Matter of choice

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by mormegil

Samwise, the stout hearted, was the only one who said with any certainty what it was he desire, and I believe he did because how simple and innocent his desire is.

Neither as simple, nor innocent, as first appears in my reckoning. I read Sam's exchange with Pippin with Sam not telling all. He was offered a nice little hobbit hole ~ with Rosy in it ~ for his very own. But the stoutheartedness saves him so that his dream does come true. But a minor point as pertains to this question.

Its significance? No less than the success or failure of the mission.

The implication seems to be that Galadriel is the one doing the tempting, but the notion of temptation comes from Boromir, by which he says more about himself than about Galadriel. Aragorn, not Boromir, speaks most truthfully and insightfully about Galadriel. She has not yet passed the test herself, but that does not make her a temptress. It seems to me that she is practicing the art of Osanwë, reading their thoughts and hearts and motives, and the reading thereof necessitates their awareness of what is in their hearts. I would suppose that she is aware of this "by-product", as it were; all the better for them to be aware of their own potential failings.

To have revealed to oneself the (perhaps ugly) truth about oneself is not the same as being tempted. In Boromir's case, he was unable to resist the temptation that was already in his heart, and his nailbiting is because he is now aware of that which was already there, as his owrds in the Council of Elrond show.