Oftentimes, as readers and consumers, we don’t necessarily consider the choices a writer has their characters make, we take them as a simple fact of the story, that that’s just how things went down. Sometimes we ask why, if we don’t entirely agree with a decision, but this is not often followed up with how things would be altered if the decision made was different or more to our liking. We, as a class, looked into this a bit in The Fellowship of the Ring and I enjoyed this different take on that sort of exercise we did for The Two Towers so I wanted to use my post to further explore what I found from doing this exercise.
I had Ch I, “The Departure of Boromir.” For number one, “What?” I chose the decision by Aragorn and the others to pursue Pippin and Merry instead of following the ring-bearer, Frodo, and Sam. I believe it was influenced, both negatively and positively, by Boromir’s actions. Negatively by him going after Frodo and the ring, prompting Frodo to run off and leave alone. Positively by his attempt to make up for this by trying to protect Pippin and Merry from the Orc attack. This was also positively influenced by the discovery that Frodo did not go alone, Sam was with him. The obvious alternate decision that could have been made is for Aragorn and the others to abandon Pippin and Merry to follow Frodo and Sam instead. It’s a hard choice, but I don’t think I would like Aragorn very much if he’d made this decision, to sacrifice the hobbits currently in peril to go after the ones that were on the path to certain peril, but not yet in peril
For number two, “Why?” I thought that the reason Tolkien had his characters make this decision was to split the paths of the company into three, a foreshadow of further or different splits in the company that would take place later. A nod to the fact they could never really remain together, they all have their own paths to follow for the goal to be reached. It also shows the characters' faith in Frodo for making this decision to leave and their belief he’ll see it through to the end, as well as their desire not to abandon the others to an unknown fate at the hands of the orcs. Heartstrings are definitely pulled by all that occurs for this decision to come to pass; a character we’re just beginning to sympathize with dies, we fear for Frodo and Sam on their path alone, but even more close at hand for Pippin and Merry and what’s going to happen to them if Aragorn and the others don’t get to them in time, and we’re rooting for Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli to be successful in their chase. This also divides the narrative from one into three different ones, so there’s some overlap in the plot and jumping back and forth, adding suspension. For whether or not it was the right decision, I would say it was, as Frodo made his decision based on the effects he observed the ring was having on others, and not wanting to afflict them with it further. He would have probably attempted to separate himself from the others even if they’d come after him. And the choice to follow Frodo would have changed things considerably. Merry and Pippin, though they made it out of their situation of their own accord, probably would have been a bit miffed at simply being abandoned, though they would have understand the others reasoning for it, it still wouldn't have been a fantastic feeling to believe they may be viewed as more expendable. And the help and interaction Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli had with the Rohirrim and Rohan would not have occurred, and these are major, significant pieces of the plotline.
For three, “So What?” the working thesis I came up with is the fates of the fellowship were divided, they had to follow their own paths in order for the ultimate outcome of middle-earth being free of the ring and Sauron to be accomplished as they each played a different, separate role. It’s not that great, I’m still working on it, that’s why it’s a working thesis.
This exercise was really interesting, and we didn’t have much time to really explore it in class, that’s why I wanted to explore it more fully here. Disclaimer, this is not what I came up with in class, especially number three.
This is very interesting. Aragorn's decision is not one I envy at all, and in the long run, it seems to have been the right one. I read somewhere that Tolkien didn't always know the whole stories of his characters while he was reading and had to decide as he went. I wonder whether Tolkien himself grappled with this decision, whether to go after the Ring-bearer or two hobbits in the custody of Isengard. Perhaps some of the struggle he faced in choosing was encapsulated in the final product.
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