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Old 01-05-2004, 02:46 PM   #4
Kalimac
Candle of the Marshes
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Flyover Country
Posts: 780
Kalimac has just left Hobbiton.
1420!

Well, for one thing, Faramir originally made his "not if I found it in the highway would I take it" remark before he had any idea that he would come within shouting distance of the Ring itself. This sounds realistic enough to me; he dislikes the idea of using Sauron's own equipment to fight him, and he's not being immediately tempted by it. Boromir takes a practical-minded approach that any weapon in a desperate situation is a good one; Faramir is more introspective, it's just in his character.

It's worth pointing out also that Aragorn seems to hold out against the idea of using the Ring pretty well also, and nobody ever said it was "easy" for him - he just thought it was the right thing to do, and did it. Faramir was probably the same way - we don't *know* that his refusal to take the Ring didn't bother him, or give him some sleepless nights, but like Aragorn, he refused because he thought it was the right thing to do. Faramir also had comparatively minimal exposure to the Ring - even with Boromir, who was more naturally disposed to use it, it took several months before he succumbed to temptation, and Faramir was only near it for a few days. Furthermore, I'm not even sure if he ever actually saw the Ring (though I might be wrong about that); certainly he never touched it.

Considering those circumstances, and Faramir's temperament, I'd say his refusal is realistic. "Easy" is perhaps a bit much, but then, just because Faramir doesn't make a big show of it doesn't mean he wasn't at least slightly tempted. He's just good at controlling himself [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]. Surely the filmmakers could have depicted him just hesitating slightly, or something subtle to show that regardless of his convictions, it was hard to give it up without a second thought. There must have been better and quicker ways to do that than having him go all Weak!Faramir and drag the hobbits all the way to Osgiliath, for crying out loud.
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