self as a Christian Everyman contains a promise to remember and acknowledge a propensity to error originating within him” (270). Gawain arrives at the knowl- edge of truth and becomes a better version of himself through self-realization— he becomes a human hero. Even though the great romance hero places himself in demanding positions and submits to strange tests, Markman points out, “[T]he urgent concern of Gawain is to show us something in ourselves, to show us our human capability for right and good action, and, in some measure, what it means to be alive in the world” (586). The Green Knight represents nature; he does not carry the traditional assortment of medieval knights’ weapons—just an axe in one hand, a symbol of mortality, and a branch of green holly in the other, a symbol of morality, growth, renewal, and redemption. Gawain’s experiences with the Green Knight help him to better understand his connection to nature. The green silk girdle, at one time Gawain’s self-purported symbol of his cowardice and excessive love of mortal life, transforms in meaning to become a symbol of courage, honor, and survival, reinforcing Gawain’s humility, allowing him to add the distinction of human hero to his esteemed rank of romance hero. Sir Gawain is a champion for human - kind—a man who is composed and ready to do what is necessary in the face of intimidation; a man who makes mistakes, recognizes his mistakes, learns from them, and moves forward; a man who gets back up mentally, spiritually, and emotionally after falling and failing; and, most of all, he is a man who does not let fear dictate his destiny. --- Works Cited --- Anderson, J. J. “The Three Judgments and the Ethos of Chivalry in ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.’” The Chaucer Review , vol. 24, no. 4, 1990, pp. 337–55. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25094140. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023. Hollis, Stephanie J. “The Pentangle Knight: ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.’” The Chaucer Review , vol. 15, no. 3, 1981, pp. 267–281. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25093761, Accessed 21 Apr. 2023.
Markman, Alan M. “The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” PMLA , vol. 72, no. 4, Sept. 1957, pp. 574–586. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/460169, Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
Paris, William A. “‘Heroic Struggle’: A Medieval and Modern Dilemma.” Journal of Religion and Health , vol. 27, no. 2, 1988, pp. 143–153. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27505966, Accessed 21 Apr. 2023. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Concise Edition , edited by Joseph Black, et al., 3rd ed., vol. A, Broadview Press, Tonawanda, NY, 2017, pp. 226-292.
Smithers, G. V. “What ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ Is About.” Medium Aevum, vol. 32, no. 3, 1963, pp. 171–189. JSTOR , https://www.jstor.org/stable/43631179. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
Woods, William F. “Nature and the Inner Man in ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.’” The Chaucer Review , vol. 36, no. 3, 2002, pp. 209–227. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25096166. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
65
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator