Ruth Furukawa
New Member
I have recently been struck by how much Aragorn in these scenes reminds me of Turin. Both of them are strange vagabond-looking men who all the same seem to have something more about them and carry a sword of great import. It occurs to me that the choice between Aragorn being either a rascal or a hero may not be so simple. Obviously Turin is a walking vortex of calamity, but even less tragic heroes of old such as Beren are not universally healthy to be around (think Finrod). There is, of course no evidence that any of the hobbits are thinking this way, but it seems to me that even if this stranger isn't some sort of thief or con artist, it is possible to think Frodo and company have enough problems of their own with out entering into someone else's story. "Don't go meddling in the affairs of your betters or you'll end up in trouble too big for you," as the Gaffer might say. These two destinies, that of the quest of the ring and the return of the king, turn out in the end to be intricately and perfectly interlinked to facilitate each other, but that they should be is far from a foregone conclusion, especially in light (or shadow) of Turin.
