The Fellowship of the Ring was a necessary group of characters to get Frodo comfortable with the idea that the ring is his to bare. I think that Frodo would not have accepted the ring and the responsibility of destroying it less the Fellowship came with him for the first few days of the journey. additionally, it also highlights the main characters of the story and lets the reader know that these are the characters to focus on.
The end of the first book ends with the disbanding of the fellowship. This seemed a bit odd especially because Boromir dies in the very beginning of the second book. It seems like the death of Boromir should have been the ending of the first book, but Tolkien wanted to make sure that the reader focused in on Sam and Frodo as the focal point of the entire story. This is why Tolkien instead ended the first book with Sam and Frodo departing from the party.
This reminds me of our discussions about the theme of kinship in The Hobbit. Tolkien is able to achieve great character development (for hobbits in particular) by building relationships between different characters. I think this another main reason that Tolkien added in a good section of this story with the fellowship, but knew he needed to disband it in order for Frodo and Sam to experience character development in other ways as well.
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ReplyDeleteI think the Fellowship demonstrates Tolkien's skill at writing a vast variety of noteworthy and memorable characters. Each of the nine members of the Fellowship add something to the table and by the end of the story, the reader understands them all quite well. Characters such as Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf do not always receive the limelight, and even a member of the Fellowship such as Boromir who appears for only half a book (and a chapter) still feels developed.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate Tolkien's tact at making secondary characters relevant to the plot. I think he accomplishes this remarkably well through the characters of Faramir, Theoden, Eowyn, Galadriel, and many many more. Tolkien's books are complemented by a variety of factors, but I think his characters stand nearer the top of that which makes his books enjoyable to read.