[Child of the 7th Age]

Littlmanpoet and Stone of Vision -- Guess what? Faramir is also my "third favorite" character after Frodo and Sam. And that is saying a lot, since I tend to be partial to elves, hobbits, and other non-human characters.

What fascinates me about Faramir, among other things, is how closely Tolkien identified with him. And I feel that identification affected not only Faramir, but also the role of his brother Boromir in the story. In one of his Letters, Tolkien denies he is like Gandalf in response to a query and instead asserts that the character he is most like is Faramir (though the author claims not to have the latter's courage.)

Tolkien had a recurring dream in life where a huge wave overcomes an island, obviously a reference to Numenor/Atlantis. His son Michael had this very same recurring dream about the Great Wave, even though he had no knowledge of the dream by his father. (A little strange, no?) Anyways, it is this dream which he gives to Faramir in the story. It is also Faramir, the only character in the book, who stands up with his men before a meal and faces West. As he explains to Frodo, this is to face towards Elvenhome and Valinor and remember the great ones who live there. The way this is phrased, and I don't have the book beside me this minute, it is, in effect, a prayer. Frodo hangs his head and says he "feels rustic" and inadequate after hearing this explanation of what is obviously a very spiritual thing since his own culture had nothing like this. How interesting that Faramir, whom Tolkien identified with, should be the only character to have this overt religious expression! Also like Tolkien, both Faramir and his bride Eowyn were motherless.

Tolkien was an enormously private person and for him to admit his identification with Faramir in writing is, I believe, quite revealing. I think Faramir walked right out of Tolkien's subconscious. Again, in the Letters, Tolkien says: "A new character has come on the scene (I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking out of the woods of Ithilien) Faramir, the brother of Boromir...." So if Faramir says he can see an elvish look about Frodo, you can bet your boots that the author is saying he sees it too!

Given Tolkin's identification with the character, Faramir's limitations also intrigue me, especially his suspicions of Gollum and how his archers almost make an end to him. In this instance, as contrasted with the prayers before dining scene, it is Frodo who comes over as the more sensitive and compassionate.

Now, in the Letters, while Tolkien goes on and on at length in several places about Faramir--he barely mentions his brother Boromir. At one point, Tolkien gives a spirited defense of Faramir's relationship with Eowyn. There are a scant 4 references to Boromir in the entire letters. So I think there is something personal going on here. Tolkien truly liked Faramir and identified with him and, by contrast, I believe, he truly disliked his counter-ego Boromir. I think that duality strongly affects how these two characters come over in the book. Iwould say it is one of the things that makes Boromir's "repentence" less convincing.

I agree that PJ's Boromir is a lot "nicer" than JRRT's, but I think that has a lot to do with how Tolkien viewed Faramir whom he sympathetically described in the Letters as having "a bossy brother" and a "stern proud father." And I'm afraid I have a feeling closer to JRRT than PJ on this one, though it made for a great scene in the movie! sharon the 7th age hobbit

[ May 20, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[ May 20, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]