Class 210 Bilbo: If I am spared

[FoolishTook]

In episode 210, Bilbo's line, "I should like to write a second book, if I am spared." really caught my attention. By "if I am spared" I assume that he means When the ring is destroyed. This is to say, that he may be reflecting here on how the destruction of the ring will also be the destruction of the unnatural affects of the ring, his unnatural life being one of them. So, here Biblo connects Frodo's quest with potentially being leading to his own death which gives a rather different feeling to this very sentimental scene. I wonder how long Biblo has been considering this perspective.

Also, I am afraid that we might be too often selling the film short. We often go through great lengths to justify apparent contradictions or inconsistencies in the book rather than simply saying "this just doesn't work" and moving on, and yet we are so quick to dismiss events in the film as being simply shallow or not worthy of further thought. Here, we have the issue of Biblo aging in the film and it was stated that "it doesn't work" because Gollum would simply be dust if this were so. But there are two things that we could at least consider before moving on so quickly. First, we know that Gollum had the ring much longer than did Bilbo, and second Gollum never really gave up the ring like Bilbo did. These two factors could be very important and could bring some justification to Bilbo's aging in the film whereas the ring could still be working much stronger on Gollum since he never actually gave the ring up. He still considers it his.

 

[Makar]

If i am spared = if i live long enough. That was always my impression.

 

[Anthony Lawther]

Bilbo's age isn't unnatural, only the way he looks (still 50). It is only after the Ring is destroyed that his appearance catches up, yet he only exceeds the Old Took's age on the way to the Grey Havens. One could make an argument for Bilbo outliving the Old Took even without the influence of the Ring. Gollum on the other hand is well past the natural age of any Hobbit (or Hobbit-like creature) and without the preserving effect of the Ring should have died long ago. Even taking into account Smeagol's relative youth on finding the Ring (he lived with his Grandmother, so should not have been significantly older than mid 30's) with his ageing restored on the loss of the Ring he should have a similar appearance to Bilbo at the Grey Havens (~35 + 77 = ~112).

As far as your defence of Bilbo's appearance in Rivendell in the movies, relying on the length of time the Ring was held, and therefore used, before losing it (the text explains that Gollum had stopped wearing it as frequently) or the will of the holder (Bilbo giving it up and Gollum losing it) to explain a physiological effect is more problematic than the alternative, being that the effect of the Ring was triggered by ownership but continued after loss (or surrender). In the films Bilbo appears to age several decades in the space of what seems to be a few months at most (with the intervening 17 years from the book removed), yet Gollum hasn't changed at all in the intervening 60 years.
The book makes no mention of Bilbo's appearance changing until after the destruction of the Ring, with him appearing to have physiologically caught up to his age by the time he is met on the way to the Grey Havens.
All of the textual evidence suggests that possession of the Ring greatly reduces the rate of aging, and that this effect remains in effect after loss (or surrender) until the destruction of the Ring.

So, while I concede that 'it doesn't work' seems to be an overly strong statement, it fits if the unstated suffix 'for me' is added.

All of that said, it is not uncommon to hear older people (octogenarians onward) say something along the same lines as 'if I'm spared' when talking about anything beyond immediately future events. Towards the end of her life my Nan used to worry about her Birthday celebrations being held before the actual date, for fear that they would be held under false pretenses.

As far as Bilbo suspecting that he may die upon the destruction of the Ring, I don't think there's sufficient support for that. The text explains that Bilbo always accepted his unnaturally preserved appearance as being on account of his long-lived genes (or words to that effect). I think he still believes his age to be naturally achieved, and I think he has support for that belief.