LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 03 - The Ring goes South

[Tuor of Gondolin]

""It is rash to be too sure, yet I think that we may hope now that the Ringwraiths were scattered, and have been obliged to return as best they could to their Master in Mordor, empty and shapeless. If that is so, it will be some time before they can begin the hunt again."
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Despite Elrond's worry about rashness, it's always seemed to me that the more
prudent course would have been to leave within a week or two. This would have
given enough time for scouting in the immediate vicinity, and left much less time
for the nazgul to regroup, inform Sauron of events, and perhaps lay new traps for
Frodo and friends.

[Aiwendil]

This chapter provides us with what I think is one of the key examples of Jackson's failure to appreciate the reasons for which Tolkien was so succesful. I speak of Saruman's spell, causing the storm on Caradhras. To Jackson's way of thinking, the storm is a waste if it does not stem directly from the plot, hence he feels the need to motivate it through Saruman. But in the book the storm has the important function of providing depth, and thus believability, to Middle-earth.

As with the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs, we find that not all evil can be directly traced to Sauron. But more than that, it characterizes Middle-earth. For Tolkien, as some have observed elsewhere, the physical landscape is itself a kind of character. It has its own personality (or personalities); it can aid or obstruct our protagonists; it is a real presence that must be dealt with, the same as any character. The story of the attempted passage of Caradhras is the story of the defeat of a powerful wizard, a king, a warrior, an elf, a dwarf, and four hobbits by nature itself. It's foreshadowed earlier in the chapter:

When winter first begins to bite
and stones crack in the frosty night
when pools are black and trees are bare
'tis evil in the Wild to fare.

Note the capitalized "Wild".

[Boromir88]

I had thought that Sauron or maybe the Witch-king stirred up the storms on Caradhras. Aiwendil, if I'm taking what you said wrong, then please correct me, but here's what I mean...

I speak of Saruman's spell, causing the storm on Caradhras.

And here's what I think would make me realize Sauron or the WK caused the storm.

The Ring goes South
"I wonder if this is a contrivance of the Enemy," said Boromir "They say in my land that he can govern the storms in the Mountains of Shadow that stand upon the borders of Mordor. He has strange powers and many allies."
"His arm has grown long indeed," said Gimli, "if he can draw snow down from the North to trouble us here three hundred leagues away."
"His arm has grown long," said Gandalf.

Here we have Boromir saying, Sauron stirs storms in the mountains around Mordor. Gimli says Sauron's arms grown long if he can trouble Caradhras and the mountains so far, and Gandalf says "his arm has grown long." To me that suggests, Gandalf believes Sauron is troubling the storms. Now, Gandalf isn't always right, so Aiwendil, I would love to see where you found how Saruman stirred the storms, because I could be missing something.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Interesting citations by Boromir, but I've been inclined towards Aiwendil's
views of Caradhras and the autonomous Middle-earth forces (for good and ill),
and also with distaste for PJ's having Saruman "control" Caradhras, for reasons
cited by A. above.

Gandalf's reply is actually somewhat ambiguous, also, he is Gandalf the
Grey, with incomplete knowledge of facts. And remember the false rumors
of Rohan's voluntarily sending horses to Sauron.

A quote indicating Caradhras's generally autonomous nasty nature:

'Caradhras was called the Cruel, and had an ill name,' said Gimli, 'long years ago, when rumour of Sauron had not been heard in these lands.'

And a (possible) hint that Caradhras has its own agenda for causing snow,
apart from Sauron's:

It is the ill will of Caradhras. He does not love Elves and Dwarves, and the drift was laid to cut off our escape.

And it's interesting to see what an active (positive) role Boromir has in this
chapter, (without even scooping up the ring).

[Encaitare]

Boromir, what Aiwendil meant was that in the movie FotR, it was Saruman who was causing the snow to fall on Caradhras, not in the book.

[Aiwendil]

Boromir88 wrote:

Now, Gandalf isn't always right, so Aiwendil, I would love to see where you found how Saruman stirred the storms, because I could be missing something.

As Encaitare said, I was referring to the change Peter Jackson made. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

Tuor identified some reasons to think that the snow storm was not caused by Sauron; I agree with these. Of course, it's never made entirely clear. And that contributes somewhat to the realism.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

But anywhen . . .

Notice Frodo's use of the phrase "I do" when Elrond asked him to reafirm his commitment to be Ringbearer? I might just be the better choice of words, but it eerily sounds like Frodo is binding himself to the Ring in marriage.