Which characters out of the books do you wish had fallen in love?

[Child of the 7th Age]

This is Sharon back again. I appreciate your positive comments. I wish, oh I wish, it could be otherwise, but I really believe Tolkien meant for Frodo to sail out of Grey Havens to receive healing there.

With all the visions he experienced and the obvious gentleness of his soul, Frodo was one of a kind. Gandalf tells him he has been chosen but never says who does the choosing. With what we know of Tolkien and his legndarium, it's pretty clear to the reader that Eru Iluvatar has picked Frodo as his instrument. Of course, Frodo is free to accept or reject the offer, just as he is free to succeed in the quest or to fail. Being picked for something like this is no picnic. There is a price to pay, and Frodo pays it with some fear and anguish, but relatively little outwardly voiced complaint.

I guess this is why he is my favorite character; his spiritual struggles speak more to me than the outward physical battles of his companions. Oh, yes, there's one other reason why it seems unlikely Frodo would have found a kindred female soul in Middle-Earth. From Elija Wood's admittedly gorgeous portrayal, one gets the definite impression of Frodo being quite young. But, from the book, we know that isn't the case. Frodo got the Ring the day he came of age, which is 33 for hobbits, and then waited years for Gandalf to return and actually set off on the quest. I believe it was 17 years; in any case, he was definitely over 50--Pippin, Merry, and Sam were much younger. Even though the Ring preserves a person, and hobbits live longer than humans, Elijah's Frodo looked much younger than the Frodo in Tolkien's writings. (I understand why they did this for the movie, but it does leave the viewer with a different impression than the book.)

So Frodo, who loved to take long walks and was rumored to have spoken with elves, was no ordinary hobbit. Like Bilbo, Frodo had been on his own for many years; he enjoyed a close group of friends younger than he was. He was a definite non-conformist, and I cherish him for that!

[ April 04, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]