Episode 5 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 5

Comment: Is the emphasis in “it came to me” on the fact that it came to Bilbo specifically out of everyone, or on the volition of the Ring (or other marker of destiny)?

• If the emphasis is on “came” then this seems to point to a conscious will being involved.
• If the emphasis is on “me”, then it is on Bilbo being chosen.

Comment: Sam’s presence at the Green Dragon, instead of in Bywater, may be pointing to the fact that the Cotton’s farm is nearby.

• Sam is a late addition to the story and is always associated with the Cotton family.
• This is a play on words, as the name Gamgee is a reference to a type of cotton tissue, called Gamgee tissue, in the Birmingham area, named after its invention. It became synonymous with this kind of tissue.
• Therefore, “Gamgee” is a synonym to “cotton”. This is a linguistic inside joke.
• The real Sam Gamgee wrote Tolkien after the publication, to which Tolkien responded with a signed copy and a return letter.
• The Ivy Bush in Bywater is the pub associated with Sam and Ted’s fathers, so that this a generational divide.
• Sam and Rosie Cotton have an “understanding” at this point, as is revealed later.

Comment: On the casting of a young Elijah Wood as the fifty-year old Frodo Baggins.

• Is the casting supposed to emphasize that fact that Frodo remains unchanged by the Ring over time?
• The passage of time is not emphasized in the film, nor is the lack of aging among the Bagginses.
• The movie doesn’t make Frodo older but look younger. Rather, they make him the actual youngest of the Hobbits.
• In the book story, Frodo in significant older than the other Hobbits, and is their senior.
• The 17-year time gap between Chapters 1 & 2 is also removed from the movie story.

Comment: On Ted Sandyman and his conversation in the Green Dragon

• Was Ted Sandyman already plotting with Lotho against the Shire at this point?
• Were Saruman’s plans already in motion? Saruman had already visited the Shire.
• Lotho was already buying up property and is getting rich off of his trade with Saruman by the time the Sackville-Bagginses move into Bag End. Lotho begins acting as “chief” almost immediately after Frodo and company’s departure.
• The emphasis in the conversation is the difference in worldviews, but these plot points are possibly in the background.
• Is Ted’s naivety about the outside world lead to him being hoodwinked by Lotho and his forces, or is this a conscious betrayal?

Why does it take 77 years for Gandalf to realize that the ring that Bilbo owns is the One Ring?

• Is this a relic of the early drafts before Tolkien had settled on the history of the Rings of Power?
• Gandalf visits over the seventeen years following the Long-Expected Party:
• What is Gandalf doing during his infrequent and brief visits to the Shire?
• He is checking on Frodo’s health and talks about his doings.
• Gandalf is looking at his aging, his behavior, and feelings.

Frodo’s conversation with Gandalf:

• Gandalf is not using the beginning of the conversation to segue into a conversation about the Rings of Power and their threat to the world.
• He starts off by talking about the personal danger to Frodo from the Ring.
• He then segues into explaining the lore regarding the history and effects of the Rings of Power.
• Gandalf does not explain why the lesser rings were dangerous, too. This is just his feeling.
• Gandalf begins to eliminate the other rings, both lesser and greater, in order to show his thought process in concluding that this is the One Ring.
• Note: Mortals seeking to unnaturally extend their lives is a bad thing in Tolkien’s writings.

Why didn’t Gandalf figure out that this was the One Ring when Bilbo didn’t age?

• Gandalf didn’t know the fate of all the other Rings of Power at the time, only the general lore regarding the power and effects of the Rings themselves.
• Gandalf had to explore the other possibilities, such as that it could be one of the Seven.
• Gandalf doesn’t know that Sauron didn’t give out the Rings of Power again, after collecting them all back to himself.
• Gandalf also doesn’t know the fate of the Rings after the first fall of Sauron and Barad-dur.
• Gandalf has also been assured by Saruman that the Ring has rolled down the river to the sea.

What did Gandalf know about Bilbo’s ring, and when?

• Frodo rightly asks the question as to this, but Gandalf dodges this by talking about Bilbo.
• Gandalf reassures Frodo that Bilbo did not conceal any knowledge from Frodo about it.
• He also assures Frodo that Bilbo was aware of something strange going on, but not the source.
• Gandalf is still hedging about his surety of the ring’s identity and avoids the question about how long he’s known about what effect it might have on Frodo.
• Gandalf seems uncomfortable and guilty about having this theory and not sharing it.

Gandalf recounts his research on the One Ring:

• He says that his first inkling was right after Bilbo found his ring, with regards to Gollum.
• He understood right away that it was a Great Ring but couldn’t be sure which one.
• He was troubled that Bilbo would lie to the dwarves about his story of getting the ring.
• Gandalf clearly had worked out the whole thing, without real proof, from the beginning, but was prevented from acting by the circumstances.
• He could not take the Ring from Bilbo without doing great damage to Bilbo, and Bilbo would not give it up willingly.
• But the greater harm would come to him from taking possession of the Ring by force.
• He would have been overcome by the Ring, and given his power, it would have been dangerous for the whole world.

Gandalf originally wanted to consult Saruman but was held back. Why?

• Saruman has already assured him that the Ring is lost, so would not believe him.
• He has no proof with which to oppose Saruman’s research and lore, only his gut feeling.

What does Gandalf do in this situation?

• All he can do is to keep an eye of Bilbo and see how things play out.
• Gandalf’s suspicions began right away, but he was not fully confirmed until he witnessed Bilbo’s behavior on the night of the Long-Expected Party.
• Gandalf reveals that his travels over the previous seventeen years have been to gather the evidence to prove his theory.
• He admits that he knew Frodo was at risk, and he has been worried about him and about the Shire hobbits at large.
• He then pivots to talk about the physical threat not only to Frodo, but to all the Hobbits.
• He assures Frodo that the reason he left it with Frodo because he knew that Frodo was the one person he could trust to keep it secret and safe while he pursued his proofs.
• Gandalf could not definitively prove the Ring’s identity before, but he has now learned the test.
• Gandalf is absolutely sure what he will find when he puts the Ring in the fire.
• He also observes Frodo’s reaction to the Ring going in the fire, assessing its effect on him.

Note: Gandalf’s handling the Ring is different from when he was offered it by Bilbo.

• Had he taken the Ring to hold it then, he would have become the possessor of it. That would have opened the door for the Ring to start working on him.
• In the case of the moment with Frodo, he has no intention of possessing the Ring, only to do an experiment on it. He also wants to see what Frodo does when he asks.
• This is similar to what Tom Bombadil will do later.

END OF SESSION