This is a chapter full of ominous foreboding, though nothing actually happens. Frodo, Sam and Gollum leave the brief haven of Henneth Annûn, speaking a few last words with Faramir and provided with the gift of walking sticks. Parting with him leaves them with a feeling of loss of light, and the darkness deepens throughout the chapter, going from shade under the trees to night to a dark day. The hobbits experience a feeling of uneasiness, due mostly to Gollum’s air of secrecy. The oppressive stillness is shown by the fact that there is more description and narrative than conversation.
I noticed a few interesting details upon rereading this relatively short chapter; they may give us some ideas for discussion, and perhaps you have noticed others to add to the mix. One concerns Faramir – despite not having slept, he does not look weary. Is there a reason for that? It seems more like an Elven characteristic than a human one. There is also the matter of the walking sticks –
Quote:
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…a virtue has been set upon them of finding and returning.
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Who has the ability of imparting that kind of virtue? Does the wood itself have some special property? Do you think this virtue played a role in the ultimate success of their journey?
What do you make of Sam’s dream? It involves his garden, no surprise, but also his pipe – any significance to that? (No, I am
not thinking in Freudian terms!
)
Some things are told, yet not explained – what causes the rumbling they hear and feel? More Oliphaunts? Mount Doom? Drums?
At the very end of the chapter there is a glimpse of light that stands out in all this darkness – the stone king’s head, with its live crown. Yet the hope it gives (“They cannot conquer forever!” ) lasts only briefly before darkness returns. (This image seems to be etched into the readers’ imaginations, for it was one much discussed before the movie was released.)
Is this a chapter you read through quickly, impatiently, to get to the action later on? Do you savour the descriptions? What feeling do you get when you read it?