LotR -- Book 5 - Chapter 01 - Minas Tirith

[Lathriel]

Note about the opening. It starts right from where the third book left off. With this I think Tolkien wanted to make it clear that LOTR is indeed one book and not three like some people think it is.

Merry and Pippin were minor characters in the other books but in this one they are drawn into the foreground. Of course in this chapter it is Pippin. I really like that because before the reader wasn't given much of a chance to learn much.
When first reading LOTR I really got to like Pippin in this chapter. I already liked him before but in this chapter I liked seeing how he matured.

When he first came to power Denethor might have accepted the fact that as a steward he wouldn't be the main power in Minas Tirith all his life. But as he got older and no heir appeared he might have begun to think of himself as the "King". Than when he began to look in the Palantir I think Sauron took advantage of this thought or belief and used it to bring Denethor under his spell. Eventually I am sure that Sauron also used Boromir's death to break Denethor. Overall it is a nasty business.

When I read the description of Gondor I immediatly got the impression that the city was in its decline and that all its inhabitants know it too. Faramir mentioned it in Ithilien as well and part of his hope was to see the city restored to its former glory. This state of decay makes the need for victory even more urgent. Or at least that was the feeling I got (which made me read faster ). If evil isn't defeated quickly it could succeed.

The fact that Mordor's shadow is growing rapidly is noticed by everybody's behaviour. It can be noticed by how suspicious the guards at the gate are towards Pippin. Also through this whole chapter there is an stifling atmosphere created by the way things are described and how people act. This chapter saddens me too because it is obvious that Gondor was glorious, and that the decay is now spreading quickly. Actually Moria gives me this same feeling as well. The sadness due to the loss of something great.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

I'm not sure that impulsive is the right word to use. Certainly, Pippin is curious and outspoken, but he has come a long way from the "ridiculous young Took who was giving a comic account of Bilbo's farewell party" at the Prancing Pony. Pippin is now much more wary of his own speech and actions. He must be careful in talking to Denethor, and he is mindful of himself during his meal with the Third Company. He has matured a great deal, and I think his encounter with the Palantír helped a great deal with this. To me, your examples seem more like the normal actions of his personality: friendly, outspoken, almost too bold, but impulsive? I'm not so sure. The one action of his that I might call impulsive is his swearing of service, but he seems to have thought about this already, as he states to Ingold.

Pippin certainly seems driven to speak or to act when his pride is slighted. He is laughed about by the men at the Rammas Echor when Gandalf refers to him as a Man. He is at first referred to as a Dwarf, and then his bravery in relation to his size is questioned. This slight on him certainly leads him to be impulsive enough to reveal that Boromir is dead, which Gandalf is not pleased about (though it seems that the men of Gondor are suspicious of this in any case).

Pippin is stirred to speak by his pride, which is not misplaced if we remember what he has been through; he is indignant at the suggestion he is not as brave as any Man. The encounter with the Palantir has not entirely humbled him or he would not act and speak in this way. This is a good thing or Pippin would not have had the sense of pride to be hurt, the memory of having been in great peril, that would eventually prompt him into swearing his oath. Seeing the broken horn seems to stir some great emotion within him and even though he may have had the idea of service, of paying something back for Boromir's death in mind, it takes the catalyst of seeing the broken horn to prompt his oath. I think his growing maturity is more of a process, brought on not just by the Palantir, but by learning just what it means to take an oath and enter into service.

Maybe impulsive is too strong a term, certainly seen in the light of Gollum's impulsiveness in the previous book, but Pippin is certainly not cool and calculated. He is emotionally moved by the sight of Boromir's broken horn in the hands of Denethor, moved by the sight of a father in grief, and coupled with the sense that his own bravery is being questioned, he is prompted to speak and act. In this chapter I think we see that Pippin is very much the young man, in that he wishes to appear capable and brave, but he also wears his feelings on his sleeve and has a great intelligence. Probably more than being impulsive, I think he is simply a little unpredictable, as Gandalf finds out to his pleasant surprise.

a towering bastion of stone, its edge sharp as a ship-keel facing east.

those in the Citadel might, like mariners in a mountainous ship, look from its peak sheer down upon the Gate seven hundred feet below.

the White Tower: tall and shapely, fifty fathoms from its base to the pinnacle, where the banner of the Stewards floated a thousand feet above the plain.

their helms were of strange shape, high-crowned, with long cheek-guards close-fitting to the face, and above the cheek-guards were set the white wings of sea-birds;

With that Gandalf went out; and as he did so, there came the note of a clear sweet bell ringing in a tower of the citadel. Three strokes it rang, like silver in the air, and ceased: the third hour from the rising of the sun.

