.
If Miranda is Porter, that does reveal a lot about Porter, but the fact that we have this drive to make that connection reveals even more about us.
What matters is: Does it change our realtionship with the story?
I'd like to say no, because it shouldn't change our relationship with the story, but honestly, I think it does. Obviously, this is not a new phenomenon, as Porter dealt with it in her time, but in an era of post-modernism, self-referential essayists and the proliferation of memoirs, I think the natural tendency is to make that assumption.
I've noticed that a lot in English classes. When a classmate submits a story in which the narrator's gender isn't identified, nearly everyone makes the assumption that the narrator is the same gender as the author. When I read someone's story, unless I'm told otherwise, I make the assumption that the narrator is the same gender. That's short-sighted, yes, but I think it's natural for most people.
I've also noticed, in these classes, in myself and other fiction writers I know, that when someone submits a story with a protagonist at all similar to themselves, everyone assumes the story to be somewhat revealing or confessional. Ironically, as Austin pointed out, the same writers that submit these stories tend to make fun of that assumption, but at the same time do use their fiction as a way to work through their issues. At the very least, they do reveal a lot about themselves, whether or not they intended to.
So I think it's natural to read Porter's Miranda stories and make that assumption. Is it correct? Only Porter knows. Should it matter? It shouldn't. Ultimately, as Austin point out, even if it is autobiographical, so what? Is a fictional narrator the most trustworthy of sources? I doubt it.
If Miranda is Porter, that does reveal a lot about Porter, but the fact that we have this drive to make that connection reveals even more about us.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Miranda as Porter?
Porter left the Old South. Porter survived the flu epidemic. Porter reported on society. Porter worked in the Rocky Mountain region.
And so did Miranda.
And so what?
Dr. Cook mentioned in class that scholars think that Miranda is the closest to an autobiography we get to in Porter's fiction. While I'll admit that I always like to fantasize that something like the book I'm reading happened to the author, these suppositions seem to have little place in serious scholarship. Am I wrong?
There is an excellent interview with Margaret Atwood wherein the interviewer asks if The Handmaid's Tale was autobiographical. Atwood is livid. "How can it be autobiographical," she asks, "if it takes place in the future?"
Obviously the prosaic point doesn't hold up my argument, but I think the spirit of her response - spat venom - gives an idea of what it means for one author to have the "autobiography" question leveled at fiction. (Remember also the story of Porter freaking out at her friend for changing the names in a real event and pretending it a short story? KAP and JCO would not have gotten along.)
If Porter is Miranda, does that tell us something more about Porter or Miranda? (I would say Porter; she told us everything she wanted us to know about Miranda.) Given the sparse characterizations that I can't shut up about, what does that mean that Porter wants us to know about herself?
You can know her (fictionalized) family and you can know her sickness, her love life, her independence - but can you know her?
And so did Miranda.
And so what?
Dr. Cook mentioned in class that scholars think that Miranda is the closest to an autobiography we get to in Porter's fiction. While I'll admit that I always like to fantasize that something like the book I'm reading happened to the author, these suppositions seem to have little place in serious scholarship. Am I wrong?
There is an excellent interview with Margaret Atwood wherein the interviewer asks if The Handmaid's Tale was autobiographical. Atwood is livid. "How can it be autobiographical," she asks, "if it takes place in the future?"
Obviously the prosaic point doesn't hold up my argument, but I think the spirit of her response - spat venom - gives an idea of what it means for one author to have the "autobiography" question leveled at fiction. (Remember also the story of Porter freaking out at her friend for changing the names in a real event and pretending it a short story? KAP and JCO would not have gotten along.)
If Porter is Miranda, does that tell us something more about Porter or Miranda? (I would say Porter; she told us everything she wanted us to know about Miranda.) Given the sparse characterizations that I can't shut up about, what does that mean that Porter wants us to know about herself?
You can know her (fictionalized) family and you can know her sickness, her love life, her independence - but can you know her?
Pale Horse, Pale Rider-Gender Bending?
