Episode 23 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 23

Comment on Frodo’s dream(s):

• Frodo has dreamed of the sea before, and Frodo was troubled by those dreams.
• He seems to have been having those dreams for years, but the purpose prior to his leaving, is unknown.
• There seems to be some novelty in the dream in Crickhollow, as there are elements in it that he does not recognize immediately, such as the smell.
• The smell is described as "strange", and given Tolkien’s usual usage, that would mean “unfamiliar”.
• This is probably not related to Faramir’s dream of the fall of Númenor, which is recurring and unchanging. The wave of darkness is not related to any sea-longing.
• Note: Tolkien actually had the dream of the wave and said that once he gave that dream to Faramir, he stopped having it.
• Does the Ring have any influence over his dreaming? Probably not, as the dreams are not prompting him to do anything. It is also unlike the Ring’s modus operandi.
• We have seen the Ring operating on people before, and this does not seem to be in the same category, nor does it have any benefit in sending Frodo visions of the ocean.
• Both Sauron and the Ring purposely have nothing to do with the Sea or the West.
• The Ring’s primary action is to make the bearer think about itself and its preciousness.
• Is the restlessness that Frodo feels coming from the Ring? Possibly, as Bilbo also felt restless, but Gollum is a counterexample, as he holed up for five hundred years.
• A piece of evidence against Ring-induced restlessness is that after Bilbo gives up the Ring his restlessness doesn’t leave him.
• It is most probable that the dreams are evidence of the influence of some “other power”.
• Frodo seems to have been prepared in advance, as he and Bilbo were unusual as bachelors, and Tolkien later explained that they both felt some kind of calling that kept them single.
• Bilbo and Frodo would have been very eligible bachelors, so it was a choice on their part.
• The Valar are known to send dreams and visions, as well as Gandalf himself.
• Gandalf, as Olórin, is associated with dreams, as the “lor” element means “dream”.
• Any notion of long-term planning on the part of the Ring is dubious at best.
• The effect of these sea-dreams is evidence of someone playing a long game, but Frodo himself won’t understand this until the very end of the book.
• Frodo’s relations with Elves are short at best, so their own sea-longing wouldn’t influence him.
• The best explanation of the dream in Crickhollow is simply to bring hope in the face of fear, and desire for what he will gain from his future journey.

A vision of morning in Buckland:

• Tolkien’s level of detail in the description makes the landscape seem very real.
• This is indicative of his experience as a painter and illustrator.
• This description emphasizes the domesticity of the scene and how this is the last vision of Hobbit civilization before leaving for the Wild.
• The description is lovely but not welcoming, as it is cold and wet and dreary.
• The description of the fog as they left Farmer Maggot was much more oppressive and ominous, while the fog here actually emphasizes details like cobwebs.
• Note: The term “spinney” is an old word for a small group of trees. The connotation is unclear.

Fatty Bolger’s final words:

• Note: It’s important that the Brandybucks’ private gate does not break the hedge; it goes under.
• Fatty’s final words might be taken flippantly, but his warning seems sincere and solemn, as he has spoken against the idea already. He does wish them well.
• Fatty also points out that he can’t think of any rescue if they get into trouble.
• He is also employing the Hobbit/British tendency to make light of serious situations and strong emotions to avoid discomfort.

Crossing the boundary:

• The emphasis on the shutting of the gate behind them, and especially the sound of it, makes this a very clear crossing of a boundary.
• Frodo is correct, given his perspective on the Old Forest, that there shouldn’t be anything in the Forest than the Black Riders, but he is wrong in underestimating its dangers.
• Merry’s announcement of their leaving the Shire both acknowledges the moment and diffuses the tension it creates.
• By locking themselves out of the Shire, they have locked themselves into the Forest.
• In the context of Frodo’s one-way journey, this moment is really important.
• There is an evocation of a prison gate closing, with the thick iron bars and the sound of the closing.
• They have not yet entered the Old Forest at this moment, as they are still in the tunnel, so this is a liminal space in-between the Shire and the Old Forest, looking at both.
• This also emphasizes Frodo’s sense of exile, though it’s not clear that the other hobbits understand this, as they sing about coming back.
• Frodo will never see the Shire as it was again, as both he and it will be changed.

The stories of the Old Forest:

• It is notable that Merry is nonchalant about the idea that the trees move and do things.
• Pippin starts by asking about the stories of predators and monsters, but Merry counters by saying that only the trees are a danger.
• This is reminiscent of the conversation in the Green Dragon, where Ted Sandyman would not believe that a tree might walk. In Merry’s case, he simply accepts this casually.
• Merry tries to reassure them by saying that the trees are aware and don’t usually do things, but the fact that trees do anything is uncanny and unsettling enough.
• It is actually easier for them to accept goblins and wolves, as those are things that they understand having heard Bilbo’s stories, than moving and hostile trees.
• The Old Forest is a dangerous otherworld for the hobbits, but hobbits outside of Buckland can’t actually understand the true dangers, and so spread stories that are wrong.
• Merry emphasizes the awareness and communication of the trees, and their collective history in opposition to the Hobbits.
• Merry might also be underestimating how alarming this might be for his friends, as this is a normal part of life for him.
• We are told that the Bucklanders are mostly like the other hobbits with some notable exceptions, this being one of those.
• Merry might be messing with the hobbits, but none of what he’s saying is untrue.
• Note: Treebeard will say later that the distinction between Ent, Huorn, and Tree is unclear and more of a spectrum.

