Final Paper for Studies in Medieval Literature
Studies in Medieval Literature was a class focused on the legend of King Arthur. My final paper was on The Once and Future King. This paper is titled: An Analysis of Arthur’s Sojourns with the Ant and Geese Populations.
The legend of King Arthur has historically focused on the course of events leading up to his death. Sir Thomas Malory first introduced a brief origin story of King Arthur by writing about a young Arthur removing a sword in a stone, the inscription on the stone explaining that whomever removes the sword is ordained by God to become the next King of England. The rest of Malory’s narrative is devoted to the life and death of King Arthur, not the boy Arthur. T.H. White brought a new narrative to the table with The Sword In The Stone, focusing solely on the boyhood of King Arthur and his education by Merlyn, leading up to the time when he would remove the sword from the stone and become the man he was destined to be, the rightful King of England. White wrote about the boyhood of King Arthur in order to paint a picture for the readers about the boy he was in order to understand the man and King he became. White demonstrates this through Arthur’s animal sojourns, namely in time spent with the ants and geese, to learn how such animal communities (or nations) are run in preparation for when he would pull the sword from the stone and become the King of England. The whole of the story is to not only prepare and teach Arthur how to be a King, but how he can be good one.
Initially, Merlyn is hesitant to turn Arthur into an ant. Upon Arthur’s insistence, Merlyn calls the ants “dangerous” and “belligerent” (White 121). Merlyn eventually gives in to Arthur’s begging to become an ant, saying “it is far too soon in your education. But you would have had to do it sometime” (White 122). In both instances of Merlyn’s reluctance to turn Arthur into an ant, there is implied anxiety about what will happen once Arthur becomes an ant. It begs the question in the reader’s mind, what makes the ants so dangerous? However, when Merlyn says he will have to become an ant eventually, he suggests there is an important lesson to be learned from the ants, be it a dangerous one. While Arthur may be a bit young to fully understand, it is never too early to learn. So Merlyn turns Arthur into an ant, despite the aforementioned danger.
The first thing Arthur sees upon becoming an ant is a giant fortress and a sign that reads “EVERYTHING NOT FORBIDDEN IS COMPULSORY” (White 122). Arthur does not understand this sign at first, but the bold-faced font and big words leave a negative impression on him. Before he enters the tunnel he remarks, “For some reason the notice gave him a reluctance to go, making the rough tunnel look sinister” (White 122). With the usage of words such as “forbidden,” “rough,” and “sinister” the reader is left feeling uneasy about what is about to happen next (White 122). It paints a negative picture about the ants in the reader’s mind. Immediately after Arthur sees the sign, he hears a voice in his head giving orders and directions, “It was a fruity voice, but it seemed to be somehow impersonal—as if its charm were an accomplishment that had been practiced, like a circus trick. It was dead” (White 123). Throughout the time Arthur spends as an ant, the voice is omnipresent, constantly giving orders to all ants but not calling them by names, but by numbers. All of the ants can hear the same voice, giving the same orders, because all of the ants are connected—even Arthur. There is unquestionable unity among the ants, but to the point of extremity.
The ants operate like an army, but an army heavily dictated by a tyrant. Arthur hears the mantra, “Hail, Barbarus!” twice and realizes it is done out of respect for the king of the ants who dictates them so. The statement echoes the famous mantra of German Nazi’s proclaiming, “Hail, Hitler!” throughout World War II. White’s descriptions of the ants and how they operate makes it clear he is drawing from events during World War II in order to describe the nation of the ants and the oppressive way in which the ant king runs his kingdom. “The ambitious founder of a New Order would invade a nest . . . and jump on the back of the older tyrant. There, concealed by the smell of her host, she would slowly saw off the latter’s head, until she herself had achieved the right of leadership” (White 127). Here we see the violent way in which ants attain power. For an ant to gain power, the only way is to kill the current ruler, and so on and so forth. There is no peaceful negotiations—power is simply attained through war. The way in which the ants go to war is described in a list of grievances, including the following, “We must attack them in self-defence. They are attacking us by defending themselves. If we do not attack them today, they will attack us tomorrow” (White 129). Arthur recognizes this is a backwards way of thinking about war and resolving problems. Operating a kingdom like an army leaves no room for individual thought, only that of the greater good, the whole of the ant population, and the constant struggle for power through violence.
The ants “did not treat [Arthur] as a person, and indeed, they were impersonal themselves . . . even his stomach was not his own” (White 127). Here Arthur describes how little of individuality there is for an ant. As an ant, Arthur’s mind and body belonged to the community as a whole, it was not his own. It in fact made him unable to ask questions, like “whether they believed in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness [because] it was dangerous to ask questions at all. A question was a sign of insanity to them. Their life was not questionable: it was dictated” (White 127-128). The very act of asking a question was impossible because a question, in effect, would undermine the very structure of the communist organization to which all of the ants belong. One question has the potential to bring down the whole order, which is why it’s dangerous for Arthur to ask one. Therefore, an ant’s life is unquestionable and left solely in the hands of the dictator. With there being no room for questions, there is no room for individual thought or independence. The ants’ system works but it is not a friendly one, as Arthur learns, and definitely not a system in which Arthur wants to be part of.