Building off what Daniel brought up, I too was struck by gender roles in this story, but I noticed many instances of what seemed to be Porter challenging gender roles. Gender, as we know from theory classes, can be understood as a social construct, and gender seems stressed in this story pretty blatantly. The structure of gender in the story is laid out very early on: men go to war and women stay home and knit and take care of injured soldiers, basically.
Miranda's femininity seems stressed by Porter. There are more than one reference to her touching up her make up and hair and putting on gloves (pgs. 275, 283). Miranda and Towney can only write such things as the society page or theater reviews for the paper while Chuck can only write about sports.
This is, presumably, the world Porter is living within, but she does not appear to merely accept it at face value. Chuck tells Miranda to "toughen up" at one point, but she is a woman and this would go against what women "should" be in this world. The disgruntled actor tells Miranda that he'd hit her if she were a man (pg. 289).
Chuck is the sports writer, as I have mentioned, but his dream is to write the theater column, and "didn't see why women always had the job" (pg. 287). As a man in this society, Chuck should naturally want to write about sports. Chuck gets his chance to write the theater column, but is quickly suppressed by society when the newspaper restricts him to the sports page (pg. 315).
This story blatantly lays out the binary opposition of nurse(female)/soldier(male) in its gender roles. Chuck makes some very misogynistic comments about Florence Nightingale and there being no place for women around the battlefield (pg. 287). In light of this comment, I found it very interesting that it is Adam that plays Florence Nightingale for Miranda when she is sick. It would perhaps have been less out of character to have Towney or the land lady come take care of her, but it is Adam, the big masculine soldier. The nurse/soldier gender roles are reversed cleverly here. Now I know what most of you hopeless romantics will say, and I do agree that it was very sweet and loving for him to do that, but especially with the Florence Nightingale reference, I read this as being more about the gender roles.
Anyone else notice these challenges to gender roles? Any other possible examples, and what, perhaps, might Porter be intending with this?
Emptiness in Pale Horse Pale Rider
The introduction of Pale Horse Pale Rider was great, but like the American people in World War II it lost its get-up and go. Despite the fact that I am kind of hating this story right now, I feel that the "fluff" [i.e. the romantic story (which is also empty because the death of Adam is foreshadowed several times) that fills a great deal of space and time between the introduction and the conclusion] reflects Miranda's feelings of emptiness and loss. This story reminds me of a somewhat less original version of Pride and Prejudice set in the 40's. For as great as Miranda's supposed love for Adam is, their relationship is incredibly empty and lacks true emotion because each party member knows that their situation is not permanent, whether or not they want it to be. Thus, the emptiness that prevails throughout the love story of Miranda and Adam reflects the empty feeling of the nation at that time. [At least I hope that is Porter's intent...or else this story is fairly blase if I do say so myself... : ) ]
NPR: Pale Horse....
You may listen to and read this broadcast on NPR by Alice McDermott, entitled "Why Libraries Should Stock Pale Horse, Pale Rider."
Website for WWI Posters: U.S.
Class: This site has an excellent collection of posters from World War I. It will give you a sense of Miranda's visual world in Pale Horse, Pale Rider.
Loss of the Body in PHPR
While reading PHPR I saw a very distinct similarity between Miranda’s thought process and Granny Weatherall’s thought process. Both characters become less aware of time, see people in the room almost float around them, and are almost in a delirious state “babbling nonsense”. In addition to this I found that Porter became focused on the disintegration of Miranda’s body. Here are some examples:
“The body is a curious monster, no place to live in” (313).
“[Miranda was] no longer aware of the members of her own body” (310).
“…she opened her eyes and saw pale light through a course white cloth over her face, knew that the smell of death was her own body, and struggled to lift her hand” (312).
I wonder why Porter chooses to focus on the loss of Miranda’s bodily functions. I think this work relates to some of Flannery O’Conner’s works which also focus on this loss.
“The body is a curious monster, no place to live in” (313).
“[Miranda was] no longer aware of the members of her own body” (310).
“…she opened her eyes and saw pale light through a course white cloth over her face, knew that the smell of death was her own body, and struggled to lift her hand” (312).
I wonder why Porter chooses to focus on the loss of Miranda’s bodily functions. I think this work relates to some of Flannery O’Conner’s works which also focus on this loss.
