The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

First published: 1949; illustrated

Type of work: Historical fiction

Themes: Coming-of-age, family, and health and illness

Time of work: The fourteenth century, during the reign of Edward III

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: London and Shropshire, England

Principal Characters:

• Robin, the ten-year-old son of a noble, who is crippled by an unknown disease
• Brother Luke, a monk from St. Mark’s, who nurses and teaches Robin
• Sir John De Bureford, Robin’s father, who is away fighting the Scots
• Lady Maud, Robin’s mother, who serves the queen as a lady-in-waiting
• Sir Peter De Lindsay, the noble whom Robin serves as a page
• John-Go-in-the-Wynd, the minstrel who guides Robin to Lindsay

The Story

The Door in the Wall opens with the parents of the protagonist, Robin, having left to serve the king and queen. The servant caring for Robin has been taken by the plague, which is epidemic in London. Robin, ill, paralyzed, and alone, agonizes about the crippling illness which has stricken him following his parents’ departure. His main concern is that he will no longer be loved or accepted because of his inability to fulfill the roles and duties expected of the son of a nobleman in medieval times. He is rescued and nursed to health by Brother Luke, a Benedictine friar, who helps him restore his physical strength through swimming and who makes him a part of the active life of the monastery. The monastery is a busy hospice in which everyone is active. As soon as he is able, Robin is expected to enter into the life of the monastery. He finds that with something interesting to do and think about, the days pass quickly. During the six months he lives at the monastery, Robin learns reading, writing, history, music, gardening, handicrafts, and, of most importance, patience.

Upon directions received in a letter from Sir John, Robin’s father, Brother Luke and John-go-in-the-Wynd take Robin to Sir Peter’s castle in Lindsay. During the one-hundred-mile journey to this castle village in Shropshire, Robin has many adventures. He sleeps outdoors for the first time in his life, escapes from thieves, visits a country fair, and spends the night in a woodman’s cottage. Through Robin’s experiences on the journey, author Marguerite de Angeli is able to portray the life of the common people in contrast to that of the nobility. When Robin expresses concern that he will make a poor page, Sir Peter assures him that there are many ways to serve others and that each person has a rightful place in the world. Robin is taken into the life of the castle, learning many of the skills of a page and continuing his studies in music.

Shortly after John-go-in-the-Wynd leaves to visit his mother in a nearby village, the castle is besieged by the Welsh. When Robin finds that the food is dwindling and the well failing, he volunteers to go to John to enlist help, realizing that his crippled legs are an advantage in getting him through the Welsh lines without raising suspicion. After dressing in the clothes of a poor peasant and receiving a blessing from Brother Luke, Robin leaves the castle under the cover of fog. Following a dangerous descent down a cliff, he reaches the river, which he is able to cross because of all the practice he has had swimming. Although stopped by the Welsh, he is mistaken for a shepherd boy who has fallen in the river. Warmed by the enemy’s fire, he is sent on his way. John, learning of the danger to Lindsay, secures aid from a neighboring nobleman. He and Robin return in secret to Lindsay and wait in the church tower while the Welsh are routed and the castle is saved.

The story ends jubilantly on Christmas Eve. Robin’s mother and father come to the castle in the king’s company. They embrace their son, ignoring his crutches and crooked legs. Robin is reassured by his parents that his courage and spirit more than compensate for his crippled physical condition. The reader has the sense that the family is permanently reunited. Robin is knighted by the king for his courageous deeds, establishing his place in society.

Context

Marguerite de Angeli has written many pleasant stories about interesting people, usually featuring the children of the diverse ethnic groups and nationalities near her home in Pennsylvania. The Door in the Wall, her first book requiring research abroad, received the Newbery Medal in 1950. The book is consistent with her other works in that warmth and love flow throughout the story but differs in that the main character is removed from contemporary times. Although other de Angeli stories show characters overcoming personal problems, The Door in the Wall has the added dimension of a character overcoming a physical handicap.

In The Door in the Wall, de Angeli gives a sense of a specific time and place. The language, descriptions, and illustrations clearly portray fourteenth century England, a setting which is particularly intriguing to children with its castles, knights, and ladies. The style of writing captures the rhythm and flow of Middle English, especially in the dialogue where de Angeli has chosen to use “thee,” “thou,” and “thy” in place of modern personal pronouns. De Angeli’s black-and-white drawings contribute greatly to the portrayal of the setting, providing the reader with a visual representation that expands the picture she has created with words.

The Door in the Wall is one of the few works of historical fiction accessible to younger readers that accurately portrays the medieval period. As a work of historical fiction, the book contributes to an understanding of a different time and place. In addition, the reader is led to understand that some values such as the constancy of parental love and the courage of the human spirit transcend time and place.