Otto of the Silver Hand

“Beyond these squalid huts lay the rushing, foaming river, spanned by a high, rude, stone bridge where the road from the castle crossed it, and beyond the river stretched the great, black forest, within whose gloomy depths the savage wild beasts made their lair, and where in winter time the howling wolves coursed their flying prey across the moonlit snow and under the net-work of the black shadows from the naked boughs above.”

Pyle’s flowing language and lengthy sentence structure reflect his romantic use of language to creates a poetic effect, and to this end, he heavily emphasizes the importance of the setting’s imagery. The moon is frequently mentioned in the context of its beauty and its status as a source of light amidst the darkness. Likewise, the river is a connecting force that binds the people of the land together.

“Dong! Dong! The great alarm bell would suddenly ring out from the belfry high up upon the Melchior Tower. Dong! Dong! Till the rooks and daws whirled clamoring and screaming.”

Pyle uses onomatopoeia to describe the sound of the bell in Melchior Tower, conjuring a vision of the moment when it would ring out in announcement of another raid. “Rooks and daws” is a line from Shakespeare’s poem “Spring,” and Shakespeare’s influence on Pyle’s work is clear throughout the story. Both terms indicate different types of crows, and their sudden cacophony is designed to emphasize the height and majesty of the bell tower.

“Upon Baron Conrad’s shoulder leaned the pale, slender, yellow-haired Baroness, the only one in all the world with whom the fierce lord of Drachenhausen softened to gentleness, the only one upon whom his savage brows looked kindly, and to whom his harsh voice softened with love.”

Baron Conrad is initially depicted as a sheer brute on the surface—a man who does not care whom he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. In truth, the Baron’s brutality is tempered by his love for his family, and this personality quirk renders him a multifaceted and highly nuanced character who does not easily fit the rigid boundaries of “good” or “evil.” His son, Otto, is capable of understanding this about his father, and he does not hate Baron Conrad for what he does to others.

“The old woman looked at him for a minute blinking her watery eyes, and then suddenly broke into a shrill, long drawn wail. The Baron needed to hear no more.”

Through descriptions of body language alone, Pyle communicates Ursela’s grief as she wordlessly relays the news of Baroness Matilda’s death to Baron Conrad. While the narrative does not directly state that the Baroness has died, Ursela’s emotional response and the Baron’s reaction make this fact clear.

“I have come from death’s door. But that is no matter. Wilt thou take this little babe into sanctuary? My house is a vile, rough place, and not fit for such as he, and his mother with the blessed saints in heaven.”

Baron Conrad attempts to fulfill his wife’s last wish by sending Otto to live in the monastery so that the boy can be raised in a place of peace and solitude. Baron Conrad does this despite his own grievous injuries, taking it upon himself to make the journey rather than sending one of his men in his stead. Baron Conrad’s character has many strengths, and his willingness to fight for his son is his most notable virtue.

“I swear by all the saints in heaven, either the red cock shall crow over the roof of Trutz-Drachen or else it shall crow over my house! The black dog shall sit on Baron Frederick’s shoulders or else he shall sit on mine!”

In this passage, Baron Conrad blames Baron Frederick for his wife’s death and swears to take revenge against his enemy’s house. The “black dog” that Baron Conrad refers to is a folklore term for the devil. Thus, Pyle implies that Baron Conrad believes he can absolve his grief by killing Baron Frederick. The “red cock” (rooster) likely refers to the possibility of the bloodshed to come.

“Then, by-and-by, I saw the face to which the eyes belonged. First, it shone white and thin like the moon in the daylight ; but it grew brighter and brighter, until it hurt one’s eyes to look at it, as though it had been the blessed sun itself. Angel Gabriel’s hand was as white as silver, and in it he held - green bough with blossoms, like those that grow on the thorn bush.”

Brother John’s vision is deeply religious and also serves to foreshadow the future that Otto will live through. The Angel Gabriel appears to Brother John with a hand that is “white as silver,” and this image serves as a glimpse of the silver hand that Otto will eventually acquire. There is also a strong implication that Otto will come to be seen as a metaphorical angel, widely honored for his ability to bring peace to a land filled with violence.

“It was a pleasant, peaceful life, but by-and-by the end came.”

As in all good things, Otto’s time at the monastery draws to a foreboding close, and Pyle uses this deceptively simple statement to indicate that the next year will be filled with experiences of violence and loss. This development will stand in direct contrast to the life that he has led at the monastery, conflicting with his lifelong values of peace and kindness. The change is a jarring and harrowing experience for Otto.

