Merlyn Symbolism

V. SYMBOLISM

The symbolism within the novel added another level of meaning to an already meaningful work. One important symbol used throughout the plot was the Forest Sauvage. The forest was symbolic for the Wart’s future. Every time that the Wart entered the forest he always met both adventure and great danger. Whether his adventure with Robin Wood, or his near death by the hands of Madame Mim, the Wart always faced new challenges and incredible peril when trekking through the forest. As the Wart ages, this reality of glory and danger will only heighten as he encounters greater enemies and attains greater power.

The character of Merlyn represented wisdom and the importance of education. Throughout the novel, Merlyn continually acted not

only as a teacher but also as a guide for the Wart. He didn’t just teach the Wart astrology, repetition, and court hand, as was customary at that time. Rather, Merlyn extended his education to topics of greater importance, like the need to respect those below you and the responsibility that comes with power.
The black crow that stole the Wart’s arrow was also an important symbol. Although Kay says that it was a witch, its meaning extended much deeper than that. The crow was a symbol for all the evil that the Wart will be forced to overcome, if he wants to be a successful king. As he becomes more powerful he will have to face many dark enemies, and he must both defeat them, as well as ensuring that he doesn’t become them.
Wart’s pulling of the sword out of the stone represents both his physical and his mental strength. The Wart gained this strength through the many lessons he received from Merlyn. These lessons taught him to make everything he had work together for a common goal. His strength extended to not only his physical ability, but also his mental fortitude. Unfortunately the fact that it took him three tries also shows that he is not perfect, and does have shortcomings.
One of the most obvious symbols was the sword and the stone themselves. These objects represented everything the Wart had and would have to face. All the things he had learned, and all the obstacles he had overcome led him to the sword in the stone. The sword and the stone were not his biggest obstacles though. He would go on to face greater threats and harder problems, but at that moment, he was victorious.
VI. SPEAKER
The speaker of the novel was the author, T. H. White. The novel is written in first person, and White was unnamed and remained uninvolved in the unraveling of the plot.
VII. STRUCTURE
T.H. White wrote the events of the novel in chronological order and maintained this order throughout. The novel began with the conversation between Sir Ector and Sir Grummore concerning the education of Kay and the Wart. In the end, Merlyn explains to the Wart his parentage and foretells of the glory he will attain in the future.
The book itself was a hardback book containing 256 pages. It was divided into twenty-four chapters, with an average of ten pagers per chapter. There are seventeen illustrations by Dennis Nolan within the book.
VIII. IMAGERY
T. H. White’s writing overflows with its uses of figurative language. Despite the dark times of the Middle Ages, his imagery as well as his descriptions of Kay and the Wart’s childhood friendship add a colorful tone to an otherwise dangerous setting. By utilizes a range of images, he manages to keep a bright tone despite his sometimes dark content.
White uses many similes throughout the novel to create vivid descriptions with strange comparisons. He often uses it when describing the movements of characters. For example, when the Wart is attempting to evade a would-be assassin, it is written that “Wart went like a snake, like a coney, like a silent owl” (21).
` White also uses an abundance of metaphors for comparisons, especially when describing characters. Wart says, “Well I am a Cinderella now” (224). The attention Kay was receiving led him into self-pity.
White also used different forms of irony to add an element of surprise and suspense to his writing. One use of dramatic irony is when the Wart pulls the sword out of the stone. The Wart believes the sword is “some sort of war memorial… [he is] quite sure nobody would grudge Kay a war memorial, if they knew his desperate straits” (249). Only the audience knows the importance of the sword, and they are left waiting in suspense for the reveal.
White also uses many instances of metonymy. He often uses the name of the material for the object that contains it. Merlyn talked with Sir Ector as he “[put] on his glasses and looked closely” (42). The word glasses refers to his spectacles.
Characters often call out God’s name because of a rush of emotion. One example of apostrophe was when Sir Ector and Kay decided to go to the capital for the tournament. The nurse responded to their decision with surprise, saying, “Lord have mercy” (245).
White uses reification to make abstract ideas more tangible in the mind of the reader. For example, when Merlyn is leaving he says, “We had a good time while we were young, but it is the nature of Time to fly” (246).
Personification was used by White throughout the novel.

He uses it when describing places, events, character, and reactions. When the Wart and Kay go hawking in the woods, Kay releases the hawk too early, and the author describes their reaction as, “the two hearts stood still” (17).

White also over-exaggerates his characters for effect. He uses this hyperbole to emphasize certain attributes of the characters. For example, when White describes the Anthropophagi he writes that, “[s]ome of the men had lower lips so large that they couold cover their heads with them to keep off the rain” (138). They did not actually have lips that large, but the description adds an almost frightening level to their appearance.

White also utilizes onomatopaeia in his writing. Every chapter is full of sounds to allow the reader to hear as well as see the action. When describing the sound of a soaring arrow, the author writes, “there was a quick whirr and a smack” (21).

Finally, White utilizes anachronisms in his writing. This is mainly used on the character of Merlyn. Because he lives backwards in time, it is natural for him to reference object and events that didn’t exist during the Middle Ages. For example, when pumping water Merlyn says, “I wish to goodness… that I was only on the electric light and the company’s water”

(30).
IX. GENRE
The Sword in the Stone can be classified under the genre of Fantasy. In A Handbook to Literature, a Fantasy is described as a work that “designates a conscious breaking free from reality … or concerns incredible and unreal characters” (Holman 194).
White sets his novel in a realistic medieval castle in England, following two relatively ordinary boys. This, though, is where the realism ends. From the moment White introduced Merlyn and his sentient dishware, the fantastical world he created came to life. Throughout his lessons, the Wart is transformed by magic to see several different animals, all of which can talk. From the Beast Glatisant, to the giant Galapas, each out-of-this-world character perfectly formed White’s incredibly unreal world.
The novel can also be classified as an Adventure Story. The Handbook to Literature describes an Adventure Story as “A story in which action – often exterior, usually physical, and frequently violent – is the predominant material” (Holman 6).
The novel, while not filled to the brim with action, often has large sections relating the adventures of the Wart, and the action that took place during them. Many of his lessons involved dangerous stunts, such as the time he narrowly evaded the pike in the moat or his fleeing from Cully in the mews. Possibly the best example of these adventures, was the Wart and Kay’s escapade with Robin Wood. The adventure itself had little to do with the overall plot. Rather it was an action filled episode meant to keep the novel exciting.