LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 10 - The Breaking of the Fellowship

[davem]

Originally Posted by B88

Lastly, Davem, I understand your internal and external voices, it's sort of that "battle of good vs. evil" we all have in our hearts at times. Whether to do the "right" thing or the "wrong" thing. However, could you please elaborate more on how you feel Boromir as a personified Frodo? Yes, Boromir did try and sieze the Ring, but I think Boromir was just acting as a normal man would, or as most men would. If you would please, could you sort of explain more how Boromir is a personified Frodo, because right now at this stage, I don't see as if Frodo wants to sieze the Ring for himself, or want to cast down Sauron with it and have armies flock to his banner. I think that's a little too deep reading, but maybe if you elaborate more I will begin to understand

Ok, maybe I was pushing it a bit too far. My point though was just that at that point for Frodo Boromir seems to fulfil the role of all the fears & desires that he is attempting to fight against. He takes on the role of Frodo's 'Shadow', the aspect(s) of himself that he has supressed, refused to acknowledge, & is attempting to overcome.

In other words, Boromir is both himself, son of the Steward of Gondor, a man fighting his own inner battle with the Ring, and for Frodo, a symbol of his own dark side. What comes through for me in this chapter is that the battle is being fought by so many of the characters on an outer & an inner field. As so many critics say, LotR is a battle between Good & Evil, between absolute BLACK & absolute WHITE with no 'grey areas', but its fought between the Good & the Evil, the Black & White within the individual as much as by Good individuals & Bad individuals.

So, for Frodo its as if that 'Evil/Black' side of himself has taken on a physical form & his internal 'battle' has become an external one.

Not so much that Boromir is Frodo, but that he symbolises that aspect of Frodo which up to that point he has tried to keep repressed. Frodo may not have realised he has the kind of desires you're attributing to Boromir, but I can't help suspecting they are already there, deep down.