The Mysterious Rider is a great story that is definitely worth reading and is fairly easy to understand. The language of the story is quite poetic and vivid – a wide range of metaphors, similes, personification and epithets makes the story more interesting and richer and transfers the process of reading in pleasure for both mind and soul.
Everyday life of the Wild West masterfully depicted the way they speak “ Wal , I hev . Not often, mebbe , but I hev .... An', lass, it's reason able”, and think, their problems and attitude to the world helps the reader to make a full picture of Wild West life.
The imagery of nature plays an important role in the story. it is used with aesthetic purpose, to enrich the narration and also for comparing the nature with the feelings of the antagonists and protagonists: “Wade listened to them, to the silence. He felt the wildness and loneliness of the place, the breathing of nature; he peered aloft at the velvet blue of the mysterious sky with its deceiving stars. All that had been of help to him through days of trial was now as if it had never been”. Even the main character of the story is named after little flowers columbines that are symbols of beauty and purity; among these flowers she was found.
The problems of love and lie, happiness and hate are depicted in the story and, as in fairy-tales, love wins. But, as it happens on the Wild West, the price for happiness is a life. Nevertheless, the mood of the story is positive and optimistic. It will be interesting for reading for children and adults.
The main message of the story expressed quite clear for everybody: “Love was the food of life, and hope was its spirituality, and beauty was its reward to the seeing eye.”
