Flammifer
Well-Known Member
If Saruman hadn't turned traitor and kept Gandalf prisoner (and if Butterbur had sent the letter, of course), Merry and Pippin might not have come along and the Ents would not have been aroused and Faramir and Eowyn would have died and the Witch King would not have been killed. If Boromir had not tried to take the Ring from Frodo, Frodo and Sam would not have separated from the others at Amon Hen. Who knows what choices the others would have made. And if more of them had gone into Mordor with Frodo, would the Ring have had an ever stronger effect on them, and would one or more of them tried to take it, and perhaps succeeded? What would have happened to the Quest then? And would Gollum have been able to play his part, or come so close to being saved?
Not all intended parts of the plans of Providence are necessarily good, though the ends are. But then I don't believe in a perfect destiny, or that humans belong in paradise. I think life didn't begin until the expulsion from Eden, that the expulsion was a kind of birth.
All good questions Rachel.
However, I don't think they really explore the nub of the issue. If Providence can cope with Saurman turning traitor, (and turn this seeming disaster into useful results), then surely Providence could cope equally well with different courses of events, and have them turn out just as well?
So, what is the effect of Providence and Free Will in TLOTR? Can Providence overcome many disasterous actions, but there is a limit? Does Providence require at least some of the Children of Illuvatar to make the right decisions for the plan to play out (at least in the short to medium term)? Are good decisions by some of the Children of Illuvatar required for Eru's plan to turn out right? Or, will Providence ensure that it all turns out right (eventually) regardless? Is the free will of individuals only important for those individuals, and it will make no difference to the eventual success of Eru's plan, which will eventualise regardless, as Providence can course correct and adapt to cover all disastrous eventualities?
TLOTR stresses both the utmost importance of individual will and decisions, and the constant ability of Providence to slant and shift events towards favorable outcomes even if they seem highly improbable. How do these two factors relate? (How do they relate in TLOTR, I mean. I know they have been endlessly ruminated on by various religions and philosophers.)