Tony Meade
Active Member
SESSION 301
Only one way out:
Only one way out:
- Gandalf’s primary emotion in his explanation of what just happened is his mourning of the trees.
- He does not express consternation that the doors are now blocked, as from his perspective, his intuition has been for some time that they would have to go through Moria, and that is settled.
- This has removed any doubt of their path, which had been only an option until then, especially since Gandalf was unable to open the doors, and Boromir was prepared to take another route.
- In that sense, the choice has been made for them, whether by circumstances or Providence.
- Gandalf’s sadness for the trees is not only based on their beauty, but also that they were the last, and had survived the deaths of all the other trees and were caught between life and death.
- Note: While there is no obvious cue to think about the Two Trees of Valinor, it is not completely inappropriate, as Gandalf had mentioned Fëanor’s name when describing the Doors of Durin, and there is an echo of the destruction of the Two Trees by another foul creature in Valinor.
- Gandalf’s first act in Moria is to take a moment to contemplate the death of the trees with pity.
- This also hints at a sense of responsibility for the destruction of the trees by their passage.
- Those two trees were probably the last living memories of the friendship of the Dwarves and Elves in the Second Age, and their destruction ends any living connection to that older time.
- The trees are part of the series of the living evidence of that time, which included the stones.
- Now the trees have been used to block the door for which they symbolized openness and amity.
- Note: The ends of the Ages have been marked by the fall of the Dark Lords, but that has also always been correlated with destruction and loss, as this is always necessary to defeat evil. The Quest brings with it a certain amount of loss, but this was part of the calculation of the Council.
- Gandalf’s use of the passive voice draws focus from the creature and to its effects, unlike Frodo.
- Frodo’s focus on his foot precedes the attack and all the way back to crossing the water before.
- Gandalf hints that it is his opinion that the creature was a singular thing, rather than many, as Frodo had suggested, and uses the approach and coordinated attack as evidence of a single will.
- He shares two possibilities for how the creature came to be there, and implies that it is a recent appearance, since Gandalf has been at the west-gate of Moria more recently than the rest.
- One possibility is that something has deliberately driven the creature out for a purpose, and that it is serving another’s will, with the other that it was simply drawn out by its own will or desire.
- This also means that the dam was made either by the creature itself or someone else for its use.
- Gandalf’s mention of older and fouler things in deep places of the world could refer to the creature itself, or possibly also to whatever drove the creature from the waters under the earth.
- While Orcs have driven everything else from the mountains, this refers to something worse.
- Note: While in retrospect, this may be a foreshadowing of the Balrog, Gandalf is not referring to it as he doesn’t yet know about the presence of the Balrog in Moria and won’t until it appears. Even though there are rumors in Lothlorien and elsewhere about “Durin’s Bane”, no one knows it’s identity, though Gandalf doesn’t seem to suspect that the Watcher is Durin’s Bane. There is no evidence that it was the Balrog drove out the Watcher, and Tolkien never revealed what did.
- There is a parallel between the Watcher and Tom Bombadil in their unknown origin or purpose.
- Note: This is a unique instance of the narrator revealing Gandalf’s unspoken inner thoughts, and therefore this is something that Gandalf probably shared later with Frodo before it was written.
- Gandalf probably didn’t share this with the rest of the Company in order to keep down speculation about the Ring, and it seems that all of them, not just Frodo, disturbed the water.
- In fact, Gimli was likely the first to cross the water, due to his eagerness to reach the mountain.
- One possibility is clearly that the creature wished to take the Ring, and another that it deemed Frodo was the greatest threat as he was bearing the Ring and was able to sense Frodo that way.
- There is also the possibility that it was attracted to the mithril coat, or that it was simply chance.
- As a creature native to Moria, there may be a connection between it and mithril found there.
- Even though Gandalf is unaware the mithril coat, he is assuming something drew it to Frodo.
- Frodo’s being named an Elf-friend is something else that sets him apart from the Company, with the exception of Aragorn, though the presence of Legolas might have been more attractive.
- The wound of the Morgul-blade is another thing that is unique among the rest of the Company, and this may mark Frodo with a taint of darkness and a connection to the spiritual world.
- Note: The text does not make any prompting to the reader to remember the Morgul-blade or the mithril coat, and therefore that presumes that there was little connection in Tolkien’s mind.
- The likeliest explanation is that the Ring is the attraction, as evidenced by Gandalf’s reluctance to speak of it, though whether the creature wishes to take the Ring intentionally is unclear.
- Note: While Tolkien enjoyed retconning Narya into the text in retrospect, Narya’s existence doesn’t explain anything in the text as it was a late creation and not made a part of the story.
- Another possibility is that the creature was seeking the Ring under the direction of another.
- There is little evidence of reasoned thought in the creature, and therefore not of directed will.
- Seeking to possess the Ring does not require conscious thought and is responding to its power.
- The fact that the lake has corrupted the land around it points to the creature being actively malevolent and would therefore be drawn toward the power of the Ring like all evil beings.
- Desire is the thing most correlated to the Ring, and therefore the creatures is affected by that.
- Therefore, Gandalf takes away how much danger Frodo is in with all things desiring the Ring.
- Gandalf would not want to mention this aloud for the morale of Frodo and the whole Company.
- Possessing the Ring could be a desire without even understanding what possession would mean.
- Note: There is also a possibility that the creature wishes to consume the power of the Ring, much like Ungoliant wished to consume the Silmarils, or Carcharoth would actually do with Beren’s hand. This seems to be a consistent reaction among evil creatures in the legendarium, to consume powerful objects in order to attempt to take that power into itself in some way. While Gollum believes that Shelob would not want to consume the Ring, he may be wrong.
- There is a parallel in blindness of the Ringwraiths and the creature when searching for the Ring.
- Frodo might also have been a target for consumption and was only detected through the Ring.
- Not knowing the physiology of the creature, its ability to consume anything is questionable.
- Frodo’s ability to sense the presence of the creature points to the reverse also being true.
- The attack on the trees seems to be either the creature’s lashing out at losing out on the Ring, or to protect itself from a power greater than its own, as it had not done before Frodo’s passing.
- Note: The Dwarves assumptions about the Watcher in the Book of Mazarbul may be inaccurate.
- The fact that Boromir says an impolitic thing shows that he did not expect to be overheard, and he felt compelled to say it out loud, though this may be evidence of his panic after the attack.
- By asking who will lead them now, he is not suggesting himself, as he might have done before.
- Without alternatives, Boromir knows that he cannot lead them in the deadly dark, even if his faith in Gandalf’s leadership is at a low ebb, and he is feeling helpless and dependent on others.
- This may be one of the first situations in Boromir’s life where he has no ability to contribute.
- Gandalf overhears this, and announces himself, even though it was Gandalf brought them there.
- The inclusion of Gimli shows Gandalf’s willingness to accept the knowledge and help of others.