The Pale Horse

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1961

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-25

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Science and Superstition

One reason the ritual at the Pale Horse is so effective is that it uses both witchcraft and machinery. Not only is the séance carried out with Bella’s chanting and animal sacrifice, but a strange electric contraption is set aglow. If only one method was employed, then the clientele would be halved; but with the use of both kinds of operation, the effect is all the greater. At the end of the ritual, Thyrza remarks: “The old magic and the new. The old knowledge of belief, the new knowledge of science. Together, they will prevail” (192). Thyrza synthesizes the two approaches as though using both is the most effective way of achieving their nefarious ends.

Once the mystery is solved, however, Mark notes that even if the ritual was all a sham, the use of both methods was still necessary to have the desired effect on the witness: “The trance and the white cocks and the brazier and the pentagrams and the voodoo and the reversed crucifix—all that was for the crudely superstitious… the famous ‘box’ was another bit of hooey for the contemporary-minded” (239). Even if it was a sham, however, Mark proves himself to be open-minded and humble about the limits of his knowledge. Speaking with Lejeune, he admits that there is more going on than he can comprehend. After all, he points out, “the science of tomorrow is the supernatural of today” (166).

Cruelty and Avarice

At the heart of the wicked ends pursued by the women of the Pale Horse and their partners are avarice, greed, and pride. The mastermind of the operation is Osborne, who is motivated (as he confesses) by the desire to be at the center of a criminal investigation and to be fabulously wealthy. Lejeune reports: “One of the dreams of his life is to be able to come forward and identify a wife poisoner who has purchased arsenic at his shop” (98). Lejeune points out that it was Osborne’s pride that wouldn’t allow him to admit he had misidentified Venables, and “being a very obstinate, as well as a very stupid man, he refused to admit he’d made a bloomer” (256). Finally, his greed is readily apparent in his motivation for the murders as he harbored “grand visions, no doubt, of himself travelling, entertaining, being a rich and important person” (261).

Not only Osborne is guilty of succumbing to vice. Bradley and the women of the Pale Horse are guilty in their own way. Bradley treats human beings like they’re racehorses or, worse, makes a living out of wagering on life and death: "My wager is pretty steep. If Aunt Eliza were pretty well booked for the tomb, you’d know it already, and you wouldn’t come to me. To prophesy somebody’s death to within two weeks means pretty long odds” (138-39). He debases the dignity of other human beings by participating in a scheme centered on murder and theft.

For her part, Thyrza treats magic and spells to kill her victims as though they were just old recipes to be used at will. As she tells Mark, “It’s old, you know, very old. The death spell according to old recipes handed from mother to daughter” (189). Thyrza thinks nothing more of arranging the death of another human being than she would of baking a fresh batch of sourdough.

The Pursuit of Justice

Mark’s most striking trait is his desire to see justice served even in the face of grave danger. As a mere citizen, there’s nothing about Mark’s societal role that would demand his interest in the case. And yet, in the aftermath of the death of Thomasina Tuckerton, Mark feels he needs to immerse himself in the action of the world. In comparison to the fast-paced life of the late Thomasina, Mark wonders if he’s lived his life in a way worth living: “Perhaps it was my life, my quiet scholarly life, immersed in books, shut off from the world, that was the wasted one” (10). While his initial interest in the matter stems from curiosity—he looks up where Poppy works to ask her more about the mysterious Pale Horse—his curiosity quickly shifts to a sense of duty in the face of the possible existence of a nefarious group of murderers.

In his conversation with Mrs. Calthrop, the vicar’s wife, Mark is confronted with his true feelings. She says, “It’s very bad. Whatever is behind it, it’s got to be stopped. But you know that.” Mark responds, “But what can one do?” She replies, “That you’ll have to find out” (94). From that point on, Mark is set on a collision course with the truth, fueled by his impending partnership with the unflappable Ginger. Mark’s desire to do the right thing and discover the truth, even when threatened by witchcraft and the possibility of his own death, outweighs all other desires and provides him with the motivation to solve the mystery.