Later in the story, Arthur furthers his education by spending time with geese. It’s important to note that the time in which Arthur spends with the geese spans the course of two chapters, rather than one chapter, like the ants. A greater focus on the time Arthur has with the geese suggests White’s emphasis on the importance this animal sojourn is to Arthur’s education and character. In fact, in Arthur’s initial observances of the geese, there is already a stark contrast to the ants. Arthur describes the geese as a “family” that had “comradeship, free discipline, and joie de vivre” which, translated from French means “exuberant enjoyment of life” (White 166). Such description of the geese is the complete opposite of the ants’ description. Here we see pleasure and love, with close familial bonds formed between the geese. While they fly together in a unified fashion, Arthur remarks how “each squadron of them was in different voice, some larking, some triumphant, some in sentiment or glee” (White 167). Again, powerful, positive words are used to describe the geese, this time pointing at each goose’s individuality while still being unified in flight. Each goose has a unique voice and personality, whereas the ants did not.
After the flight ends, Arthur notices the posting of sentries. He questions whether the geese are at war, because they have posted sentries. But Arthur’s definition of war is different from that of the geese, and only what he’s learned growing up and from the ants. The goose named Lyo-lyok sets him straight, “’Of course there are sentries. There are the jer-falcons and the peregrines, aren’t there: the foxes and the ermines and the humans with their nets? These are natural enemies. But what creature could be so low as to go in bands, to murder others of its own blood?’” (White 170). Lyo-lyok describes how they post sentries in self-defense from other threats, not threats from their own kind. For a goose to fight against another goose is considered barbaric. Therefore, the geese do not fight each other, which Arthur notes that the “ants do” (White 170). Unlike the ants, the geese understand the sanctity of life and wish to preserve it at all costs. Lyo-lyok goes on to describe that there are no boundaries or invisible lines dividing the geese to certain plots of land. The world belongs to them. “How can you have boundaries if you fly? Those ants of yours—and the humans too—would have to stop fighting in the end, if they took to the air” (White 170). Here Lyo-lyok says how silly “imaginary lines” are between nations (White 170). There are no organized boundaries for the geese, because their whole kingdom encompasses not only the earth, but the sky as well, where it is impossible to even draw a line. So the goose suggests that without boundaries the ants and humans would have to stop fighting because there would be no land, nothing, to fight over.
In his travels with the geese, Arthur learns not only a lot about the nature of geese, but all birds in general. They come to a “town of birds” where Arthur observes a family dynamic between them very similar to humans (White 175):
"They were in good humour, so cheerful, and cockneyfied and teasing one another. They were like an innumerable crowd of fish-wives on the largest grandstand in the world, breaking out into private disputes, eating out of paper bags, chipping the referee, singing comic songs, admonishing their children and complaining of their husbands" (White 175).
The family dynamic between the geese and all nations of birds allows Arthur to feel like he belongs. He is allowed his individuality and right to his own thoughts and opinions while being part of a unified, unique family of geese traveling the world together. While not all of the geese are blood-related they are still considered a family. Through the geese’s example, Arthur learns that his friends and the people he surrounds himself with can be his family. By becoming a family, the geese form an unbreakable bond. The bond allows them to become connected in such a way that they have profound respect for each other and would do whatever possible to protect each other so that their family may be safe. Of course, with any family, there will be arguments and disagreements, but that does not keep the family from having rules and order in place to not only protect each other, but preserve the kind, loving, and welcoming community they’ve built as a family. Arthur retains the experiences he’s had and the things he’s learned from both the ants and the geese, and will later apply what he’s learned to his own kingdom when he becomes King of England.
Arthur’s sojourns with the ants and geese teach him a lot about the diversity of life. Each nation or kingdom is structured differently with various, important purposes. Ants are so small and simple-minded, they are easily controlled. Geese are able to understand the concept of individuality, which allows them to connect through a familial bond and not one of control. These animal sojourns teach Arthur about how different nations are run. Arthur comes to realize which form of governance he prefers through being a subject of both nations. Clearly he sides with the geese as evidenced by his descriptions of them with “freedom,” “family” and “joie de vivre” and inevitably builds his kingdom on the foundation of these three principles. These experiences were necessary for Arthur to prepare to remove the sword from the stone and become the King of England. For later in his life, Arthur will form a band of brothers with his knights, joining them together around a round table so none will be regarded above the other. The Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur will become a family who rules the kingdom on the basis of freedom, not tyranny.
Works Cited
White, T.H. The Once and Future King. Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 1987.