I noticed the maritime images in this chapter as being quite curious. Does this hark back to the maritime Numenorean heritage of Gondor? Minas Tirith seems to be described as though it is a great ship, moored to Mindolluin. There is no sea for it to sail off into, and its inhabitants do not have the urge to leave it, but it seems as though one of their ancestors' great ships has been moored here for the future generations to dwell in.

Even the ringing of the hourly bell echoes maritime tradition and the uniforms of the guards include sea bird emblems. Is this tradition intentional, to remind them of their past? We even get a hint here of the shape of Numenorean ships; they are not swan-prowed like Elven ships, but are of the shape we are more used to.

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by davem

I also wonder about the symbolism of ‘seven’ here

So have I. But all I can remember is that the number seven is associated with perfection... could it have been the Numenoreans' pride, or their desire?

Originally Posted by davem

Men in ancient armour guard a dead tree while war approaches.

This act appears as folly to me, not to mention a waste of resources. But in a way it shows that despite Gondor's waning, its people hope that there will be a time for renewal, as if they're waiting for the Tree to be somehow resuscitated or a sapling to be found growing off it. And it gives them hope, looking back on the glory of Gondor, being driven by the desire to see the White Tree in bloom again.

[Lalwendë]

Numbers seem to be invested with significance in Arda, just as we invest them with great meaning. Seven is a number with a lot of symbolism. It is a lucky number, it is also significant in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, it numbers those planets/stars/moons in our own system we can see without a telescope. But I think all numbers have their own particular significance within Arda itself, without any reference to how we view them; Tolkien must have been trying to establish a similar history of symbols and symbolism in his own creation.

There are, as far as I can find, several instances of seven being significant. The oldest seems to be Valacirca, the seven stars, which could be the root of all the following symbolism. Then we have the seven fathers of the Dwarves (and the Dwarves are also given seven rings by Sauron), and the seven sons of Feanor. In terms of places, there are seven gates in Gondolin, the seventh being seven hundred (?) feet high, and Minas Tirith is on seven levels, each adding up to seven hundred feet. There are also seven Palantiri.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Minas Tirith has a special place in my Tolkien filled heart. This is because it was the first thing I read of ANY Tolkien related things. And thus it didn't make a lot of sense, but I enjoyed it intensely and it encouraged me to read further.
The opening to this Chapter is what remains in my mind the most.

Originally Posted by Tolkien

Pippin looked out from the shelter of Gandalf's cloak. He wondered if he was awake of still sleeping, still in the swift-moving dream in which he had been wrapped so long since the great ride began. The dark world was rushing by and the wind sang loudly in his ears. He could see nothing but the wheeling of the stars and away to his right vast shadows against the sky where the mountains of the south marched past. Sleepily he tried to reckon the times and stages of their journey, but his memory was drowsy and uncertain.

The Return of the King: Chapter one, Minas Tirith

It always reminds me of why I enjoyed Tolkien. I think this whole chapter, in essence, shows why Tolkien decided to make Gandalf take Pippin along. As I think I mentioned in an earlier chapter, With any imaginary world, there needs to be an ignorant party. Pippin fits this description perfectly. Rather than let Tolkien describe it all in long hand, he allows Pippin to ask all the questions one would in a strange new country, questions like "What is this place", "What is its significance" and of course, "where can we get food".

This is made clear right away from Pippin's first words;
"Where are we, Gandalf?" Allowing Gandalf to explain, rather than the narrative. I was personally amused by Pippins presumption "are there Dragons in this land?" As we all know, a fantasy story is not complete until there are dragons. This made me think back to The Hobbit, and more specifically, its importance on the story. It is obvious that Bilbo's story had had an effect on Pippin, we know that Merry was the only one (besides Bilbo and Frodo) who had seen the manuscript and read it, I assume, Pippin knew the story already and Merry had told him all the extra bits he had read.

I'll think of more to say later.

