The Door in the Wall

The Door in the Wall Literary Elements

Genre

Children's fiction, historical fiction

Setting and Context

England in the Middle Ages

Narrator and Point of View

Third-person narrator; Robin's point of view

Tone and Mood

Mostly cheerful, and foreboding at some dramatic points of the story

Protagonist and Antagonist

Robin is the protagonist; the attacking Welsh soldiers are the antagonists

Major Conflict

Robin's disabled legs and how he deals with this ailment; the battle against the invading Welsh army on Sir Peter's castle

Climax

Robin is rewarded with a crown of jewels by the King on the Feast of Christmas

Foreshadowing

Robin sees the ruffians eyeing Brother Luke's money pouch at the inn before they even start plotting to rob them.

Understatement

Robin says the climb up and down the riverbanks will be difficult but this understates the task, which involves pulling himself up with his crutches on his back as well as swimming through cold water.

Allusions

When Robin starts his studies at the monastery, there are allusions to ancient history, such as the stories of the crusaders and Greece and Rome.

Imagery

See separate Imagery section of this ClassicNote.

Paradox

N/A.

Parallelism

The King observes parallelism between Robin's bravery and the gallantry of his father, his most trusted Knight.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

The castle is referred to as "under siege." Here, "the castle" represents Sir Peter and all of the people unable to leave for fear of attack. This is an example of metonymy.

Personification

The fire that John makes is described as "cheerful."

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