106 pages down, 292 to go ...
Jul. 25th, 2004 05:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedibuttercupYou know, there's a lot of stuff going on in this book that I'd completely forgotten over the years. The four or five times I read the trilogy through - before I knew it wasn't meant to be a trilogy, but one complete novel - all took place back in elementary, junior high, and high school. Then I watched the movies. While they are very good, and hit all of the main thematic elements, they do abbreviate or avoid a great many plot elements.
For instance, I had completely forgotten about the existence of Folco Boffin and Fredegar Bolger, or the fact that until his twenty-first birthday Frodo lived amongst his mother's extended family at Brandy Hall. Merry wasn't born until he was fourteen, and Pippin was only a swelling in his mother's stomach when Frodo left for Hobbiton, but Frodo certainly would have been acquainted with the cousins' Brandybuck father and mother, respectively. I haven't searched in the index to see how Folco and Fatty were related to him, but really, it's an interesting side-note; from the movies, you'd imagine Bilbo'd been raising him all along. The movies also completely leave out the fact that when Frodo left on his Quest, he'd already sold Bag End to the Sackville-Bagginses and was going to live at the Brandy Hall guest-house he'd bought in Crickhollow.
Also, you'd never guess from the movie that Frodo is 50 years old at the time of his Quest, Sam 38, Merry 36, and Pippin only 28. They all look like they're barely more than children, certainly no more than college-age. Merry says at one point that he remembers accidentally seeing Bilbo take off the Ring when he was just in his teens; it's true, he would have been 19 at the time of Bilbo's departure, but I seriously doubt that Pippin much remembers Bilbo at all. Pippin would have only been 11 when the Bagginses had their 111th/33rd birthday party blow-out. He certainly wasn't stealing great fire-crackers from Gandalf's waggon with his Brandybuck cousin. And that's another thing; barely any time passes in the movie between Bilbo's exit and Frodo's, while 17 years separate the two events in the book. I know, artistic license, but it's still something to remember. I pity the people taking the class who only know Tolkien from the movies; it'll be hard for them to keep all of the details straight.
The characterization of Pippin and Merry at the beginning is also vastly different between the two media. They're happy-go-lucky loons in the movie, but in the book it's Frodo who was once the mushroom-thief on Farmer Maggot's land, and Pippin and Merry the careful orchestrators of a conspiracy. They'd been watching Frodo for months, since Gandalf's appearance in the Spring, and already had ponies and supplies ready for a journey at the house in Crickhollow when Frodo got that far. Frodo and Sam aren't alone on the walk across the Shire, either; Pippin goes with them, and Merry has hot baths and a plan waiting at the other end.
That's not to mention the role of the Elves - they don't just pass in the night during that early perambulation, the walking party actually spends an evening with them sharing food, drink, news and advice. One of my favorite lines is in that section: 'Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.'
*grin* The primary thing that made me sit down to type up these early reflections on differences, though, is the two-paragraph description of Frodo's dream at the end of Chapter Five. It is casually revealed to the reader that Frodo has been dreaming of the Sea all his life, though he's never been to see it in person, and on the night before his journey he dreams of it again. Here's a pair of sentences from the middle of it:
Looking up he saw before him a tall white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire came over him to climb the tower and see the Sea.
Foreshadowing, much? Like the Elves, Frodo has always been pulled to the West; like the Elves, his destiny is to one day set sail over the Sea for the Undying Lands. The prof mentioned in class last week that Tolkien dropped little hints throughout the book that while the Ring has its own intelligence at work, always tempting its current bearer to use it, to carry it toward its master, or to lose it that it might find a new bearer, there is another power also at work. Gandalf mentions it most explicitly on page 54, but there are hints in other places as well, that it was what led Gandalf to accidentally run into Thorin Oakenshield in the pub in Bree before "The Hobbit" ever began, that directed Bilbo to find the Ring when it slipped from Gollum's finger instead of an orc, and brought the Ring at last into Frodo's possession. This passage is another clue along that trail; this is Frodo's destiny, for if the Ring had not come to him, he never would have been allowed to take ship from the Grey Havens at the end. Ordinary mortals are not allowed to sail into the far West, as the Numenoreans once discovered to their great peril.
Mmm. Much to think on. I wonder if I should use that destiny thread for my essay topic? I was considering holding forth on the role of fathers in the story, as most of the main characters have either (a) lost theirs, (b) do not enjoy their father's favor, or (c) like Boromir, turn out ill in part because they did enjoy their father's favor. (Yes, Sean Bean was yummy in the role, but do not apologize for the character to me; Boromir is a tragic figure, and the manner of his death made up for much, but I have never particularly liked him). Since Tolkien himself lost his father at a very young age, I was curious about the influence that had on his characters' histories.
Anyway. Time to put dinner in the oven, I think, and dive back in to Chapter Six. Good thing my head's cleared up a little more, I don't think I could handle cooking otherwise, but skipping more than one meal would be even worse for me than trying to eat while the migraine played havoc with my stomach. I don't deal well with low blood-sugar.
For instance, I had completely forgotten about the existence of Folco Boffin and Fredegar Bolger, or the fact that until his twenty-first birthday Frodo lived amongst his mother's extended family at Brandy Hall. Merry wasn't born until he was fourteen, and Pippin was only a swelling in his mother's stomach when Frodo left for Hobbiton, but Frodo certainly would have been acquainted with the cousins' Brandybuck father and mother, respectively. I haven't searched in the index to see how Folco and Fatty were related to him, but really, it's an interesting side-note; from the movies, you'd imagine Bilbo'd been raising him all along. The movies also completely leave out the fact that when Frodo left on his Quest, he'd already sold Bag End to the Sackville-Bagginses and was going to live at the Brandy Hall guest-house he'd bought in Crickhollow.
