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Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
The title of this chapter seems to foreshadow Frodo's alias in FotR!
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Perhaps that's where Gandalf got the idea for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
We also meet the primary foes of LotR here, the goblins/orcs. They are more dangerous than the trolls, of course, especially since they are said to be intelligent in their own way, but it's early in this tale and they seem to be less important here than in the Middle-earth we see later.
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In this case the goblins don't seem to be serving anyone but themselves, certainly with no thought to Sauron (who oddly enough was recuperating in his 'summer home' not too far away). To me that's a sign that they served him only out of fear, and that in his absence were mainly disposed to lower-case 'evil': kidnapping, looting, pillaging, and so forth, as opposed to Sauron's megalomaniac obsession with world domination.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
How do you see Gandalf's actions in this episode? Can Fili and Kili be blamed for saying the cave is safe when even the wizard couldn't find anything suspicious on closer examination?
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Well, if Gandalf missed the danger, I don't think anyone would have said anything to Fili and Kili. Personally, I like seeing Gandalf make occasional mistakes. It reaffirms his essential humanity, and distances him from such lofty 'angels' as Manwë and Ulmo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
How would our reading of this chapter be different if we didn't always have the thought of LotR in the back of our minds?
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Well, the first-time reader would possibly be more concerned that the goblins would recapture at least some of the group, and the Ring would not be in his mind at all. He might also at this point be getting a little tired of Gandalf always being there to save the day, not knowing how soon that would change.