A Character Analysis Of Merlin In The Hollow Hills By Mary Stewart
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Merlin Character Analysis In the book, The Hollow Hills, by Mary Stewart, there is a character named Merlin. He is the narrator and the legendary enchanter. In this book he displays several positive qualities. Some of these are that he puts others before himself, he is levelheaded, he is an unbiased narrator, and he has many unique abilities. Merlin has spent nearly his entire life helping other people and being a servant, advisor, and prophet to them. This illustrates his quality of putting others before himself. After the battle, he stays in the hospital until late at night, as shown in the quote “I finished work in the sickroom about midnight […]” (p. 382). He is a helper to all. He talks to Morgause right before he banishes her. She…show more content… During attacks and ambushes, he stays calm, at least a little bit, as shown when he says “All of this went through my mind in the space it took Cador to raise a hand to halt the men behind him, and for me to pick up the discarded fishing rod and get to my feet. With some lie already forming on my lips [...]” (p. 343). This passage, from the part where he is ambushed at the chapel by Cador and his men, shows that despite his surprise and anger, he is able to come up with a convincing lie in just a few seconds. This is one way he is levelheaded. After that happened, he says “I had myself under control now [...]” (p. 344), which shows he is able to gain control over himself after only a small amount of time. This contributes to the fact that he is an unbiased narrator. At almost any location in the book, the passage on the pages will be an unbiased string of words. For example, on page 155, he says “There was silence from the next room now.” During a stressful situation, such as when he is ambushed in the Wild Forest, his storytelling remains almost the same, as shown when he says “He meant to send me crashing down the rocky bank, to be broken and stunned on the rocks below [...]” (p. 452). Comparing this quote to the previous one shows little variation in style even during a calm time and a strenuous, intense time. Due to the fact that he can keep his cool and stay calm during stressful times, it helps him to be an unbiased…show more content… Some of these are that he is an enchanter, prophet, and skilled physician. One example of this is when the original hermit at the chapel, Prosper, is dying. The hermit asks for Merlin to carry him to the altar so that he can see the altar one last time. Merlin knows that if he does this, the old man will die in his arms as Merlin carries him to the altar. Merlin uses his magic to bring the altar to the old man. The morning after, he says “[...] gone as lightly as the vision I had made [...] out of shadows [...]” (p. 282). He is able to conjure things like fire, as shown when he encounters the Hill People for the first time on his journey to ultimately find Arthur. After Merlin returns to Britain, he goes to Uther. He talks of many things with Uther, and at one point, Uther says “And did this famous Sight of yours tell you there would be no more?” (p. 195). Uther is asking if Merlin has had any more visions about whether or not he and Ygraine would have more children together. After the battle at Luguvallium, Merlin stays around and treats the wounded and dying in the hospital. He spends a lot of time and care on his patients to ensure they are left in the best condition