The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - "You carry the fate of us all, little one."

Boromir88 · 10-15-2004, 12:49 PM

Essex, I couldn't agree with you more, but I think there are two ways that we can look at this.

First, the personal test. It's a person vs. the Ring, a person's own will vs. the will of the ring. Galadriel faced this test, she suceeded, Faramir faced this test, he suceeded. Boromir faced the test, he failed. Frodo, faced this test and he failed. He fell to the power of the ring, he failed the "personal test," but in Frodo's defense who wouldn't have. Anyone, and I MEAN ANYONE, would have failed (excluding Bombadil), if they were in Frodo's situation.

But second, the "personal test" wasn't the "quest" (sorry for the rhyming). The quest was to destroy the ring, and isn't that what Frodo did? He got the ring to Mount Doom creating an oppurtunity for the Ring to be destroyed. Also, as you said, just having Gollum live, helps that quest suceed. Just getting the ring to Mount Doom creates an oppurtunity for the Ring to be destroyed, and it is.

So, if you ask did Frodo fail the "personal test,"- his will against the Ring's, yes he did. But, if you ask, did Frodo fail the quest? No, because the quest was to destroy the ring, he himself didn't destroy it, but he created the oppurtunity for it to be destroyed.

10-15-2004, 12:49 PM	#22
Boromir88 Laconic Loreman Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 7,521	Depends on how you look at it. Essex, I couldn't agree with you more, but I think there are two ways that we can look at this. First, the personal test. It's a person vs. the Ring, a person's own will vs. the will of the ring. Galadriel faced this test, she suceeded, Faramir faced this test, he suceeded. Boromir faced the test, he failed. Frodo, faced this test and he failed. He fell to the power of the ring, he failed the "personal test," but in Frodo's defense who wouldn't have. Anyone, and I MEAN ANYONE, would have failed (excluding Bombadil), if they were in Frodo's situation. But second, the "personal test" wasn't the "quest" (sorry for the rhyming). The quest was to destroy the ring, and isn't that what Frodo did? He got the ring to Mount Doom creating an oppurtunity for the Ring to be destroyed. Also, as you said, just having Gollum live, helps that quest suceed. Just getting the ring to Mount Doom creates an oppurtunity for the Ring to be destroyed, and it is. So, if you ask did Frodo fail the "personal test,"- his will against the Ring's, yes he did. But, if you ask, did Frodo fail the quest? No, because the quest was to destroy the ring, he himself didn't destroy it, but he created the oppurtunity for it to be destroyed.