So, you may have noticed that Mary Stewart opens The Crystal Cave with a memory that doesn't actually belong to Merlin, the main character—it comes from Merlin's parents. That's a chancy move for Stewart to make, but what it shows us is that memory is a central issue in the book.
And this book shows no mercy in the memory department. In fact, Merlin readily admits he's not totally sure he's got his facts straight. Maybe he's mixing up characters' traits, or maybe he's got the details wrong. Who knows for sure? The question then arises: how important is a reliable narrator in a work of fiction about legendary characters?
Sorry to tell you, Shmoopers, but we don't have an easy answer—but that's one thing that makes this a fun read. Stewart plays with memory constantly: there's Merlin with his aging brain, but there's also the repetition of folklore within the story, not to mention the stories of cultures past that help Merlin renovate Stonehenge. The past, it turns out, is crucial to the birth of Arthur, the once and future king. But it's up to us to figure out how.
Questions About Memory and the Past
- Why do you think Stewart structures the whole book as a memory coming from the aging Merlin?
- How does Merlin's unreliability as a narrator affect your understanding of the story?
- How do stories, poems, and legends from the past help Merlin in his mission?
- Why is Merlin so confident that he can move the stones of Stonehenge without magic?
Chew on This
Merlin relies more on the memories of past cultures than on magic to complete his greatest tasks.
Merlin uses gaps in his memory to remind us that truth is not necessarily objective. We can get meaning even from an unreliable narrator.