The Knight in Rusty Armor

The Knight in Rusty Armor is a 1987 novella by playwright and screenwriter Robert Fisher. The novella utilizes the genres of allegory and high fantasy to craft a story about a medieval knight whose fearful nature creates literal walls when he becomes trapped in his armor, underneath which his family cannot see him. With the help of Merlin and two animal sidekicks, the knight undergoes a physical and personal journey toward owning his mistakes, embracing self-knowledge and contemplation, and becoming the good and kind person he always had the potential to be. Through the knight’s story, the narrative explores themes including The Struggle With Personal Fears and Doubts, The Role of Friends and Family in Personal Development, and The Importance of Introspection for Self-Improvement.

This guide refers to the 1990 Melvin Powers Wilshire Book Company paperback.

Plot Summary

A knight begins keeping his armor on for longer periods so that he is always ready for his next quest; soon, he’s wearing his armor all the time. His wife, Juliet, and son, Christopher, begin to forget what he looks like, and he often shuts his visor to block their voices. Juliet gives him an ultimatum: Either he removes his armor, or she and Christopher will leave. Reluctantly, he agrees, only to find he can’t remove it. He visits a smith for help, but the smith can’t remove it either. On the advice of the king’s jester Gladbag, the knight seeks Merlin in the woods.

After months of wandering and growing weaker, the knight finds Merlin, who nurses him back to health with the help of a squirrel named Squirrel and a pigeon named Rebecca. Merlin tries to get the knight to question why he became trapped in armor. When the knight expresses his desire to return home, Merlin asks if Juliet and Christopher will welcome him back in his current state. The knight sends a letter to Christopher to ask. Christopher’s return letter is blank, as he doesn’t know his father well enough to answer.

The knight cries, and Merlin tells him he can embrace his negative attributes or continue up the difficult Path of Truth, past three castles that will teach him what he needs to shed his armor. The knight agrees to ascend the Path of Truth with Squirrel and Rebecca. In the morning, he sees that his earnest tears have rusted away his visor.

The knight passes through the Castle of Silence alone. Inside, he meets the king, who tells him that the next room will appear to him when he has embraced silence. The knight begins to realize that he’s afraid to be alone, yet he forced Juliet to live in silence by shutting her out. With every realization, a new door opens, leading him through the castle. In the final room, he hears the voice of his true self, “Sam.” After he emerges, his entire helmet rusts away. Merlin confirms that the knight will begin to understand “Sam” as he continues onward.

Next, Squirrel and Rebecca go with the knight into the Castle of Knowledge. The knight sees an inscription that encourages him to question why he loves his family. He realizes that though he loves his family, it is because they fulfill his needs. He also realizes that he doesn’t love himself. In one of the rooms, Rebecca finds a mirror that reflects the viewer’s true self. The knight sees the person he has the potential to be and feels discouraged until he realizes that it isn’t too late to be that man. Squirrel takes the knight to an apple tree where he learns the difference between ambition of the mind, which he’d previously had, and ambition of the heart, which is a selfless ambition for improvement. After he leaves this castle, most of his armor has rusted away; only his breastplate is left.

At the Castle of Will and Daring, the knight faces off against the Dragon of Fear and Doubt. Rebecca and Squirrel say that his new self-knowledge can help him get past the dragon. He only has to realize that fear and doubt only exist if he lets them. The knight fails to get past the dragon once and is discouraged, but he tries again and succeeds with the help of Squirrel, Rebecca, and the voice of Sam.

Near the Summit of Truth, the knight is blocked by a large boulder, which he clings to with bloody fingers. An inscription urges him to stop clinging to the known and embrace the unknown: He realizes he’ll have to let go of the rock and fall into the cavern below. Though he’s afraid, he does this. As he falls, he relives and accepts his past. Feeling empowered by his acceptance, he begins to fall upward until he’s atop the Summit of Truth, shining with light and completely free of his armor.