Education In T. H. White's The Sword In The Stone

T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone occurred in Medieval England, in the Castle of the Forest Sauvage. The plot followed Sir Ector’s foster son Art, nicknamed the Wart, as he matured alongside Sir Ector’s true heir Kay. One day while Wart was attempting to recapture his lost hawk, he stumbled across the magician Merlyn. Merlyn agreed to come to the castle to tutor Kay and Wart. Over the next few years, Merlyn took a vested interest in Wart’s schooling. Through a series of fantastical adventures, Merlyn educated Wart in power, government, and leadership. Gradually, these lessons formed Wart into a well-rounded individual. Despite this it appeared that Wart was destined to be only a squire to Kay. However, Merlyn’s continued focus on the Wart, and his overall lack of attention to Kay,

Throughout the novel, Merlyn continually acted not only as a tutor, but also as a guide for Wart. He did not only teach Wart astrology, repetition, and court hand, as was customary at that time. Instead, Merlyn extended his education to topics of greater importance, such as the need to respect your subordinates and the responsibility that comes with power. The black crow that stole Wart’s arrow was also an important symbol. The crow is a common symbol for witches and evil, but in this novel it takes an even deeper meaning. The crow symbolized all the evil that Wart would have to overcome, to be a successful king. By taking Wart’s arrow, his weapon and thereby his power, it becomes a representation of the evil he must both defeat and ensure he doesn’t become. One of the most obvious symbols was the sword and the stone themselves. By juxtaposing the sleekness of a sword with the dull force of a stone White created a perfect symbol of Wart’s power and the enemies seeking to steal that power. Wart’s intellectual sharpness would soon be pitted against the dull, yet powerful evil the world would throw at