The Once and Future King: Book 4, Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Just as Merlyn foresaw years before, Arthur's attempt to innovate the political system in England has failed. Arthur thinks it is because of the false ideal Merlyn instilled in him—that man is ultimately good. This idea is the opposite of what the bible teaches and exposes Arthur's ultimate humanity.

White's novel is a discordant one: most of the book describes questing, warfare, killing, jousting etc. Yet, it simultaneously preaches pacifism: Arthur's ultimate goal is to stop all forms of violence. He fails in his goal, though, because ultimately man is flawed.

Arthur's mind dwells on the possible reasons for war: inequality, xenophobia etc. Yet having so many different reasons for war suggests that perhaps there is no reason for war, that perhaps the reason men fight is no different than the reason ants fight—because they can.

Sir Thomas of Warwick is in fact Sir Thomas Malory of Warwickshire—the believed author of "Le Morte d'Arthur" on which T.H. White's book is based. By introducing Malory here as a young page, told the story by Arthur himself, White creates a way for Arthur to pass on his ideals even as they die away—through writing, a legacy that will pass down to White's own novel. In this way White subverts the tradition of the Arthurian myth (which has always glorified war and fantasies of English nationalism) to rather be one that argues against both of those ideas and instead focuses on pacifism and a desire to eliminate nationalism.

Throughout his lifetime, Arthur barely thinks about the times he was changed into animals by Merlyn. However here, on his deathbed, Arthur remembers all of the animal friends he had made and what they had taught him. He suddenly understands that if man were able to dismantle all the divisions between nations, there would be no reason for war.

Although Arthur suddenly understands why men commit violence, he will never get to act upon it because he will die this day in battle—he will die in violence. The story ends with him at peace for having realized the answer to the questions he has been asking, and yet failing to put those answers into any sort of practice. The ideal Arthur realizes once again seems to be out of reach of men in the real world, just as the grail was, though there is also a hopeful cast to Arthur's thoughts and to the ending of the book, as if perhaps both Arthur and White hope that their message and ideas might still be taken up at some point in the future.