Did anyone, like I did when I first read LotR, find themselves fearing that there was no way out for Frodo and Sam when Orodruin started to erupt following the destruction of the Ring and hoping against hope that they would somehow be saved? The sense of relief and joy when Gandalf arrives with the Eagles is immense (and it's probably the reason why I always seem to get very emotional when the Eagles turn up in the films).
To me, the death of Frodo and Sam following the destruction of the Ring would have been unacceptably dire. But the fear that they might lose their lives combined with the joy when they are saved makes for an intensely moving experience (some might even call it Eucatastrophic
). I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that way.
It is surely no surprise that Tolkien, as a natural and masterful story-teller, should have written it the way that he did.