Porter the Woman writer
I think what Michelle says about the short story having a romance aspect goes along with what was mentioned in class about Porter writing like a women (whereas Flannery writes more like a man). While reading the story, I could not help but think how whiny and overly romantic the writing and focus of the piece is. Porter emphasizes Miranda's yearning to be with Adam outside of the time and place of the war. Miranda is always fretting about getting to see Adam and worries a lot about how she looks. The themes actually reminded me a lot of Hemingway's story, A Farewell to Arms. I especially find the relationship of Miranda and Adam similar to the relationship between Henry and Catherine. Of course, the main difference would be in the style of writing, however both women are portrayed as semi-whiny and weak (at least to me). What do you guys think?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Pale Horse Pale Rider
I think I am starting to understand the whole ex-patriot thing. This story helped me understand how hard times were back during WWI.
The part that I was most interested in with this story was the romance aspect of it all. I thought this whirl wind romance with a soldier was nicely weaved in with everything else going on in Miranda's life. I thought this was one of the more romantic things that I have read in awhile (maybe I just need a boyfriend or something). For a man to hold a bucket while a woman throws up in it is possibly one of the sweetest things that I have read ["Do excuse me" (Porter 300)]. Then to still pat her and tell her he loves her, "He lay down beside her with his arm under her shoulder, and pressed his smooth face against hers, his mouth moved towards her mouth and stopped. 'Can you hear what I am saying?...What do you think I have been trying to tell you all this time?" It almost made me cry it was so sweet (I'm sorry, I'm a softy). Unfortunately, I wondered if it was real. In this scene I questioned whether Adam was really even there. This whole scene seemed so dreamlike to me, and Miranda was so sick that she was hallucinatory, that I questioned if it really happened or not. I also found it a little odd (and kind of scary) that she was taken away while he was (or she thought he was) down the street picking up more ice and coffee. It does make sense that he would be in this scene since he ends up dying of influenza. But was he really in this scene? Why didn't he barge his way into the hospital instead of just leaving a note? Did he die because he caught influenza from her? Why isn't she more upset when she finds out that he dies? Is she just resigned about the whole thing? I also thought it was interesting that there is a scene like this where the manly soldier rescues the woman in a story about a woman who is supporting herself and working during war times.
On another note (ha, no pun intended), the lyrics to Pale Horse and his Rider are at this website, I think this is the song that is referenced in the story, but I am not sure (why would the title be different?): http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-pale-horse-his-rider-lyrics-hank-williams.html
The part that I was most interested in with this story was the romance aspect of it all. I thought this whirl wind romance with a soldier was nicely weaved in with everything else going on in Miranda's life. I thought this was one of the more romantic things that I have read in awhile (maybe I just need a boyfriend or something). For a man to hold a bucket while a woman throws up in it is possibly one of the sweetest things that I have read ["Do excuse me" (Porter 300)]. Then to still pat her and tell her he loves her, "He lay down beside her with his arm under her shoulder, and pressed his smooth face against hers, his mouth moved towards her mouth and stopped. 'Can you hear what I am saying?...What do you think I have been trying to tell you all this time?" It almost made me cry it was so sweet (I'm sorry, I'm a softy). Unfortunately, I wondered if it was real. In this scene I questioned whether Adam was really even there. This whole scene seemed so dreamlike to me, and Miranda was so sick that she was hallucinatory, that I questioned if it really happened or not. I also found it a little odd (and kind of scary) that she was taken away while he was (or she thought he was) down the street picking up more ice and coffee. It does make sense that he would be in this scene since he ends up dying of influenza. But was he really in this scene? Why didn't he barge his way into the hospital instead of just leaving a note? Did he die because he caught influenza from her? Why isn't she more upset when she finds out that he dies? Is she just resigned about the whole thing? I also thought it was interesting that there is a scene like this where the manly soldier rescues the woman in a story about a woman who is supporting herself and working during war times.
