What is the author's style in Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels by Katherine Anne Porter?

"Old Mortality" and "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" are seen primarily through Miranda's third-person point of view, which sometimes shifts to first-person stream-of consciousness. In "Old Mortality," Miranda feels like the wonderful experiences of others are explained to her, so that she can almost understand why the old people remember the past so fondly. To Miranda's perception, she is still waiting for the chance to experience life for herself. As the story jumps through Miranda's life, her perceptions and feelings change, and the tone of the story goes along with Miranda's development. Miranda has a moment of epiphany when she understands that she can choose to behave like a grown-up. "Miranda, seeing Maria from the height of her fourteen years suddenly joining with their father to laugh at her, made an instant decision and laughed with them at herself" (Old Mortality, Part Two, pg. 60.) When Miranda is delirious with influenza in "Pale Horse, Pale Rider," her dreams mix terrifyingly with reality, which is an example of an unreliable narrator.

"Noon Wine" is told from the point of view of a third-person, semi-omniscient narrator who can read the thoughts of Ellie and Royal Thompson. Mr. Thompson's view is that he must act out a specific, manly role, and he wants little to do with anything outside of his "good-ole-boy" mindset. Ellie cares more about morality, but she is so defeated, that she can do little besides look at her life and despair.