What Does The White Knight Symbolism

Protagonists often don’t realise the result of their own actions. If they do they realise it vaguely or barely at all. The mentions of self-discovery in works of fiction let alone short stories is almost obsolete. Yet, Eric Nicol uses symbolism and irony in “The White Knight” to demonstrate the protagonist’s struggle with evil, which reveals his own true nature.

The symbolism within “The White Knight” represents the protagonist’s struggle to uphold good while remaining good. “The Forest of Life” which the White Knight makes his way through the forest itself embodies the difficulties of life. Everyone who enters the forest begins as someone very young and innocent; clueless to the hardships that good must go through. Ultimately

The beginning of his plunge is when the hero runs out of gold and is forced to do unimaginable things. He then steals some food from a village bakery, the same action which begins the Black Knight’s list of crimes. The White Knight still attempts to remain good but is thwarted when his horse is struck lame and he is forced to replace it with a new one in a barn at the dead of night. Nevertheless, the protagonist is still the White Knight and when he can go no further a kind innkeeper's daughter takes him to bed until he is well again. In this way, he fulfils the three evils that the Black Knight committed. He seals his own destiny as the Black Knight with his three crimes; robbing a bakery, stealing a horse and defiling a young

His self-discovery stems from the moment he kills the other white knight. Once the protagonist realises he is his own antagonist by seeing his own reflection as the Black Knight in the armor of the fallen knight. He then attempts to redeem himself for this act by burying the knight in an attempt to give him a respectful end. The White Knight then returns home to his castle outside the woods, his return trip is a much more vulnerable one. The protagonist finds the return trip more vulnerable because he is no longer protected by his armor nor is he still seeing a harsh line between good and evil and now sees the world as it truly is. He finds his return trip much easier because he is no longer distracted by villages and does not have to go off looking for an unattainable goal. His goal has changed to something much more attainable, instead of vanquishing evil it is now upholding the ideas of good. The return to the castle is the moment he begins to wear a multicolour robe which symbolises that he is not purely good nor purely evil but is a mixture of the two. His robe also shows that his ideas and views of the world are in a constant flux, changing as easily as a kaleidoscope. The White Knight’s new garment declares that he is comfortable with who he is and his place in the world; he has now stopped looking “for more than he can see” (par.14). After the protagonist’s return