On another note (ha, no pun intended), the lyrics to Pale Horse and his Rider are at this website, I think this is the song that is referenced in the story, but I am not sure (why would the title be different?): http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-pale-horse-his-rider-lyrics-hank-williams.html
Pale Horse Pale Rider
As far as imagery goes, the idea of the dream state that Porter evokes in "Pale Hose Pale Rider" is different than so many of her other stories. She has done a beautiful job in many of her works by exploring self worth, social constructs, and what it is to be polite. But here there is an exploration of reality. I am not sure weather this is coming from the idea of story and truth, or identity through family, but either way her writing style in PHPR evokes a different image than her previous works. Even the title makes me think of a strange, indistinguishable movement, where you don't know where the rider ends and the horse begins. In this fantastical creature Porter might be referring to the story being indistinguishable from the writer. Seeing as how this was to be incorporated into her most autobiographical work, it seems fitting for her to explore the idea of where her writing ends and her personal story begins.
Community vs. the Atomized Individual: Trajectory of the 3 Novel volume
In the three novels of the Pale Horse, Pale Rider volume, "Old Mortality," "Noon Wine," and "Pale Horse, Pale Rider," I would like to propose that there is a trajectory from a deeply communal aesthetic, broken by a loss of innocence and an act of violence, and moving into an aesthetic of the highly atomized individual.
In terms of basic plot, "Old Mortality" expresses a deep sense of community: the plot concerns the legends and fates of a family, rather than individuals. Even Amy, who is clearly attempting to assert her individuality, is always discussed in terms of her relation to her family members: they admire her, they disapprove of her, etc. The two girls are woven into the family legend as an incorporated audience, as they compare their beauty to the beauties of the family. Even in terms of narrative technique, individual voices are conspicuously absent when Amy's story begins. Her legend seems to come from a generalized, collective family consciousness. Much of Amy's actual story (the ball, etc) seems to come from a singular, observing narrator, and only occasionally do individual voices add their supporting comments. In the third part of the story, of course, voices forcefully demand individual identity: Eva subverts the family legend, and Miranda determines to escape it altogether.
Moving into "Noon Wine," the narration is similar: as readers, we have the same distance from Mr. Thompson and we do from Mrs. Thompson. Descriptions of Mr. Helton at the dinner table suggest that Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are basically observing the same person, and sharing the same experience. However, after Mr. Thompson kills Mr. Hatch, the sense of perspective is narrowed. We either get Mrs. Thompson's internal thoughts, or Mr. Thompson's internal thoughts. There is an abrupt and disturbing sense of sudden alienation: They are no longer members of a family, but rather atomized and isolated individuals who no longer share the same opinions, experiences, instincts, etc.
Then, in "Pale Horse, Pale Rider," the atomization of the individual reaches its logical conclusion. Miranda is totally alienated from those around her, and experiences life as a lonely, singular consciousness, rather than as an incorporated victim of family legend (perhaps Porter wants to know which is worse?). First, she has an intense, internal dialogue when faced with the aggressive bonds salesmen--the ultimate result of war, in this case, is that one is never allowed to say what one thinks. One must remain impassive and keep emotions and opinions securely interior: in short, one must become an atom.
A prime example of this atomization is a conversation Miranda has with a girl in the hospital ward: the girl admits she doesn't really like delivering candy and cigarettes to wounded veterans. Miranda replies that she "hates it." The girl responds "cautiously," saying "I suppose it's all right, though." Then Miranda "turns cautious also," with a guarded "Perhaps."
Even with close friends, Miranda remains guarded and trapped inside the profound isolation of enforced patriotism. She ventures to tell Chuck, "I wish it were over and I wish it had never begun," but she is still checked by doubts: "What she had said seemed safe enough but how would he take it?" (290). In the family community of "Old Mortality," the characters were at least united by threads of common thought--by a collective legend to which they all contributed (for better or for worse). In "Pale Horse," the common legend is being forced upon society: none of the isolated individuals in the community are contributing their share of the story.
In contrast, Miranda barely even seems to know what Adam has on his mind, and, in the theater, Miranda looks a Chuck and "for the first time since she had known him she wondered what Chuck was thinking about."
