Literary Significance of Crossing Boundries

Lalaith

Member
Maybe I missed it in class last week, or perhaps this question regards a topic too trivial or obvious, but I figured I would ask anyway just on the off-chance it is an interesting thing to discuss.

To what extent is Frodo, by crossing the Ford, reaching safety, and to what extent is he crossing a boundry into further danger from a literary standpoint?

The reference to the Eastfarthing was very interesting to me: "...and from the riders came a terrible cry, such as Frodo had heard filling the woods with horror in the Eastfarthing far away."
It felt a bit out of place at first, and then I thought that perhaps this is a way for us to gain perspective on the situation. At the allusion to the cries heard in the "Eastfarthing far away", I was instantly reminded of how distant from his starting point, and the safety and cozyiness of the Shire, Frodo really is. It provides a bigger lens on how big of a predicament he is in.

Then: "He could no longer see his friends." And, as discussed in class, there is a whole lot of significance there, too. He is getting further from his friends(spiritually and physically) in this moment, but also in the larger scope of the story. Although he will meet them again in Rivendell, could this be foreshadowing of the fact that his journey will eventually lead him away even further from his friends? The entire Battle of the Ford is also one of the first moments Frodo is truely alone(other than Asfaloth and the River itself) and he is experiencing independance in the face of the Nazgul.

So while reaching a safe haven, I would say Frodo is also, in a broader and more literary sense, crossing a boundry into a more grave and lonely situation.

Is that an acurate reading of this passage? Am I missing anything or looking into this too much?
 
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I’d argue that the border Frodo crosses is highly complex, from a literary standpoint. Within a matter of moments, he passes from the Mundane world of Middle Earth into/throuh the Wraith world and then, with the passing of the river, crosses into Faerie. All three are perilous in their own ways and each has a different hold on Frodo of the Shire, Ringbearer, and Elf-Freind. In his quest, he is as the Footstep of Doom to each (to borrow Galadriel’s construction) but also redeems/saves each. In order to do so, however, he must forsake all three for Valinor and what lies beyond it for him.

In this light, a more interesting question is which is more perilous — the three realms to Frodo or Frodo to the three realms? It is almost a case of mutually assured destruction.
 
He's also on the verge of passing from one story into another, much more dangerous one. The first story is his quest to reach the safety of Rivendell. But the second story is the Fellowship's travels towards Mordor.
 
All great points, thanks! Seems like a huge time of transition for him, in many ways. I love the ideas of realms and stories- the Ford is where they all meet! An intersection and turning point in the journey.
 
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