[Child of the 7th Age]

David,

You have said this far better than I could have done. I do see it as pride and desire both for the Ring itself and for what that Ring represents: Frodo's unwillingness to surrender fully to the Authority, his choice to assert his own will. And he continues to question his place in the scheme of things even after the Ring has been destroyed, and he returns to the Shire.

As seen through the prism of Tolkien's Catholic faith, the nature of man is such that Frodo simply could not have thrown the Ring away. In that one sense he can not be "blamed" for his act. Yet the 'failure' is still there, within Frodo's mind and heart, extending even beyond the life of the Ring. Therefore, it must be dealt with. And so Tolkien speaks of "sin" and the need for a place of purgatory.

The thing that confirms Frodo's "failure" is that Tolkien was not sure whether the hobbit would ever find healing within the circles of the world, even within the white shores of Tol Eressea. I've never been able to comprehend that fully and find myself inserting a "happier" ending by painting a mental picture of Frodo's possible "redemption" in the West, just how and when that coming to terms with guilt and sin might happen. (I wonder if I am the only one to do this?) Yet, given the nature of Man, sometimes the images from the Sea Bell comes wafting into my head, and I question whether any healing was really possible within the bounds of Arda, no matter how much I would like to will it to be so.

Perhaps, those critics who berate Tolkien for "happy endings" haven't actually taken time to read the book. Like much of life, the ending of the story is bittersweet, filled with a solemn joy but also uncertainty and loss. I think we read these final chapters again and again because they touch a raw cord in each of our hearts, and remind us of what it is like to be human.

sharon