This profound alienation, atomization, isolation (whatever you want to call it) can be read as a product of the war, a product of (presumably) Miranda's maturation, or a general indication of the times. But historically, the move from communal traditions and collective identity to the individuated, atomization of modernist society can be marked using WWI as the breaking point. In that respect, I think the sense of community in "Old Mortality" can be read as an expression of pre-war communal sensibilities. The act of violence in "Noon Wine" parallels society's fall from innocence during WWI. Then, "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" expresses the fears and isolations of the alienated individual looking into the disillusionment of the post-war future.
It isn't necessary to read these three novels from this frame--certainly, I don't think it takes anything away from them as individual pieces if you don't buy my historicist suggestion. But I do think the movement and structure of the collected volume probably has signficance that merits consideration. I think we should assume that Porter put as much thought into the order of novels in the collection as she put into the order of words in a sentence.
Thoughts? More articulate support or opposition than I seem to be able to come up with this afternoon?
In terms of basic plot, "Old Mortality" expresses a deep sense of community: the plot concerns the legends and fates of a family, rather than individuals. Even Amy, who is clearly attempting to assert her individuality, is always discussed in terms of her relation to her family members: they admire her, they disapprove of her, etc. The two girls are woven into the family legend as an incorporated audience, as they compare their beauty to the beauties of the family. Even in terms of narrative technique, individual voices are conspicuously absent when Amy's story begins. Her legend seems to come from a generalized, collective family consciousness. Much of Amy's actual story (the ball, etc) seems to come from a singular, observing narrator, and only occasionally do individual voices add their supporting comments. In the third part of the story, of course, voices forcefully demand individual identity: Eva subverts the family legend, and Miranda determines to escape it altogether.
Moving into "Noon Wine," the narration is similar: as readers, we have the same distance from Mr. Thompson and we do from Mrs. Thompson. Descriptions of Mr. Helton at the dinner table suggest that Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are basically observing the same person, and sharing the same experience. However, after Mr. Thompson kills Mr. Hatch, the sense of perspective is narrowed. We either get Mrs. Thompson's internal thoughts, or Mr. Thompson's internal thoughts. There is an abrupt and disturbing sense of sudden alienation: They are no longer members of a family, but rather atomized and isolated individuals who no longer share the same opinions, experiences, instincts, etc.
Then, in "Pale Horse, Pale Rider," the atomization of the individual reaches its logical conclusion. Miranda is totally alienated from those around her, and experiences life as a lonely, singular consciousness, rather than as an incorporated victim of family legend (perhaps Porter wants to know which is worse?). First, she has an intense, internal dialogue when faced with the aggressive bonds salesmen--the ultimate result of war, in this case, is that one is never allowed to say what one thinks. One must remain impassive and keep emotions and opinions securely interior: in short, one must become an atom.
A prime example of this atomization is a conversation Miranda has with a girl in the hospital ward: the girl admits she doesn't really like delivering candy and cigarettes to wounded veterans. Miranda replies that she "hates it." The girl responds "cautiously," saying "I suppose it's all right, though." Then Miranda "turns cautious also," with a guarded "Perhaps."
Even with close friends, Miranda remains guarded and trapped inside the profound isolation of enforced patriotism. She ventures to tell Chuck, "I wish it were over and I wish it had never begun," but she is still checked by doubts: "What she had said seemed safe enough but how would he take it?" (290). In the family community of "Old Mortality," the characters were at least united by threads of common thought--by a collective legend to which they all contributed (for better or for worse). In "Pale Horse," the common legend is being forced upon society: none of the isolated individuals in the community are contributing their share of the story.
In contrast, Miranda barely even seems to know what Adam has on his mind, and, in the theater, Miranda looks a Chuck and "for the first time since she had known him she wondered what Chuck was thinking about."
This profound alienation, atomization, isolation (whatever you want to call it) can be read as a product of the war, a product of (presumably) Miranda's maturation, or a general indication of the times. But historically, the move from communal traditions and collective identity to the individuated, atomization of modernist society can be marked using WWI as the breaking point. In that respect, I think the sense of community in "Old Mortality" can be read as an expression of pre-war communal sensibilities. The act of violence in "Noon Wine" parallels society's fall from innocence during WWI. Then, "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" expresses the fears and isolations of the alienated individual looking into the disillusionment of the post-war future.
