I think this is right; eucatastrophe is presented in "On Fairy-Stories" as a
structural element of the story. Tolkien calls it:
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the sudden "turn" (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale)
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He's proposing it as an alternative to an ending, of which there
can't be more than one. On the other hand, I agree with Maril's point-of-view argument as well, precisely because Tolkien points out that a fairy-tale doesn't end, but goes on beyond the borders of the picture into lots of things we don't know about. LotR is several (strongly interwoven) stories, and each one has (or should have, I haven't taken inventory of them just yet) its own mini-eucatastrophe.
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Is it a personal eucatastrophe for Boromir that he died well? It certainly brings wonder to me, especially the way Aragron, Legolas and Gimli honor him. ... Boromir is again seen to be honored, having died well. Is that the glimpse of truth, that he is somehow redeemed by dying in the defense of Merry and Pippin?
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Maybe... I might choose, instead, the moment Pippin remembered him and committed himself to Denethor. Selfishness and altruism lost in love... Pippin is partly spurred by (selfish) pride to this arguably altrustic moment, because of his love for Boromir. Boromir's fall to the ring and the orcs and his (partial) responsibility for breaking of the Fellowship are not a failure, even though he failed to protect the hobbits, because Pippin is substituting for the hope that Boromir would have liked to have brought to his city.
On the other hand, this is a not really a moment of joy, but of deep apprehension, so perhaps it doesn't fit as well as yours, lmp.
--Belin Ibaimendi
[ August 21, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]