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Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle
And is this perhaps the mistake that Boromir, Denethor, Eowyn and Gollum all make? To think that they can and should be alone in their lives’ journeys? That they only need rely on themselves? If I’m getting this right, then Eowyn’s ability to recover from this mistake when the others do not bears attention…
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I totally agree with this. Boromir, though part of the Fellowship, seems to be having a journey of his own, as pointed out by Boromir88 in
this CbC post. All the others have agreed to go with Frodo to Mordor despite their fears or any other hesitations, but Boromir alone wanted to go to Minas Tirith. (Well, Aragorn was pretty undecided then, but we can count him out). And then Denethor, after finding out that his son is in grave danger of dying, succumbs to despair and wished to face the situation alone, leaving Pippin waiting outside the chamber and refusing to seek Gandalf's counsel. Gollum, like Boromir, was traveling with Sam and Frodo, but deep inside he has something else in mind, something he could not share with Sam and Frodo because it involved harming them. Good thing Eowyn has chosen to let Merry ride with her, showing that somehow she has desire for company (although they were barely talking to each other).
One pair I have desired to point out for so long is Denethor and Pippin. They are the complete opposites: Denethor being the serious steward who thinks of nothing but his obligation, and Pippin having the mirthful spirit which was being suppressed due to the circumstance he is in. More obvious is the fact that the steward is tall, not only as others see him (physically) but also as he sees himself--after all, he
is the ruling steward of Gondor. Pippin, on the other hand, is small in stature, and has no desire to himself as someone above others, but humbly subjected himself to Denethor's authority. Eventually, as Denethor was being showered with worries to the point of death, Pippin tried to balance this out by suggesting that he consult Gandalf. But Denethor refused and gave in to hopelessness, and so died in the end. Pippin meanwhile survived, for he was confident of the faith he had in Gandalf.