It isn't necessary to read these three novels from this frame--certainly, I don't think it takes anything away from them as individual pieces if you don't buy my historicist suggestion. But I do think the movement and structure of the collected volume probably has signficance that merits consideration. I think we should assume that Porter put as much thought into the order of novels in the collection as she put into the order of words in a sentence.
Thoughts? More articulate support or opposition than I seem to be able to come up with this afternoon?
Foreshadowing In "Pale Horse, Pale Rider"
After reader “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” I tried to find the Bible verse containing the ‘Pale Horse” reference. This text can be found in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation. Time rides upon the White horse; War rides upon the Red horse; Famine rides upon the Black horse and Death rides upon the Pale horse. According to this story the four horsemen are named after the dangers that they embody and carry with them; they represent the forces of man’s destruction.
Revelation 6:8 “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
According to the Bible the pale horse signifies death and widespread devastation, which in the case of this short story seems to be the influenza epidemic. Death would be the appropriate rider for this horse given what it brings forth. After knowing the significance of this passage from the Bible it is easy to notice the foreshadowing presented by Porter in the beginning of the story. In Miranda’s dream she mentions a “lank greenish stranger” which gives the impression of a very sick and weak person (Porter 269). She then chooses to ride Graylie, a horse whose name implies that its color is gray or even pale. Miranda then acknowledges that the stranger is Death because she say’s, “Come now, Graylie, … we must outrun Death and the Devil” (Porter 270). The stranger’s horse was also gray, which further proves that this horse and rider in her dream are death and the pale horse referred to in the Bible. She tries to outrun Death on her own gray horse, which she eventually does because by the end of the story she has survived the epidemic.
Revelation 6:8 “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
According to the Bible the pale horse signifies death and widespread devastation, which in the case of this short story seems to be the influenza epidemic. Death would be the appropriate rider for this horse given what it brings forth. After knowing the significance of this passage from the Bible it is easy to notice the foreshadowing presented by Porter in the beginning of the story. In Miranda’s dream she mentions a “lank greenish stranger” which gives the impression of a very sick and weak person (Porter 269). She then chooses to ride Graylie, a horse whose name implies that its color is gray or even pale. Miranda then acknowledges that the stranger is Death because she say’s, “Come now, Graylie, … we must outrun Death and the Devil” (Porter 270). The stranger’s horse was also gray, which further proves that this horse and rider in her dream are death and the pale horse referred to in the Bible. She tries to outrun Death on her own gray horse, which she eventually does because by the end of the story she has survived the epidemic.
Happiness in PHPR
In a sense, PHPR for me has been refreshing so far. As mentioned in class, before we started with Porter again, I feel like I needed a break from O'Connor. I felt as though the image of Miranda and Adam's relationship was separated from the rest of the text. When I was visualizing their playtime, escaping from the realities of the war, it seemed like a new chapter, and a new emotion being portrayed. I think this was the most refreshing part for me about PHPR...we rarely get to see Porter or O'Connor's characters enjoying themselves the way Miranda and Adam did in each others' presenses. Of course it wasn't picture perfect, since Miranda is revealing signs of her illness, but this one section of the text sucked me in, hoping for something other than abandonment, death, or depression.
Feminism/Pacifism: Pale Horse Pale Rider
One of the more interesting aspects of this story, for me, is the connection Porter draws between women and pacifism, as well as men and nationalism. In the sections leading up to her disease, Miranda's thoughts repeatedly iterate her reservations about the American war effort, and her revulsion towards war itself. Miranda's job in the press exposes her to the details of war-mongering and propaganda first hand, which she views with internal disgust but external complacency, out of a fear, which is mentioned several times, of the consequences of open objection to the war. Miranda encounters liberty-bonds salesmen who feed on xenophobia and war-fever to make money, threatening peoples jobs and making monetary support of violence a condition of good-citizenship. She does her supposed "woman-on-the-home-front" duties, stopping by at soldier's hospitals and going to military dances, but always with a certain uneasiness as to the value/morality of what she is doing, which is only shared with female acquaintances. Towney and a volunteer red-cross nurse express reservations similar to Miranda's in private, but, like Miranda, practice public complacency and support. These objections are indeed only private, but they are living in a nation caught in a patriotic/nationalist fervor, wherein disagreement quickly becomes treason and silent objection can become imprisonment.
