DolorousStroke
Active Member
upon first reading.
For me, at least, and your mileage may vary, there was a wide variety.
For me, at least, and your mileage may vary, there was a wide variety.
- I did not know that Strider and Aragorn were the same person. It's true. I was quite young and had poor reading comprehension and grooming. My graduate school had a course book store, the U-store, with a bewildering array of texts for majors and minors and semiquavers. There was also a book store that had an incredible philosophy section. Wow: two great stores. It was not until a year into graduate school that I realized they were the same store, and I had just been walking into different entrances. When I found a path from the course book store to the philosophy section and then on out through the other entrance, I felt like I had discovered the northwest passage when I was shopping for a cuisinart. Realizing that Strider and Aragorn were the same person on a second read was like that.
- I had no idea about Harry Goatleaf being a baddie. I thought of him as a stalwart bastion of order, standing lonely at his post. I named a dog Harry after him. The brave gatekeeper. In retrospect I am wondering if he was always thinking of killing me in my sleep. The dog, that is.
- No idea the elves were immortal. None whatsoever. Must have not understood any passages referring to them as being unwearied by age. ("What's the big deal, Arwen?")
- Thought Tom Bombadil was an eccentric hobbit. Thought Nob and Bob were both hobbits (which we now know to be dubious.)
- From looking at the map, I wondered why they didn't just walk around the Mountains of Ash or the Mountains of Shadow and come in through the conveniently unblocked east side. (In fact, I still wonder that.)
- For the longest time, really could not tell the difference between Sauron and Saruman. Sort of thought one was a nickname of the other--not sure which way. See Strider/Aragorn, above. Also: Denethor and Theoden: I mean, come on. Pick some new favorite consonants.
- The first time I read the book, I quit when Gandalf fell into the pits of Moria. I cried. I cried almost as hard as I cried at Bridge to Terabithia. I stopped there for a while, months, and when I came back I picked up where I left off, which could explain some of the other confusions. Did I mention I was young with poor reading comprehension?
- I still think Pippin and Merry might be the same person. Have you ever seen them in the same room?
- I was pretty sure...well, I should just say it: I was pretty sure Balrogs had wings.
- I thought Farmer Maggot farmed maggots; maybe maggots that grew on mushrooms. Did I mention the poor grooming?
- The subtlety of Aragorn attacking the Black Gates, in order to empty the Fields of Gorgoroth for Frodo's passage, was completely lost on me. I kept shouting at him "just stay behind your high walls!" like he was a character in a horror movie that decided to figure out what that sound in the basement could be.
- The Mouth of Sauron has an unpleasant misunderstanding I would prefer not to discuss.
- Galadriel is creepy.
- Eagles rescuing Frodo and Sam. Couldn't really picture that. I think I only read The Hobbit later. But the idea of Eagles carrying full-size hobbits seemed about as plausible as llamas with lava-resistant hooves prancing in. "The Llamas are coming!"
- And many other things.
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