Epidemic as Metaphor in Katherine Anne Porter’s <i>Pale Horse, Pale Rider</i>

Through the lens of Susan Sontag’s theory of illness as metaphor, this article examines Katherine Anne Porter’s Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1938) and argues that written in the 1930s, the Spanish flu in the novella serves not only as a symbol of the social devastation wrought by World War I but also as a reflection of the interwar social anxieties that foreshadowed the outbreak of World War II. First, the article examines how the novella employs disease as a metaphor for social instabilities during WWI, particularly in its portrayal of the pervasive atmosphere of death mirroring war casualties, the intertwining of Miranda’s illness with the worsening social conditions, and Adam’s ironic death from the flu instead of battle. Then, the article investigates how the epidemic serves as a metaphor for deeper societal maladies during interwar years, especially xenophobia, disillusionment, and isolation, that foreshadowed the onset of World War II. The article concludes that this dual significance further illuminates the novella’s importance among disease narratives in American literary history.