I've always kind of wondered why Frodo left Middle-earth at the end of The Lord of the Rings. I was expecting that he would want to return to the shire with Sam, Pippen, and Mary. After doing some research I found some interesting points describing why Frodo chose to leave.
First of all, Frodo suffers from both natural and magical "PTSD". There is a sadness in Frodo that he never quite overcomes despite returning to a life in The Shire. His wound from the Morgul blade that he suffered on Weathertop continues to bother him and we can only guess that he is tormented by the thought of failing to release the ring at the last moment on Mt. Doom.
Second, Frodo was the ring bearer for most of the story. Although Sam did bear the ring for a short while, it did not effect him to the same extent that Frodo experienced. It's important to note that the other three hobbits all return to The Shire and embark on strong public and personal journeys. Sam marries, Pippin and Merry become leaders but Frodo is just not the same. He is just not a whole person at ease with his surroundings similar to most veterans of intense wars.
Frodo leaves Middle-Earth because he's in pain and sailing into the West is his chance to reclaim some peace for himself in the blessed lands of Valinor.
I've always found Frodo's decision to leave again a very interesting contrast to the end of Bilbo's journey with the ring in the Hobbit. There's a much stronger feeling of resolution with Bilbo, who does eventually leave again, but not because he feels unsafe and unwell. I think Tolkien does a really good job of separating the journeys of the two hobbits by doing this. Though The Hobbit has its fair share of trials, it shows how much higher the stakes are when battling a foe like Sauron in contrast with Smaug. The fact that Frodo can never return to his home and feel truly home again is a very somber way to end a very somber journey.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the ring permanently changes it's possessor, especially over longer periods of time like Frodo, Bilbo, and Gollum. I think that if given enough time, Frodo and Bilbo also would have been transformed into Gollum-like creatures. Although hobbits are in general pretty hearty, the ring's corrupting influence would eventually overpower anyone and anything. It would be interesting to think what would happen if a more powerful person like Elrond or Gandalf would have possessed the ring and what it would turn them into.
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