“Up the steep, stony path they rode to the drawbridge and the great gaping gateway of Drachenhausen, where wall and tower and battlement looked darker and more forbidding than ever in the gray twilight of the coming night. Little Otto looked up with great, wondering, awestruck eyes at this grim new home of his.”

Compared to the sanctuary and natural beauty of the monastery, the “grim new home” of the castle sports forbidding concrete walls and overlooks the pitifully laboring serfs who live below. Otto has never known suffering or seen the outside world, and his sense of a coming “darkness” signifies the violence, loss, and near-death that he will soon experience. Pyle uses alliteration to describe the “great gaping gateway,” and the fact that the characters arrive at night symbolizes Otto’s unwilling transition from a world that celebrates the enlightenment of knowledge to one that embraces the dark ignorance of brutality.

“Once he wandered down a long, dark passageway below the hall, pushed open a narrow, iron-bound oaken door, and found himself all at once in a strange new land; the gray light, coming in through a range of tall, narrow windows, fell upon a row of silent, motionless figures carven in stone, knights and ladies in strange armor and dress; each lying upon his or her stony couch with clasped hands, and gazing with fixed, motionless, stony eyeballs up into the gloomy, vaulted arch above them. There lay, in a cold, silent row, all of the Vuelphs who had died since the ancient castle had been built.”

Otto’s discovery of the chapel is symbolic of his burden, and his troubled thoughts reflect The Tension between Family Legacy and Personal Ethics that is lately growing in his mind. Otto is unaware of what is to come, but when he is exposed to the deaths of all those who came before him, this scene becomes an ominous sign that he too is at risk of the same violent end.

“Otto listened with eyes that grew wider and wider, though not all with wonder; he no longer lay upon the bear skin, but sat up with his hands clasped.”

As Otto hears of his father’s pillaging and his murder of Baron Frederick, who begged for mercy, this dark revelation drastically alters the boy’s perception of the world. Until now, he had never known how brutal people could be, and when he learns this harsh lesson about his own father’s actions, he must struggle to come to terms with the contradictory aspects of his father’s nature. Ultimately, Otto continues to love and respect his father regardless of the man’s crimes, and this act demonstrates Otto’s commitment to Choosing Love over Violence.

“It was with nearly a hundred armed men clattering behind him that Baron Conrad rode away to court to answer the imperial summons. The castle was stripped of its fighting men, and only eight remained behind to guard the great stone fortress and the little simple-witted boy.

It was a sad mistake.”

Baron Conrad makes a fatal mistake when he takes his entire army out of the castle for several days in a row, leaving his home vulnerable to attack. This fateful decision foreshadows the moment in which Baron Henry and his men infiltrate the castle and capture Otto, the only person left for whom Baron Conrad has any affection.

“All around the court-yard the flames roared and snapped and crackled. Four or five figures lay scattered here and there, silent in all the glare and uproar. The heat was so in-tense that they were soon forced back into the shelter of the great gateway, where the women captives, under the guard of three or four of the Trutz-Drachen men, were crowded together in dumb, bewildered terror.”

Contrary to common belief, children’s novels (especially classic children’s novels) do not always shy away from including realistic depictions of violence and brutality. With passages like this one, Pyle aimed to write a story that was entertaining and provocative but also grimly realistic, and for this reason, he did not hesitate to include scenes of violence against women or moments depicting violent death and wanton destruction.

“Two days later a very stout little one-eyed man, clad in a leathern jerkin and wearing a round leathern cap upon his head, came toiling up the path to the postern door of Trutz-Drachen, his back bowed under the burthen of a great peddler’s pack. It was our old friend the one-eyed Hans.”

Before stating the character’s name, Pyle provides a detailed description of one-eyed Hans, creating a sense of suspense. He also briefly employs a first-person plural mode of address to refer directly to his readers; when he calls Hans “our old friend,” he lends the narrative a “storytelling” tone, invoking the impression that he, as the narrator, is sitting in a room filled with avid listeners and inviting his audience directly into the work itself.

“It is a vile, dirty place to thrust one’s self, but I am in for it now, and must make the best of a lame horse.”

In this passage, an old-fashioned idiom is used to express Hans’ optimism and resolve to complete his task of saving Otto, no matter the cost to himself. Hans is the most loyal of Baron Conrad’s men and will do anything to honor that allegiance, including climbing through a soot-filled chimney and risking his life by sneaking into the enemy castle.

