Theme Of The Sword In The Stone By Th White

I. SUBJECT T.H. White’s novel, The Sword in the Stone, is placed during medieval England. The novel revolves around Wart and his foster family at the Castle of the Forest Sauvage, which includes Sir Ector and his son, Kay. The plot opens with the need of a tutor for Kay and Wart; moments later, this role is fulfilled by Merlyn the Magician. At the Forest Sauvage, Merlyn regularly tutors Wart and educates him through extraordinary means; they travel on adventures that educate and transform Wart into a mature, young man with an intellect achieved by no other. Six years later, Kay is knighted, and Wart accepts his lowly role as Kay’s squire. During this time, King Uther Pendragon dies, and no heir is appointed; however, the successor would
During Wart’s adventure as a bird in the stables, he encountered the respected, but feared peregrine falcon. Balan described, “Colonel Cully is not quite right in his wits. . . . [H]er ladyship spoke to him from her full rank once, cavalry to infantry, you know, and that he just closed his eyes and got the vertigo. He had never been the same since” (104). The peregrine intensified the birds’ fear by her commanding attitude and harsh personality, which resulted in many ruthless ordeals endangering the birds’ welfare. This fear kept the birds disciplined, but was also oppressive. From this adventure, Wart experienced the effects of aggression and power; this knowledge allows him to prevent a fearful society when he becomes King of
White uses the dialogue of characters, such as Merlyn, to reflect the importance and power of knowledge, “The best things for disturbances of the spirit . . . is to learn. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins . . . There is only one thing for it then – to learn” (228). White also demonstrates the value of knowledge through narration. Through the description of events in the novel, it is reflected that physical power cannot accomplish anything without the use of knowledge. Therefore, throughout The Sword in the Stone, White consistently uses diction to reflect and uphold the theme: knowledge is