The Outlaw of Torn · Chapter
The Birth of Norman of Torn explained
For three years after Prince Richard's disappearance, a bent old woman raises a young boy in a London attic, teaching him French, swordsmanship, and hatred for the English.
What happens
For three years after Prince Richard's disappearance, a bent old woman raises a young boy in a London attic, teaching him French, swordsmanship, and hatred for the English. When the boy is six, a Frenchman visits and offers her a ruined castle, Castle Torn. They travel to Derby, witnessing a knight's death and a brutal highway robbery, which harden the boy. After purchasing the castle, the old man (revealed as the old woman in disguise) trains the boy, now named Norman of Torn, and instructs him to hide his resemblance to Prince Edward. Norman of Torn is born, destined to terrorize England.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Secrecy
The boy's true identity is hidden; he is raised in disguise, and his resemblance to Prince Edward is concealed to protect the old man's plans.
Revenge and Justice
The old woman's entire purpose is to raise the boy to take revenge on the English, especially the royal house, for past wrongs.
Social Class and Outlawry
The boy witnesses the cruelty of knights and the suffering of the poor, and is taught that only the strong survive, leading to his life as an outlaw.
Characters to notice
- Norman of Torn
A young boy raised in secrecy by a bent old woman, trained in swordsmanship and hatred of the English; later named Norman of Torn.
- De Vac
The bent old woman who raises the boy, later revealed to be a man; orchestrates the boy's education and revenge plot.
- Prince Edward
The boy bears a striking resemblance to Prince Edward, which the old man uses to justify hiding his face.
- Henry III
King Henry III is referenced as the ruler of England, and the old woman teaches the boy to hate the reigning house of England.
- Isaac the Jew
Mentioned as the intermediary for the deposit and deed of Castle Torn.
Key passages
“You will be the greatest swordsman in the world when you are twenty, my son, and then you shall go out and kill many Englishmen.”
The old woman tells the boy that he will become a master swordsman and use his skill to slaughter Englishmen.
This quote encapsulates the old woman's indoctrination of the boy into a life of revenge.
“It is time, my son, that thou learned an answer to such questions as were put to thee yestereve by the pigs of Henry. Thou art fifteen years of age, and thy name be Norman, and so, as this be the ancient castle of Torn, thou mayst answer those whom thou desire to know it that thou art Norman of Torn.”
The old man instructs the boy to identify himself as Norman of Torn, a French gentleman, to conceal his true origins.
This moment marks the formal creation of the identity 'Norman of Torn' and the beginning of his public persona.
“Only he who wields the mightiest sword.”
The old woman tells the boy that happiness belongs only to the strongest warrior.
This quote reinforces the theme of power and violence as the only path to success in this world.