Quote:
'Are you in pain, Frodo?' said Gandalf quietly as he rode by Frodo's side.
'Well, yes I am,' said Frodo. 'It is my shoulder. The wound aches, and the memory of darkness is heavy on me. It was a year ago today.'
'Alas! there are some wounds that cannot be wholly cured,' said Gandalf.
'I fear it may be so with mine,' said Frodo. 'There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?'
Gandalf did not answer.
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Were this real life, Gandalf’s answer may have been just as non-existent, as what Frodo is suffering from is incredibly difficult to cure. I’ve written about it before, but I have to say again that I think he is clearly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; I recognise the symptoms he is displaying in myself.
This exchange takes place on the anniversary of Frodo’s wounding, and he experiences the pain all over again; it is common for the pain of an old wound to resurface when memories of the original trauma are prompted. In addition, the date is of great significance to Frodo and he mentions “the memory of darkness”. It is the psychological damage that has affected him the most.
Later, he finds it difficult to travel past Weathertop. Had he been alone, I am certain he would have gone out of his way to avoid the place; I feel the same way about the place where I met with disaster. It might seem odd that Frodo quickly forgets how he had been in a depressed mood and yet remembers that it is the anniversary of his wounding, but this is yet another symptom of the condition, having little short term memory through long periods focussing on memories of the initial trauma.
Frodo’s distress quickly clears, but just as quickly descends once again as another memory is triggered by Weathertop. Again this is a classic symptom of PTSD; emotions can suddenly rise or decline according to trigger points.
What is most sad about Frodo’s condition is that he sees no end to it. The phrase “there is no real going back” is incredibly accurate, as there really is no going back from a condition like that; the initial trauma is amplified in the mind as a turning point, as an unwanted epiphany. The whole personality can do an about turn after such events, even for those who do not end up with PTSD (which thankfully does not affect all who go through trauma).
One of the ways of combating the condition is said to be talking about the trauma as much as possible immediately afterwards, as this helps to avoid the events being internalised and surfacing a few months down the line as a real psychological illness. Frodo is notably quiet about what happened to him, and not only that, but he keeps on at his mission and meets up with more traumatic incidents, only serving to deepen his troubles. The burden he has carried has not just been the Ring, it has not just been the responsibility of the future of Middle-earth, or the responsibility for Sam (and Gollum), it has been his own trauma which he has never had the chance to work through. It is not surprising that he made off alone after what happened at Amon Hen.
There is no real cure for all who suffer from this. Therapy can work in some cases, in others only time heals the wounds. Some are never the same again. So when Gandalf does not answer, it may be that instead of thinking about the Grey Havens, he genuinely does not have an answer at that time. When Frodo does eventually go to the Grey Havens, it seems he may be about to get some peace from his suffering, but I wonder whether he is running away from the pain?
Do I think Tolkien intended it to appear that Frodo had PTSD? No. Tolkien probably did not know of the condition in terms of the definition it has today; but he will certainly have seen all the symptoms displayed in colleagues who suffered ”shell shock” (aka PTSD) during WWI.