Kate Neville
Well-Known Member
Thoughts on why only Gandalf is present when Frodo wakes up.
The first and simplest reason (which I think was touched on during the discussion) is structural -- the scene makes a nice parallel to the conversation in The Shadow of the Past, the chapter which truly begins the action of Book One, if one thinks of A Long-Expected Party as essentially a prologue to the 'real' story.
The other reason might be connected to the interior monologue JRRT gives Gandalf just before he explains what happened at the Ford: "He is not half through yet, and to what he will come in the end not even Elrond can foretell. Not to evil, I think." This line struck me on my very first reading (decades ago), as it says something about Frodo's character which could not be articulated until that point.
After all, no one could be sure what effect that Morgul blade would have on Frodo: would he be 'Gollum-ized' in any way, groping for the Ring and looking at everyone else in suspicion? Gandalf had seen Bilbo nearly succumb to the Ring -- and Bilbo had not been pierced with a Morgul blade. Elrond may be the greatest healer in Middle-earth, but he does not know Frodo at all; only Gandalf is equipped to judge Frodo's spiritual health, and he would want to be alone when he did so. I expect that Gandalf was relieved when Frodo's first words were "Where am I, and what is the time?" rather than "Where am I, and where's my Ring?"
[Parenthetically, I hope the new Amazon series incorporates an episode of Morgul-blade stabbing -- imagine having to kill your best friend to keep him from becoming wraithified!]
[And I do miss not being able to join the discussion live--lots of great input from everyone.]
The first and simplest reason (which I think was touched on during the discussion) is structural -- the scene makes a nice parallel to the conversation in The Shadow of the Past, the chapter which truly begins the action of Book One, if one thinks of A Long-Expected Party as essentially a prologue to the 'real' story.
The other reason might be connected to the interior monologue JRRT gives Gandalf just before he explains what happened at the Ford: "He is not half through yet, and to what he will come in the end not even Elrond can foretell. Not to evil, I think." This line struck me on my very first reading (decades ago), as it says something about Frodo's character which could not be articulated until that point.
After all, no one could be sure what effect that Morgul blade would have on Frodo: would he be 'Gollum-ized' in any way, groping for the Ring and looking at everyone else in suspicion? Gandalf had seen Bilbo nearly succumb to the Ring -- and Bilbo had not been pierced with a Morgul blade. Elrond may be the greatest healer in Middle-earth, but he does not know Frodo at all; only Gandalf is equipped to judge Frodo's spiritual health, and he would want to be alone when he did so. I expect that Gandalf was relieved when Frodo's first words were "Where am I, and what is the time?" rather than "Where am I, and where's my Ring?"
[Parenthetically, I hope the new Amazon series incorporates an episode of Morgul-blade stabbing -- imagine having to kill your best friend to keep him from becoming wraithified!]
[And I do miss not being able to join the discussion live--lots of great input from everyone.]