Though the quest of the Ring was completed several chapters ago, this chapter is in many ways the culmination of the story! At least it is that for the four hobbits. In contrast to Bilbo’s return from the Lonely Mountain, this “back again” is not unmarred as his was (save for some silver spoons, of course).
The contrast to the home they left a year earlier is shown by many details – Tolkien does this masterfully!
Two-storied houses; narrow, straight-sided windows, with little light showing; an abundance of rules in a formerly almost anarchic, benevolent society – this is not the Shire as they knew it and we remember it from the first chapter of the book. We see the side-effects of evil wherever we look – ugliness and dirt are described throughout the chapter. Let’s collect some of those mentions!
Hobbit turns against Hobbit – again, an almost unprecedented turn of events (and one which reminds me of similar spying and betrayal in the days of East Germany). Interestingly, this pattern can be broken by individualizing the persons involved, as we see Merry and Sam doing with Hob Hayward and Robin Smallburrow.
Despite the seriousness of the issues and lives involved, there are many comical moments in this chapter – we are returning to the ‘normal’ plane of the hobbits’ lives after having been in the ‘heights’ so long. Their humour shows in many delightful turns of phrases; doesn’t that give you the feeling of putting things into perspective? This is dangerous, yes, and lives are even lost, but compared to the past adventures and dangers, they can afford to make light of the threats. Which are your favourite funny quotes?
There is great emphasis on the feeling of “united we stand” – doing something by all getting angry together. The Men are shown to be cowardly when faced by weapons and determined opposition. I’m also reminded yet again of Éowyn’s words that those who do not have a sword can still die by one when Merry speaks up concerning Frodo’s reluctance to have any killing done:
Quote:
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You won’t rescue… the Shire, just by being shocked and sad…
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Very true, as much as I sympathize with Frodo’s concern.
Farmer Cotton turns out to be an important character in this chapter; I don’t remember if he was mentioned earlier in the FotR – did Tolkien develop him and his family more to give Rosie a bit more background? The romance between Sam and Rosie is only hinted at – did you notice that when you first read the book, or was it too subtle? We also encounter the Gaffer again. It seems that Rosie is the only one who is impressed by Sam’s adventures in far-away lands; all others are concerned almost exclusively with the things that affect them directly.
Sharkey is only mentioned until the end of the chapter, a method that makes him seem more threatening because he’s mysterious. Did you suspect his true identity when reading this the first time? Why do you think he chose to revenge himself on the Shire? Did he realize that he was no longer great enough to be a threat to other, stronger realms? Did he think to strike Gandalf through the hobbits that the latter loved? The choice of his object of revenge shows, more than anything else, how deep he has fallen by this time. Even when there is no longer gain in it for him, he continues for the sake of sheer destruction.
We discover that the Hobbits are not all good – there are few, perhaps, who choose freely to cooperate with ‘Sharkey’, but they are there. What do you think motivates Ted Sandyman, for example? What do we find out about Lotho’s reasons? Was the cooperation of a number of Hobbits the reason the others did not rebel, so as not to fight against their own kind?
Tolkien shows the illogical aspects of industrialization – having mills that could grind more grain, but not having more grain to grind! We see pollution being caused by the invasion of modern machinery and again the side effects of dirt, ugliness, and shoddy craftsmanship (bricks poorly laid, for example).
Finally, Frodo shows that he has learned mercy; he will not allow Saruman to be killed, not even after seeing all the horrors he has caused right at the heart of his home. One thing about their encounter seems inexplicable to me – why does Saruman attempt to kill Frodo? What does he think to accomplish by that act? How do you feel about Wormtongue in this passage – do you pity or loath him?
The tension has built throughout the chapter, moving from Saruman’s underlings to bigger and more important troops to the final encounter with him. The enemy is dead, but what he has done still remains. The end of the chapter is not triumphant, but grimly realistic.