Crutch

An image of a crutch used during the Vistorian Era.

• During the Victorian period, walking canes were commonly used as fashionable accessories for gentlemen, but when associated with disability, they often signified physical frailty, old age, or even moral failing, which reflected broader societal stigmas towards disability at the time.
• The Victorian Stigma with Prince Dolor using the cane, reinforces how disability is viewed during this era – that disability is something that separates individuals from “normal” society – his need for a crutch represents his perceived helplessness in a world that values physical ability. However, unlike the negative connotations often associated with walking aids in Victorian Lit, Dolor’s crutch is simply a part of his life. Though he dreams of moving freely, his ultimate success is not in overcoming his disability, but in embracing his role as a wise and just ruler.