Episode 48 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 48

Comment about the hobbits’ response to enchantment:
  • What is the appropriate response to Faerie, and is Sam’s response the most appropriate?
  • Consistently, when he encounters Faerie, we get very little dialogue from Sam, who seems to be taking it in and experiencing it.
  • Frodo, Merry, and Pippin all have anxious responses, and need to be reminded of what they’ve been told to assure them.
  • Is there a connection between Sam’s contented sleep and Tom’s falling asleep while at the end of his stories? There is a connection in their contentment.
Comment on Ranger women and society:
  • The narrator uses physical ethnic descriptions to refer to the Rangers, which would indicate a people group, not an occupation.
  • It’s possible that the Rangers sometimes provide the Breelanders with services they need.
  • The defining characteristic of Ranger society is its mobility, which stands in contrast to the settled, stationary lifestyle of the Breelanders.
  • The rumors of the special powers of the Rangers may come from this difference.
  • If the Bree-folks associated the Rangers only with solitary men, there would be no reason to specifically associate them with the East as region.
  • Note: It’s inappropriate to extrapolate from absence of evidence rather than its presence.
  • Within Bree, Strider may be the stereotype of Rangers, among Rangers he’s unique.
  • Note: Tolkien is often more explicit in the underlying concepts in the earlier drafts but is left out of the final text or made more implicit, but this does not mean it has been discarded.
  • Note: Often people assume that Éowyn represents the idea that women’s expected role is not to be a warrior, but this is contradicted by Faramir’s statements about the women being as valiant as the men. Shieldmaidens seem to preexist Éowyn in Rohan. Her departure from expectations was her leaving her assigned royal post in Rohan to follow the army.
Everyone minding their own business:
  • Harry’s challenge is clearly part of his duty as gatekeeper, and he has not asked them anything unreasonable or outside of that duty.
  • Merry’s intrusion into the conversation is not truly a cover story; everything that he says is true.
  • By calling himself “Mr. Brandybuck”, Merry is asserting his title and rank in Buckland.
  • In questioning Harry’s courtesy, Merry is deflecting the questions away from the hobbits.
  • Though Harry has not asked anything unreasonable, Merry is asserting that his questioning seems out of place given who they are and Bree’s reputation of openness to travelers.
  • Merry seems to be saying that hobbits coming from the Shire explains itself, given history.
  • The primary purpose of the gatekeeper is to watch out for real threats, such as the brigands who will become a bigger problem after this (including Harry), but not a few Shire-hobbits.
  • There are other nonhuman threats out there for the gatekeepers, such as trolls and wolves.
  • Merry may be expecting hobbit-like banter, not an interrogation from the gatekeepers.
  • Harry’s response of capitulation to Merry’s question shows that his behavior is not a new normal but acknowledges that he was acting outside of the norm and overstepping.
  • He is probably worried about his behavior being reported to those in authority in Bree.
  • Who are the “queer folk” referred to by Harry, and why does this justify his behavior? Hobbits of the Shire don’t qualify, based on the reception they get in The Pony.
  • Harry reveals himself to not be suited to be an agent of the Black Riders.
The first contact with the world of Men:
  • Frodo often makes the wrong assumptions about people, but in this case, he is close to the mark by thinking that Harry was put on his guard by someone else.
  • Frodo hopes it is Gandalf, but especially because the only other explanation is the Black Riders.
  • Sam shares Frodo’s fears and anxiety, so Frodo is not alone in his mistrust.
  • Frodo is still expecting Gandalf at any minute and is anxious because he knows that it is unusual and ominous for Gandalf not to keep his word.
  • This may be Sam’s first personal experience of Men, but that doesn’t mean that the Hobbits have no experience of Big People in general.
  • Sam’s uses the Gaffer’s poor eyesight and hearing as a way to explain that the Black Rider at this door may not be one of the Big People, but Gaffer definitely says it was one of the Big People.
  • The Gaffer’s lack of surprise may also mean that he isn’t sure that the Rider was a man, and his real impression was his foreignness, which to the Gaffer is just about anyone outside of town.
