The Knight in Rusty Armor

Merlin, famous for his tutelage of King Arthur, becomes the knight’s mentor. He appears in much the same guise as classic depictions of Merlin, fitting the wise man character archetype, with a long beard and a “long white robe” (12). Merlin’s selfless oneness with the flora and fauna around him is shown in his companions: “Animals of the forest were gathered around him, and birds were perched on his shoulders and arms” (12). Merlin’s complete immersion in the community of forest creatures shows his understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and foreshadows that being able to eventually speak to animals is the first sign that the knight is becoming sensitive to others.

As the agent who shows the knight the Path of Truth and the model of compassion and wisdom, Merlin is a relatively static character who does not face any character growth or internal or external conflict throughout the story. Merlin’s character exists primarily to aid the knight in his journey toward self-discovery. However, this narrative choice is purposeful. One of Merlin’s primary rhetorical strategies is to ask questions rather than provide answers. The knight asks him, “Why do you always answer a question with another question?” (16). Merlin answers, “And why do you always seek the answers to your questions from others?” (16). The knight’s tendency to seek validation from others rather than critically assess himself is one of the internal conflicts he must overcome. Therefore, Merlin’s simple, static character is a purposeful narrative device to allow the knight to find the strength to improve from within himself, rather than the wiser characters around him.

Juliet and Christopher are the knight’s wife and son. They are minor characters, but their relationship with the knight is important for his journey of self-betterment. Their relationship with the knight is strained because of his constant armor, which distances him from them. Christopher laments that he “wish[es] [he] could see Father in person” (2), and when Juliet and Christopher try to talk to the knight, he “shut[s] it out either by closing his visor or by abruptly going to sleep” (3). The knight uses the armor to physically and emotionally separate himself from his family. Though he doesn’t realize it, much of the knight’s early conflict centers around his disregard for Juliet and Christopher’s feelings. Even after Juliet gives him an ultimatum about taking off his armor, he doesn’t agree because he knows he owes it to them to be his best self, but because he “feared that” they would replace him with someone willing to do the self-work he wasn’t.

One of the knight’s accomplishments over the course of the novel is his learning to see his relationship with Juliet and Christopher through their perspectives. He loses his first piece of armor when Christopher sends him a blank letter because he “does not know enough about [the knight] to give [him] an answer” about whether he wants him in his life (21). Seeing Christopher’s perspective through the blank letter leads him to shed his first tears, which rust away his visor. Later, he experiences Juliet’s perspective when he is forced into silence in the first castle. He realizes he’d caused her “pain and loneliness” and “forced her to live in a castle of silence” (39). This shift in perspective causes him to shed the tears that rust the rest of his helmet. Thus, though Juliet and Christopher are only physically present in Chapter 1, the knight’s increasing realizations about how his actions affect them guide him on his journey, making them a catalyst for his journey of change and growth.