Within the novel, "The Once and Future King", a theme that is prevalent is the use of unnecessary warfare which leads to nothing but death and suffering. White goes so far as to make satirical suggestions that knights are more brawn than brains, and that the majority of those involved in war are like the ants that Arthur dealt with, mindless robots that operate at the whim of the one who rules them. When Arthur …showed first 75 words of 340 total…

…showed last 75 words of 340 total…intellectual strength to see past the differences in culture and ways of life that begin conflicts in the first place, such as the knights who hide in their armor and kill the defenseless. It is at the time when Arthur is an ant that is truly a turning point of the book. He truly understands Merlin's point in that war is senseless and that men at war become robots, and slaves to those with authority.