“The silence of night had fallen over the Castle of Trutz-Drachen; not a sound was heard but the squeaking of mice scurrying behind the wainscoting, the dull dripping of moisture from the eaves, or the sighing of the night wind around the gables and through the naked windows of the castle.”

Pyle uses auditory descriptions to create a vivid picture of the nightly sounds of the castle, and his creative approach to world-building also invokes the strong contrast between the current silence and the imminent clamor of Baron Henry’s attack. By creating a sense of the proverbial “calm before the storm,” Pyle weaves an eerie, foreboding mood into the narrative.

“And therewith he broke down, and his whole body shook with fierce, dry sobs; for men in those days did not seek to hide their grief as they do now, but were fierce and strong in the expression of that as of all else.”

In this passage, Pyle injects a direct critique of society’s evolving concept of which traits constitute “masculinity,” and his words make it clear that he abhors the current necessity for men to “hide their grief.” Throughout human history, ideas of masculinity have shifted and evolved and taken on various meanings based largely on the values of the time period. Unlike the toxic masculinity that is prominent today, men in the Middle Ages were not ridiculed for shedding tears; instead, such a display was a strong expression of grief, loyalty, and anger for those loved and lost.

“See now what comes of being merciful; here, by hook or by crook, the fellow has loosed himself from his bonds, and brings the whole castle about our ears like a nest of wasps.”

Hans attempts to respect Otto’s values by deciding not to slay the sentry who leads him to the prison cell. He knows that Otto is opposed killing and he chooses to honor that version of morality. However, in this moment, he looks back on this attempt as a waste and a failure because the sentry naturally goes looking for help. By employing a simile to compare the swarming soldiers to vicious wasps, Pyle invokes the chaotic sound and the hive-like mentality of the attackers’ actions.

“The early springtide sun shot its rays of misty, yellow light across the rolling tops of the forest trees where the little birds were singing in the glory of the May morning. But Baron Henry and his followers thought nothing of the beauty of the peaceful day, and heard nothing of the multitudinous sound of the singing birds.”

Alliteration and strong adjectives are used here to emphasize the beauty of the day and create potent imagery. In doing so, the author makes it clear just how hurried and frantic the men are as they race down the path toward the enemies that they pursue. While the world around them is virtually brimming with beauty, all they can think of is the prospect of catching their quarry.

“A little rise of ground lay before them, and as they climbed it, all, excepting the baron, turned their heads as with one accord and looked behind them. Then more than one heart failed, for through the leaves of the trees below, they caught the glint of armor of those who followed not more than a mile away.”

Tension rises in this passage as Baron Henry and his men catch up to Baron Conrad, who is carrying Otto to the monastery. The men are close behind, and Baron Conrad now faces the difficult position of having to sacrifice himself to save his son. He does this willingly and bravely, knowing that it is the right thing to do in order to atone for his past misdeeds.

“Baron Conrad whirled his sword in the air, as he saw the other coming like a thunderbolt upon him; he leaped aside, and the lance passed close to him. As it passed he struck, and the iron point flew from the shaft of the spear at the blow, and fell clattering upon the stone roadway of the bridge.”

The battle between the two Barons is a culmination of many events and long-held grudges. The scene serves as the story’s climax and is narrated in a fast barrage of blow-by-blow descriptions. This moment-to-moment effect creates a sense of excitement and tension as the battle reaches its height.

“‘The dragon! the dragon!’ roared Baron Conrad, in a voice of thunder, and with the energy of despair he dragged his prostrate foe toward the open side of the bridge.”

Baron Conrad believes that by defending his house and his son, he is reconciling The Tension between Family Legacy and Personal Ethics and honoring Castle Drachenhausen’s name and reputation. Despite being near death, the baron finds the strength to take his enemy down with him, demonstrating his determination to defend what he loves.

“But he himself never drew sword or struck a blow, for the right hand that hung at his side was of pure silver, and the hard, cold fingers never closed. Folks called him ‘Otto of the Silver Hand,’ but perhaps there was another reason than that for the name that had been given him.”

Otto’s silver hand is given to him in order to replace the one he lost. While it technically renders him unable to engage in battle, it also symbolizes Otto’s moralistic framework. Ultimately, Otto’s decision to focus on Choosing Love over Violence is the central factor that prevents him from engaging in battle, and the silver hand is a symbol of his refusal to do so.