[Fordim Hedgethistle]

The only point that I would like to make about this chapter is that, for me, it is genuinely productive of eucatastrophe. I remember very clearly my first experience of the book and reading of the approach of the ships up the Anduin. I was convinced that it wal all over and that the corsairs had come but then lo! out comes Aragorm (with the banner of Arwen, yes yes Esty) and like a miracle the tide of battle is turned.

This is a triumph of two things: first, of Aragorn's skill as a leader. All that he has done and said to this moment has led to this moment. He has returned (it's happened, the King has returned) and he has done so to save his city -- wow wow and again, wow. Just as the hand of Eru/providence will intrude into the story at the Crack of Doom as reward for Frodo and Sam's endurance, so too does Aragorn intrude into the story of Gondor -- which as Denethor has long realised is a story of defeat -- as a reward for their endurance. And this is why I think that Tolkien makes sure that Denethor is so problematic: for the return of the King is not the result of the steadfast adherence to an ideal of the nobility but of the unrelenting, silent and unnamed courage and fealty of the people. Throughout the battle we see that it is the common soldier who must be heartened by Gandalf or inspired to fight on. I mean, by and large the leaders don't do so well: Faramir is felled, Theoden dies, Eowyn and Merry are removed from the field of battle -- sure they all do great things, but they're not the ones who turn the tide: it's the common soldiers, lead by and inspired by their King. Aragorn does not win the battle, he leads his followers to victory -- an important point, insofar as it is the people who will recognise him as Elessar thus making him King.

The other thing that makes this productive of that sudden joyous turn, for me, is the craft and art of Tolkien. He has crafted a truly ripping yarn indeed, having left Aragorn's story incomplete a while back, and carefully managed the narrative to this point, it's easy to forget that Aragorn is on his way: with everyone saying "where's Rohan" it distracts us from the real question of "where's the King?" So when it happens its as big a surprise for the reader as it is for the characters in the tale: a not-incosiderable feat. In this way, it's not just the hand of Eru we see at work, but the hand of the writer.

And just to round out HI's excellent observation about the giveaway at the end of this chapter. With that song that will be "later made" and sung for years about the victory, the story acknowleges that the good side is going to win: it gives the game away. But that's all part of the eucatastrophe again insofar as this moment acknowleges that Aragorn's miraculous return is not just a moment in a battle, but the definite turning point in history; everything has changed because of this, forever.

Perhaps the greatest testimony to Tolkien's story-telling ability is that this moment is so soon forgotten and we are once again on the edge of our seats with Frodo and Sam, hoping that things will turn out all right for them!