On the other hand, the men in the story, even those in no way connected to the war effort (chuck/bill), are never shown by Porter to hold any sort of reservation about the basic necessity of war, even in as much as they might mock the propaganda and machinations behind it. Adam, who is portrayed in a very sympathetic light, is shown to at least hold some disdain for war, when prompted by Miranda, but never openly questions its existence or need. Chuck, who cannot go to war, expresses a similar comic disdain but still says it is right that soldier's "perish where they fall." The only male, and in fact the only character, that seems to be not at all concerned with the war is the playwright who comes to challenge Miranda at her office.
Anyways, I'm losing hold of what my point is so I'll just stop here. If anyone would like to contribute please do
On the other hand, the men in the story, even those in no way connected to the war effort (chuck/bill), are never shown by Porter to hold any sort of reservation about the basic necessity of war, even in as much as they might mock the propaganda and machinations behind it. Adam, who is portrayed in a very sympathetic light, is shown to at least hold some disdain for war, when prompted by Miranda, but never openly questions its existence or need. Chuck, who cannot go to war, expresses a similar comic disdain but still says it is right that soldier's "perish where they fall." The only male, and in fact the only character, that seems to be not at all concerned with the war is the playwright who comes to challenge Miranda at her office.
Anyways, I'm losing hold of what my point is so I'll just stop here. If anyone would like to contribute please do
Reply to Austin's post on the Mirandas
I totally connected the two Mirandas as the same person. Maybe they weren't but I saw PHPR as a continuation of where Miranda's story left off in OM.
I think what did it for me was the "running away" on the horse. Even though it's just a dream in PHPR, could it be a dream that is remembering the past? Like, reliving events that she went through. It also states in the beginning that she has nothing of her own, except nothing, and that was enough. I connected this with OM in that Miranda is living through the tales of her family. Both Miranda's are writers (if I recall correctly) - one is a journalist and one is prose (I think). They are both educated, which could go along the lines of continuing the story.
We can also take these stories separately, which could make the two Miranda's different, or, going off with Austin's namesake theory. But why would Porter give them the same name? Is it similar to O'Connor giving her characters the same name in a single story? Obviously, they are supposed to be connected, the degree is what is in question. Myself - I saw them as the same, and PHPR as a sequel or something.
I could be completely wrong though because we are left not seeing certain important parts of their character in each story that the other story fills in. For instance, we get a general personality and who Miranda acts with others (and loves) while we only see Miranda as she thinks about her family in OM.
Both stories center around death too, and some sort of romantic love is involved. In OM, it is Amy who suffers and dies without truly being in love. In PHPR, Miranda finds love only to lose it and so she learns that it doesn't matter how much you fight to live, there will always be death. She ends up not really seeing the difference in life or death anymore... which maybe that was Amy's conclusion?
I think what did it for me was the "running away" on the horse. Even though it's just a dream in PHPR, could it be a dream that is remembering the past? Like, reliving events that she went through. It also states in the beginning that she has nothing of her own, except nothing, and that was enough. I connected this with OM in that Miranda is living through the tales of her family. Both Miranda's are writers (if I recall correctly) - one is a journalist and one is prose (I think). They are both educated, which could go along the lines of continuing the story.
We can also take these stories separately, which could make the two Miranda's different, or, going off with Austin's namesake theory. But why would Porter give them the same name? Is it similar to O'Connor giving her characters the same name in a single story? Obviously, they are supposed to be connected, the degree is what is in question. Myself - I saw them as the same, and PHPR as a sequel or something.
I could be completely wrong though because we are left not seeing certain important parts of their character in each story that the other story fills in. For instance, we get a general personality and who Miranda acts with others (and loves) while we only see Miranda as she thinks about her family in OM.
Both stories center around death too, and some sort of romantic love is involved. In OM, it is Amy who suffers and dies without truly being in love. In PHPR, Miranda finds love only to lose it and so she learns that it doesn't matter how much you fight to live, there will always be death. She ends up not really seeing the difference in life or death anymore... which maybe that was Amy's conclusion?
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