  • Note: The use of the word “black” is an echo of an older tradition in which someone’s clothing color is used as a descriptor. In older times, the use of “fair” or “dark” referred to hair color.
  • Whether or not Sam has not seen Men before, this is surely the first time he has been in their world, and around their houses.
  • Sam’s thoughts of giants reveal his feelings about being around Men and human-sized buildings for the first time. He may feel as if he actually has walked into a world of giants.
  • The hobbits have been around Gandalf, who is the size of a Big Person, but they have only experienced him in the Shire, and they may see Gandalf as a special category.
  • There is also an element of a rural person in an urban setting for the first time, and given Sam’s upbringing by the Gaffer, he is distrustful of strangers in general.
  • Sam’s protectiveness of Frodo is also likely to enhance his distrust of strangers.
Looking for the familiar in the strange:
  • The “by” in the signboard of the inn indicates that Barliman Butterbur is the current owner, not the one who established it. We are told that his family has run the inn for a long time.
  • The Prancing Pony is simultaneously strange and inviting. They have gone out of their way to have one foot each in the world of Men and of Hobbits.
  • The description of the fat pony on the sign and the thick curtains give an impression of coziness.
  • Note: The Road going past the inn is the East Road, which goes straight through the town.
  • The description of the pony as fat on the signboard may recall an image of Fatty Lumpkin.
  • Having talked of Tom Bombadil, they are reminded of his merriment in the sounds inside.
A first impression of Butterbur:
  • In contrast to Harry at the gate, Butterbur is not suspicious of the four strange Shire-hobbits. He takes note of their novelty but does not question their presence.
  • Butterbur’s primary focus is on hospitality, and he doesn’t seem to have employees to work inside the inn. He seems to serve all the customers himself.
  • His bending down to address the hobbits is more of a gesture of politeness than condescension.
  • Butterbur goes further in his courtesy by asking for permission to ask their names. He, unlike, Harry, is very good at customer service.
  • Frodo makes sure to introduce Merry and Pippin first, as they are nobility, using “Mister” to identify them, while suggesting that he is their peer.
  • His introduction of Sam shows the class difference in not identifying him as a landowner, i.e. no “Mister”, but the fact that he introduces him at all is an act of courtesy to Sam.
  • Butterbur does acknowledge that it’s been a long time since he’s had Shire-hobbits in his inn, but he sees it as normal, and he is interested in keeping Bree’s reputation for courtesy.
  • His main thought is about whatever it is that he has forgotten something related to Hobbits.
  • Barliman also leads with an apology in case he is unable to accommodate them, though he would not be unhappy about all the business in his inn.
  • Frodo may lead with his introduction of Merry and Pippin as it is Brandybucks and Tooks who are the most adventurous, well-traveled, and probably well-known families outside the Shire.
  • Butterbur would likely know they were not local hobbits from who he knows, but their accents would also give them away.
An oasis of Hobbit hospitality:
  • Are passenger carriages present in other places in Middle-earth? Yes, we see carriages in the Shire taking important people home after Bilbo’s party, including the Sackville-Bagginses.
  • The fact that Butterbur calls Nob a “slowcoach” is a friendly insult at an employee. Butterbur is engaging in a kind of hobbitry with Nob by referring to his woolly hobbit feet.
  • Are Nob and Bob Butterbur’s only employees, and is it notable that they are both hobbits? This seems to be a place where the two peoples mix, but not necessarily a class difference.
  • Nob’s reaction to Butterbur’s ribbing shows that this is a good-natured exchange.
  • It seems to be the fact that Frodo and company are from the Shire that brings Nob up short.
  • Butterbur’s in the hospitality industry, but his deference to the hobbits shows that he doesn’t look down on the hobbits as lower-class.
  • We don’t know how many employees Butterbur has, or if Nob is there to serve them because he’s also a hobbit. Bob is employed because he’s the ostler, and Nob seems to be the valet.
  • Butterbur’s serving all the guests himself is connected to a lack of travel by the Bree-folk.
  • Another strange sight to the Bree-folk is that Frodo and company are wearing winter clothes.
END OF SESSION
 

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