(continued below)

 

[Tony Meade]

(continued)

The limits of Buckland lore:

• Beyond the beginnings of the Forest, Merry’s knowledge is limited to rumors.
• Pippin’s reaction and bravado belies his discomfort and lack of knowledge.
• The moving paths seem to tell Merry that whatever makes them is hostile.
• He seems to attribute the moving paths to the trees themselves, as they communicate.
• The paths definitely seem to be bigger than a game trail and are purposely made.
• The use of the words “they do say” and “actually” are qualifications that Merry uses to show his lack of personal experience and skepticism.
• Note: At this point, we don’t know of Tom Bombadil, or if he has anything to do with the paths.
• Merry also seems to be underestimating the Old Forest, even with more extensive knowledge.

The first steps into the Old Forest:

• Frodo reminding them to remember where the hedge is shows that his fear is creeping in, and he is keeping open a way of escape.
• The variety of the trees is overwhelming and shows that the Forest is not a singular entity but populated with many different aware individuals.
• There is a parallel between this scene and Bilbo and company entering Mirkwood, as the boundary was very clear and stark.
• There are differences, as the Mirkwood trees were more uniform, and they were safe on the path. Here, the trees are more like a mob, and the path may leave the traveler.
• The adjectives, such as “writhing”, are motion-related, which implies action by the trees in spite of the fact that they are not moving.
• The lack of sounds, especially the domestic ones from the morning, emphasize the fact that they have left civilization before.
• The lack of any echo is uncanny, even in the deep forest. This shows the hostility of the trees.
• The use of the word “dislike” is common here and with Treebeard. This is not a hasty word, but it also seems to be the default reaction of trees to humans.
• This scene is very claustrophobic, especially with the lack of echoes.

Pippin’s outburst:

• Pippin shows that he is aware of the trees’ vigilance, and he talks to them.
• He shows his impatience, and an attempt to relieve his own anxiety.
• Pippin seems to be trying to reason with the trees, and his expectation of a response shows that he seems to think that they are rational.
• Note: The ambivalence of the trees is a counterargument against the “black and white” criticism of Tolkien’s moral universe.
• Merry’s rebuke seems to imply that he knows what the trees are thinking.
• Frodo’s use of the word “abominable” is also what he used to describe Gollum.
• Merry seems to have doubted the moving trees before, but he now believes it.
• Pippin’s tone is still light-hearted hobbitry and tries to put a good face on things.

The Bonfire Glade:

• The fact that no trees in the glade seems to imply that this is the Bonfire Glade.
• The presence of fireweed and other plants seem to be a memorial to fallen trees.
• The trees could have come here, but they seem to chose not to come there.
• This is a place that remembers a horrific tragedy.
• If you clear the trees, these are the kinds of brambles that would come and reclaim it, but it seems more significant here, given the history.
• The hobbits seem to be oblivious to the significance of the plants in the glade.
• To the hobbits, this seems like a sunny and cheerful place, but to the trees it is sad and gloomy.
• This shows the inability of the hobbits to understand the feelings of the trees, and they mistake the space in the trees as relenting.

Back on the path:

• The stuffiness and silence show that the trees have not forgotten or relented.
• The closeness and density of the trees makes the hobbits feel their hostility.

Frodo’s song of encouragement:

• The song is in iambic tetrameter, like most Hobbit poetry.
• It is addressed to human/hobbit travelers, not the trees.
• Frodo may be making this song up on the spot, as it is strangely apropos.
• The use of the words “end at last” has multiple meanings. In the hobbits’ case, it is related to them passing to the edge of the forest and out again. This is meant to encourage them.
• Where is Frodo going with this song? The song ends with an unfinished couplet.
• The use of the rising and setting sun imagery shows the uncertainty of how long it will take them to cross the forest, which undermines the encouragement.
• The idea behind “all woods must fail” is related to “end at last”, but this has a different feeling. It seems to evoke the death of the forest.
• He seems to be evoking a sense of the temporary nature of the forest, in the big picture.
• This also changes the implication of the sun imagery to that of the passing of time, and the trees’ impermanence.
• This part seems to shift the address of the song towards the trees themselves.
• What will we replace the trees? More Hobbit settlements? Is this a threat?
• The ambiguity of the word usage here is clearly intentional.

The retaliation of the Forest:

• Frodo does not stop singing; his voice is suppressed by the trees themselves.
• Merry perceives the aggressive nature of the song and shows that he understands the effects.
• Frodo is in a fight with the trees, using the song, and he seems to lose to them.
• The mechanism of this is unclear, like the trees taking away oxygen or some kind of magic.
• The line between natural forces and magical forces in Tolkien is often unclear.
• The interchange of air is usually something that is a friendly relationship between animals and plants, but the trees choose to be deliberately uncooperative here.

END OF SESSION