LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 05 - A Conspiracy Unmasked

[Thinlómien]

So, random thoughts about this chapter:

1. The Narrator tells us the Bucklanders were no different from the folk of the Shire except in their relationship to boats and swimming. This seems quite contradictory with other parts of their introduction - Buckland seems a lot more hierarchial than say Hobbiton and its surroundings, and the Bucklanders seem more conscious of their own history and the outside world too.

2. Maybe the contrast between Buckland and the old Shire is so strong also because we are introduced to them under entirely different circumstances. We first come to Hobbiton on a beautiful day and celebrate a birthday party. Buckland, on the other hand, we arrive to in the dark, on the run, chased by the Black Riders. I bet Hobbiton would seem a little creepy too if we only saw it after sunset with the Nazgûl on our tail.

3. Random note: I always felt for Frodo very much when he feels sorry he's not actually moving to Crickhollow and that his friends went through so much trouble to make it home. This is of course alleviated later in the chapter when it turns out Frodo's friends know exactly what's going on.

4. Can't quote now, but Merry speaks as if Crickhollow was not to be just Frodo's new home but rather some sort of a bachelor commune. Seriously, three bathtubs?

5. I love this chapter as a portrayal of (and an ode to?) friendship. I bet there's a lot of discussion of that on his thread already and I don't feel like I have anything interesting to add - just, the Conspiracy getting unmasked always warms my heart very much, and I always related to poor Frodo in this chapter.

6. In Three Is Company, I pointed out Pippin's attitude towards Sam - jovial, teasing and a little patronizing. It goes on here, and I'm not entirely sure I like it. Sam never reacts to Pippin's quips in any way, which makes me think he's not entirely comfortable with them.

7. Is there a separate thread for Frodo's dreams? I hope so, because they are very fascinating.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

The Narrator tells us the Bucklanders were no different from the folk of the Shire except in their relationship to boats and swimming. This seems quite contradictory with other parts of their introduction - Buckland seems a lot more hierarchial than say Hobbiton and its surroundings, and the Bucklanders seem more conscious of their own history and the outside world too.

Certainly they are closer to the borders and all; but I don't think the hierarchical part applies, really. I mean, yes, they are; while Hobbiton is more of a "bourgeoise suburb" (or rather, "urb" - there is nothing it would be "sub" to), there is the sort of "feudal" organisation here; nonetheless, it is by no means unique. If nothing else, the Tooks are the same, if not more so - tradition, nobility (the Thain), military. The Shire is a mixture of those, and who knows how things are in the places we have never visited (Northfarthing, Westfarthing. Southfarthing sounds like a patch of land parcelled among several big capitalists).

Originally Posted by Lommy

Random note: I always felt for Frodo very much when he feels sorry he's not actually moving to Crickhollow and that his friends went through so much trouble to make it home. This is of course alleviated later in the chapter when it turns out Frodo's friends know exactly what's going on.

Indeed. For that matter, it is really fascinating that they went through so much trouble even though they knew it wasn't going to last very long. I can imagine many people, even friends, would still act in such a situation more like "ugh, this bookshelf is so heavy, we don't have to drag it all the way to the back of the futhermost room like it was in Bag End, let's just dump it here by the door and be done with it, Frodo is going to stay here only for a few days at most anyway".

On top of that, can you imagine that Merry had everything prepared also for the journey?!? A very effective conspiracy, indeed!

Speaking of which, I was also reminded why I always sort of liked Merry the most of all the Hobbits (at least on first sight). He is obviously super-clever and also acts according to that, and you can see it here in full.

Also, funny thing: the whole secrecy and preparation reminded me of how I felt only a couple of weeks back, when me and few other friends were preparing several surprise events for another friend who was about to get married. Now I kind of feel like I could imagine Merry and co.'s feelings when they were preparing the whole conspiracy business.

Originally Posted by Lommy

In Three Is Company, I pointed out Pippin's attitude towards Sam - jovial, teasing and a little patronizing. It goes on here, and I'm not entirely sure I like it. Sam never reacts to Pippin's quips in any way, which makes me think he's not entirely comfortable with them.

Yes, I felt sorry for Sam sometimes in places like these and I got the feeling that he is the sort of equivalent of the kid in a group of schoolfriends who always stands in the back and sometimes even his friends are mean to him.

Originally Posted by Lommy

Is there a separate thread for Frodo's dreams? I hope so, because they are very fascinating.

They certainly are. And now I remembered that there is quite a lot about them in HOME, in the Treason of Isengard, because they had been rewritten and switched and some were originally part of some super-creepy and cool things which didn't make it to the book (like, I think this particular dream about climbing up a hill and hearing the sea and thunder was, if I am not mistaken, somehow related to the episode when Gandalf and Fatty Bolger - whom Gandalf had saved from the Black Riders at Crickhollow - were defending themselves against the Riders in the White Towers, kind of like in the later version Gandalf would fight the Nazgul at Weathertop).

Speaking of Fatty: I think he is once again an interesting and slightly omitted character, and if you look at it, he certainly didn't suffer any less than the others. (I recall Esty had once written some nice fanfiction which kind of elaborated on it very nicely... I think it remained unfinished? It was here on the 'Downs, or at least a link somewhere.) But it is true that he is a bit of an afterthought also in the chapter, because he does not say anything until almost the end. Which is kind of a pity.

[Boromir88]

'A Conspiracy Unmasked.' What a great name for this chapter.

The name, and use of labeling Merry, Sam, Pippin and Fatty as 'conspirators' makes it sound negative. That's what one usually thinks of when there is a conspiracy. However, the conspiracy that gets unmasked turns out to reveal the strongest bonds of friendship between the hobbits. We see indeed what Tolkien meant about hobbits being tough and difficult to daunt in the prologue. None of the hobbits can possibly know the dangers they have chosen to go walking into, but fear of the unknown peril is not strong enough to turn their back on a friend in need.

Merry as the head conspirator winds up revealing he knows almost as much about the Ring as Frodo. Frodo has all the knowledge that Gandalf told him, but Merry caught Bilbo using it to avoid the S-B's. And he may not know that this is the most powerful of rings, but he knows the Enemy is hunting Frodo because of the Ring, a former treasure of Bilbo's.

This is the irksome part of the movies. I have no problem with condensing the time in the Shire down and introducing Merry and Pippin joining Frodo and Sam at Maggot's. I do think it's a shame Merry and Pippin get characterized as funny sidekicks for comedic relief. Pippin is the youngest hobbit, and shows he has a lot of growing up to do throughout the journey, but Merry is Frodo's closest friend. I can't imagine Frodo getting through this early stage of the book without Merry's knowledge and calm, cool demeanor.