Kittrick Hayden English 240 September 28, 2007 the Light

The Light Beyond the Forest 1 Kittrick Hayden English 240 September 28, 2007

The Light Beyond the Forest- Outline By: Rosemary Sutcliff

Conflicts-

. Man vs. Man- There are many examples of man vs. man such as when Sir Bors and the Black Knight nearly kill one another in chapter six. Sir Bors’ brother also ends up attacking him after Sir Bor deceives him and saves a maiden over his own brother.

. Man vs. Self- In order to reach the Holy Grail the knights must refuse any temptation which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Maiden and treasure is thrown at the feet of the knights in order to test them and see if they deserve the Grail, this of course is nearly impossible for most of the knights.

Plot Structure-

. Introduction- We are introduced to the Round Table and many of the main characters such as Arthur, Lancelot, and Galahad.

. Rising Action- When all of the knights of the Round Table heard that Arthur was going to go on a search for the Holy Grail they all insisted that they to risk their lives also to go on this quest.

. Climax- The climax occurs when Bors, Percival, and Galahad carry the silver table with the Grail on it through the streets to the Sacred City. Along the way a man who had not walked on his own in ten years helped them carry the table and suddenly the table seemed weightless.

. Falling Action- Clerks recorded down the story of the The Light Beyond the Forest 2 adventures that occurred on the quest.

Organization- The story is organized into 14 chapters each one named from What occurred in that chapter. For example, “Death of a Maiden,” or “Sir Bors Fights for a Lady.” Each chapter is only about 10-15 pages long.

Characters-

King Arthur- King Arthur is a loyal and devoted leader, he treats his knights as if they are his own sons.

Sir Lancelot- Sir Lancelot was King Arthur’s dearest knight, King Arthur believed that he was the knight who could take the sword from the red marble stone. Sir Lancelot was a strong and noble leader however he was by no means considered himself superior to any other knight.

Sir Galahad- Sir Galahad is Sir Lancelot’s son. After the Holy Grail is returned to the sacred city of Sarras, Galahad becomes the King and dies in Lancelot’s arms after he reached his soul desire of the holy grail.

Sir Bors- Bors is challenged in the book when he must choose between saving his brother or a maiden. Bors decides to save the maiden first which angers his brother. He returns to the Round Table as a witness.

Sir Percival- Percival and Sir Bors end up on a ship where Percival’s Sister dies and with her blessing the ship leads them closer to the Holy Grail. Percival also returns to the Round Table as a witness.

Setting- The book takes place in English during King Arthur’s time. I believe this period is sometime between the eighth to thirteenth century, the exact time is not known. The story takes place during medieval times so throughout the story you’ll see many horses, castles, princesses, and of course knights.

The Light Beyond the Forest 3 Narrative Point of View- The point of view would be considered mixed/multiple third person. It’s third person point of view because the narrator is not a character in the story. It’s considered mixed/multiple because the story is told from different characters point of view depending on what chapter it is. You also get to go inside that character’s mind to see and feel what they are thinking/

Style- For the most part the sentence structure is simple and clear. Since the book is suppose to be taking place in the medieval times the language is old and could be considered Victorian. There are some words that the students may not know, familiarizing them with the language would be a good idea before you begin reading the book. Dialogue is especially challenging and difficult to understand.

Symbols-

The Holy Grail- The Holy Grail is an obvious symbol and it symbolizes being able to reject temptation and persuasion, and commit your whole self spiritually.

Colors- In the book two main colors are used- white and red, to symbolize evil and peace. “…he saw a knight whose sword seemed kin for swiftness to the summer lightning, and whose white shield blazed with the blood-red cross it bore.” (Page 52)

Cross- Crosses appear in the book quite often it seems right before something bad happens or after. “Now indeed Percival thought the moment of his death was upon him, and desperately put his hand to his forehead and made the sign of the cross.” (Page 55) “…and as with all knightly swords, it formed a cross.” (Page 61)

Themes-

Good vs. Evil- The main theme of the book is deciphering which characters deserve the Holy Grail, this character as I stated earlier must completely give his whole self spiritually. Deciding to choose between good and evil is difficult in this book since temptations are being thrown at the knights from every direction. The Light Beyond the Forest 4