The White Knight – Eric Nicol

Genre: Allegory

Point of view: The story is narrated in Third Person.

Setting: The story is based on the concept of medieval role of the knights and takes place in
forest of life.

Character Analysis

Protagonist: White knight: White knight in the story represent good, Champion of virtue,
honour, and justice. In addition, symbolizes ignorance.

Antagonist: Black knight (Who isn’t present physically): Black knight represent evil.

Knight of Gleaming Whiteness: Same as white knight

Conflict

Internal:

i. Man Vs Self: White knight Vs Himself

External:

i. Man Vs Man: White knight Vs Knight of gleaming whiteness

ii. Man Vs Nature: White knight Vs Nature: In pursuit of black knight he spent all his
gold and is compelled to steal and keep himself healthy
iii. Man Vs Society: White knight Vs Society: The society’s stereotypical notions on
good and evil conflict with white knights appearance.

Theme

The story teaches and makes us ponder on ‘self awareness’, whether actions are more important
than appearance. The white knight by appearance that represent champion of virtue, honour, and
justice by the society and himself go in search of black knight to slay it since that is what the
white knight is expected to do. However, in the process, the white knight without realizing
commits the deeds of black knight turning himself into black knight.

The story teaches us that appearance does not matter. It is self-awareness and good actions that
makes one a true White Knight. One doesn’t have to travel and be in high post to do good deeds,
good actions start when we understand and change oneself and start making small positive
differences in our own small ways.

It is ones action that matters not the appearance.

Plot

Climax

Rising Action Falling Action

Exposition Denouement

Exposition

The knight looks into the mirror and sees himself as white knight representing good, champion
of virtue and honour and justice. He then decides to ride into forest and slay the black knights,
who are evil.

Rising Action

He mounts his snow white horse and rides into the forest to find the black knights. He rides
further and deeper day after day but without sighting any black knights. As time passes, he spent
all his gold in pursuit of evil. He is hungry and weak. His horse becomes lame. He commits bad
deeds, which is unexpected of white knight. He steals and replaces his horse. He even sleeps
with innkeeper’s daughter and leaves her later. He doesn’t realizes any of it at this point and
continues his journey.

Climax

One day, a knight in gleaming whiteness confronts him suddenly in the forest. He ends up killing
him. However, before his last breath white knight heard him whisper in anguish: "Is evil then
triumphant?"

Falling Action

Holding the dead knight in his arms, he saw that beside the bright armour of the youth his own,
besmirched by the long quest, looked black in the darkness of the forest.

Denouement

He strips off his own soiled mail, turns his grimy horse free to the forest, and stands naked and
alone in the quiet dusk. He then returns to his castle and starts living a simple life.

Summary

 There lived a knight in a castle on the edge of the forest of life. The knight looked in the
mirror and saw that he was a White Knight.
 Since he was the White Knight, he decides to ride into forest and slay all the Black
Knights, as it was what the White Knights must do.
 He mounted his snow white horse and started his journey. Many miles he rode, day after
day, deeper and further into the forest but without sighting any of Black Knights.
 He found many signs of Black Knights presence but as always, he just missed catching
the doer of those deeds.
  At last, he spent all his gold in pursuit of evil. He becomes hungry and weak. His horse
becomes lame. To keep himself alive he steals and replaces his horse. He even sleeps
with innkeeper’s daughter, leaves her later, and continues his journey when he becomes
strong and healthy.
 He pressed on his search, yet all the knights he met in forest were like him. They were
knights of varying shades of whiteness, depending on how long they, too, had been
hunting the Black Knight.
 One day, a knight in gleaming whiteness confronts him suddenly in the forest. He ends
up killing him. However, before his last breath white knight heard him whisper in
anguish: "Is evil then triumphant?"
 Holding the dead knight in his arms, he saw that beside the bright armour of the youth his
own, besmirched by the long quest, looked black in the darkness of the forest.
 He strips off his own soiled mail, turns his grimy horse free to the forest, and stands
naked and alone in the quiet dusk. He then returns to his castle and starts living a simple
life. Everyone then starts calling him good white knight.

Literary Devices

1. Symbolism

Sl.
Symbols Possible meaning of Symbol
No
1 White Knight Good, ignorant
2 Black Knight Evil
3 Forest of life Civilization
4 Inn Keeper’s daughter People with stereotypical notion
Mirror More than just the appearance it reflects our
5
deeds
6 Shining armour Brave, strong, gallant
Boy who was buried Buried his fallacy of destroying evil would
7
make world better.
Nakedness Self realization, start afresh or newly born
8
again
Knight of gleaming Youth, recklessness
9
whiteness

2. Irony

The White Knight who represent good turns evil himself in pursuit of Black Knight, however, he
later realizes and turns into good white knight.