Also, you'd never guess from the movie that Frodo is 50 years old at the time of his Quest, Sam 38, Merry 36, and Pippin only 28. They all look like they're barely more than children, certainly no more than college-age. Merry says at one point that he remembers accidentally seeing Bilbo take off the Ring when he was just in his teens; it's true, he would have been 19 at the time of Bilbo's departure, but I seriously doubt that Pippin much remembers Bilbo at all. Pippin would have only been 11 when the Bagginses had their 111th/33rd birthday party blow-out. He certainly wasn't stealing great fire-crackers from Gandalf's waggon with his Brandybuck cousin. And that's another thing; barely any time passes in the movie between Bilbo's exit and Frodo's, while 17 years separate the two events in the book. I know, artistic license, but it's still something to remember. I pity the people taking the class who only know Tolkien from the movies; it'll be hard for them to keep all of the details straight.
The characterization of Pippin and Merry at the beginning is also vastly different between the two media. They're happy-go-lucky loons in the movie, but in the book it's Frodo who was once the mushroom-thief on Farmer Maggot's land, and Pippin and Merry the careful orchestrators of a conspiracy. They'd been watching Frodo for months, since Gandalf's appearance in the Spring, and already had ponies and supplies ready for a journey at the house in Crickhollow when Frodo got that far. Frodo and Sam aren't alone on the walk across the Shire, either; Pippin goes with them, and Merry has hot baths and a plan waiting at the other end.
That's not to mention the role of the Elves - they don't just pass in the night during that early perambulation, the walking party actually spends an evening with them sharing food, drink, news and advice. One of my favorite lines is in that section: 'Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.'
*grin* The primary thing that made me sit down to type up these early reflections on differences, though, is the two-paragraph description of Frodo's dream at the end of Chapter Five. It is casually revealed to the reader that Frodo has been dreaming of the Sea all his life, though he's never been to see it in person, and on the night before his journey he dreams of it again. Here's a pair of sentences from the middle of it:
Looking up he saw before him a tall white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire came over him to climb the tower and see the Sea.
Foreshadowing, much? Like the Elves, Frodo has always been pulled to the West; like the Elves, his destiny is to one day set sail over the Sea for the Undying Lands. The prof mentioned in class last week that Tolkien dropped little hints throughout the book that while the Ring has its own intelligence at work, always tempting its current bearer to use it, to carry it toward its master, or to lose it that it might find a new bearer, there is another power also at work. Gandalf mentions it most explicitly on page 54, but there are hints in other places as well, that it was what led Gandalf to accidentally run into Thorin Oakenshield in the pub in Bree before "The Hobbit" ever began, that directed Bilbo to find the Ring when it slipped from Gollum's finger instead of an orc, and brought the Ring at last into Frodo's possession. This passage is another clue along that trail; this is Frodo's destiny, for if the Ring had not come to him, he never would have been allowed to take ship from the Grey Havens at the end. Ordinary mortals are not allowed to sail into the far West, as the Numenoreans once discovered to their great peril.
Mmm. Much to think on. I wonder if I should use that destiny thread for my essay topic? I was considering holding forth on the role of fathers in the story, as most of the main characters have either (a) lost theirs, (b) do not enjoy their father's favor, or (c) like Boromir, turn out ill in part because they did enjoy their father's favor. (Yes, Sean Bean was yummy in the role, but do not apologize for the character to me; Boromir is a tragic figure, and the manner of his death made up for much, but I have never particularly liked him). Since Tolkien himself lost his father at a very young age, I was curious about the influence that had on his characters' histories.
Anyway. Time to put dinner in the oven, I think, and dive back in to Chapter Six. Good thing my head's cleared up a little more, I don't think I could handle cooking otherwise, but skipping more than one meal would be even worse for me than trying to eat while the migraine played havoc with my stomach. I don't deal well with low blood-sugar.
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Gandalf's staff
Date: 2004-07-25 10:24 pm (UTC)You have to admit, Pippin is portrayed as having a penchant for mischief in the books. Throwing the stone down the well in Moria and looking into the palantir near the Fords of Isen are just two examples. I think his character is captured in the first chapters, after their brief visit with Gildor. Frodo says he wants to think, and Pippin's reply is "Good heavens! At breakfast?" Circumstances force him to be clever when he's captured by the orcs, but he seems pretty happy-go-lucky by nature. I think that's Tolkien commenting on his relative youth compared to the others.
Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.
That is a great line, and it's nice that Gildor actually has a sense of humor about it!
That's an intriging thread about destiny, though you have to remember what Sam was saying as they were climbing the Endless Stair to the pass of Cirith Ungol. He observes that the great heroes of the past could have turned aside, but kept to the task at hand and are thus remembered. So, Tolkien makes a distinct point about free will when it comes to doing the right thing. Of course, Elrond also says at the Council that if Frodo doesn't find a way, no one will. That's why he would take his seat among Hador, Beren, etc. as one of the greatest elf-friends. It's an fascinating tension between "what will be" and how we choose to get there.
In case you're wondering, I'm a friend of sh1mm3r and happened to see your entry on her Friends Page. Hope you don't mind me commenting! Interesting observations, thanks for sharing.
Re: Gandalf's staff
Date: 2004-07-25 10:51 pm (UTC)I do also agree with what you said about Pippin; I just think it interesting the way they present him and Merry in a rather silly light from the beginning in the movie, and then add the weight of their experiences to them, while Frodo's so serious almost from the start. It's much more of a mix in the novel(s).
I'll probably continue to post my observations over the next few weeks as I re-read the rest of the book(s). It'll help me keep my thoughts organized for the quizzes and the paper. I wouldn't mind you commenting further, if you're interested still. =) I appreciate that someone else got something out of my random musings.