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 Have
you read The Lord of the Rings?
What is your take on the Tolkien trilogy?
Commentary
by Greg Wright |
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
The
Two Towers, Book IV
The
Taming of Sméagol" thru "The Choices of Master Samwise"
This
page was created on December 04, 1999
This page was last updated on
June 3, 2005
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The
Two Towers, Book IV
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In
April, 2004, this web page was annotated to address errors in the
text. Click on highlighted text to review errata.
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The
Wounds of a Friend
The Fellowship broken, Frodo and his faithful friend continue the
mission alone. The weight of the burden finally leads Frodo to observe
that "to do the job," as Sam says, means in all likelihood to die.
In sorrow, in sympathy and in pain, Sam takes Frodo's hand and weeps
over it. Where does Sam's faithfulness come from? Why is he so willing
to follow his friend into death? "Greater love has no man than this,"
Jesus said, than to "lay down his life for his friends." Faithful
are the wounds of a friend.
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The
Kisses of Enemy
Gollum becomes a guide for Frodo and Sam. Once tamed, he becomes a
fawning slave; but it is only a grudging pretense. In deciding what
to do with Gollum, Frodo replays a distant fire-side conversation
with Gandalf: "Be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice,
fearing for your own safety." And so Frodo relents. At work here is
the principle taught by Jesus: As you judge others, so also will you
be judged.
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Judgment
in the Hands of Faramir
It is well for Frodo and Sam that they were merciful to Gollum, for
the same mercy is extended to them by Faramir, who must suspend his
own law to extend help to the Hobbits. Faramir's vision proves the
key to trusting Sam and Frodo. It is in Ithilien, amongst the "truth-speakers"
of Gondor (as Faramir puts it), that we glimpse the most overt religious
practice evident in the trilogy. Is is the custom of the men of Numenor
to look to the West for a moment of silence prior to eating, in honor
both of their past and the Eternal.
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An
Alliance of Sorts
For Frodo, he knows he can trust Faramir because Frodo is "a friend
of all enemies of the One Enemy." This echoes Jesus' language when instructing
the disciples about "who is with us." Faramir relates some of the
history of Numenor to Frodo and Sam, drawing on the mythology of "Atalante,"
the Fall of Numenor. This is Tolkien's parallel to the Biblical story
of the Fall of Man in Genesis: in both accounts, the lust for immortality
leads to the expulsion from paradise.
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The
Road to Cirith Gorgor
At the Cross-roads, Frodo sees the flowers growing on the brow of
the fallen head of the statue, and observes, "The King has got a crown
again." Earlier, in Ithilien with Faramir, Frodo and Sam learn much
of the history of the Stewards of Gondor. The tale is very reminiscent
of the language used by Jesus in teaching about the Kingdom of God:
"Blessed is the steward that the King finds doing his will when he
returns" (Luke 12:43, paraphrased).
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The
Hall of Fame
As Frodo and Sam struggle to continue, they talk about the nature
of Story: which tales survive and which don't, who has stories told
about them and who doesn't. Emphasizing the need to persevere, Sam
remarks "We hear about those as just went on." In the Bible, Jesus
teaches that "Those who persevere to the end will be saved," and the
teaching about the nature of faith in Hebrews 11 includes a Hall of
Fame: men and women of great faith who persevered in their calling.
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So
What Is Gollum Up To?
In the same conversation with Sam, Frodo observes that people in these
stories of perseverance do their deeds and "go when their part's ended."
This is true of all great stories, even the Bible. (Think of John
the Baptist, or even David, of whom Paul said "...and after he had
served God in his own generation, he died and was laid to rest with
his ancestors.") Does this apply to Gollum, too? What specific part
does he have to play? Where does his part "end?"
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Cirith Gorgor
In the darkness of Cirith Gorgor, Shelob hunts Sam and Frodo, who
have been lured there by their faithless guide. As she makes her final
charge in the darkness, Sam remembers the Phial of Galadriel, and
Frodo draws it forth, accompanied by an ecstatic utterance (speaking
in tongues?). The light shines forth from the phial, blinding Shelob
and sending her scuttling back into the blackness. "The light shines
in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:5).
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Sam's
Great Strength
Sam, it seems, is left alone. His choices seem few. But in much the
same way as he defeated Shelob, somehow he finds the strength to see
that he "must go on." What are the Shelobs that you confront? Do you
feel like you are passing through the shadow of your own private Cirith Gorgor? Find the light, and the strength to continue.
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So
what gives?
Did
this spiritual imagery find its way into The Lord of the Rings by
design? Or was it simply part of Tolkien's cultural fabric, accidentally
creeping into the text? And what about the magic and wizardry? Is
this really healthy spirituality that Tolkien presents? |
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