[davem]

Hobbits & Oath-Taking

In this chapter we have the third (or fourth, if we count Smeagol's) oath of service sworn by a Hobbit. Sam's is, as I pointed out in an earlier thread, the most subtle & the most easily missed:

'Well, Sam!' he said. 'What about it? I am leaving the Shire as soon as ever I can--in fact I have made up my mind now not even to wait a day at Crickhollow, if it can be helped.'
'Very good, sir!'
'You still mean to come with me?'
'I do.'
'It is going to be very dangerous, Sam. It is already dangerous. Most likely neither of us will come back.'
'If you don't come back, sir, then I shan't, that's certain,' said Sam. 'Don't you leave him! they said to me. Leave him! I said. I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon; and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with, I said. They laughed.'
'Who are they, and what are you talking about?
'The Elves, sir. We had some talk last night; and they seemed to know you were going away, so I didn't see the use of denying it. Wonderful folks, Elves, sir! Wonderful!'...
'Do you feel any need to leave the Shire now--now that your wish to see them has come true already?' he asked.
'Yes, sir. I don't know how to say it, but after last night I feel different. I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can't turn back. It isn't to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want--I don't rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me.'
'I don't altogether. But I understand that Gandalf chose me a good companion. I am content. We will go together.''

What we have here is an oath of service sworn not to Frodo, but to the Elves. Frodo accepts Sam's sworn oath, & Sam becomes Frodo's servant. I think its quite significant that Sam's oath is sworn to 'higher' (in his mind at least) beings. The Elves are the nearest thing for Sam to spiritual powers, so his commitment is to something even higher than his friend & Master. Is to something greater, & it is a kind of 'religious' commitment - even if he doesn't understand what he has committed himself to he knows he now has a 'mission'.

Next, we have Frodo's oath:

At last with an effort he spoke, and wondered to hear his own words, as if some other will was using his small voice.
'I will take the Ring,' he said, 'though I do not know the way.'
Elrond raised his eyes and looked at him, and Frodo felt his heart pierced by the sudden keenness of the glance. 'If I understand aright all that I have heard,' he said, 'I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will.

This, again, is an oath sworn not to a particular individual but to a cause, yet it is diferent to Sam's oath in that it is a 'worldly' task, & a very specific one, which Frodo commits himself to. Sam can only struggle to explain what he has committed himself to: 'It isn't to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want--I don't rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire.'

So, Frodo's oath is more simple, because more specific, but more 'binding' because of that. Sam doesn't know what his oath binds him to do, what it will require of him, Frodo knows exactly what his oath requires of him. As Elrond says to Gimli, sworn word make break the heart.

Next we have Smeaqgol's 'oath' sworn out a mixture of desire & fear. It is, os all the oaths, the one sworn least willingly, & the one sworn out of selfishness. It should never have been sworn, & much of the suffering that results from it comes as a direct result of this.

Frodo drew himself up, and again Sam was startled by his words and his 279 stern voice. 'On the Precious? How dare you?" he said. "Think! 'One Ring to rule them all and in the Darkness bind them. "Would you commit your promise to that, Smeagol? It will hold you. But it is more treacherous than you are. It may twist your words. Beware!"
Gollum cowered. 'On the Precious, on the Precious!" he repeated.
'And what would you swear?" asked Frodo.

"To be very very good," said Gollum. Then crawling to Frodo's feet he grovelled before him, whispering hoarsely: a shudder ran over him, as if the words shook his very bones with fear. "Smeagol will swear never, never, to let Him have it. Never! Smeagol will save it. But he must swear on the Precious."
'No! not on it," said Frodo, looking down at him with stern pity. 'All you wish is to see it and touch it, if you can, though you know it would drive you mad. Not on it. Swear by it, if you will. For you know where it is. Yes, you know, Smeagol. It is before you."
For a moment it appeared to Sam that his master had grown and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mighty lord who hid his brightness in grey cloud, and at his feet a little whining dog. Yet the two were in some way akin and not alien: they could reach one another's minds. Gollum raised himself and began pawing at Frodo, fawning at his knees.
'Down! down!" said Frodo. 'Now speak your promise!"
"We promises, yes, I promise!" said Gollum. "I will serve the master of the Precious. Good master, good Smeagol, gollum, gollum!" Suddenly he began to weep and bite at his ankle again.

Next up is Pippin's oath to Denethor in this chapter:

'Take the hilt,' said Gandalf, 'and speak after the Lord, if you are resolved on this.'
'I am,' said Pippin.
The old man laid the sword along his lap, and Pippin put his hand to the hilt, and said slowly after Denethor:
'Here do I swear fealty and service to Gondor, and to the Lord and Steward of the realm, to speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, to come and to go, in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour henceforth, until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Peregrin son of Paladin of the Shire of the Halflings.'
'And this do I hear, Denethor son of Ecthelion, Lord of Gondor, Steward of the High King, and I will not forget it, nor fail to reward that which is given: fealty with love, valour with honour, oath-breaking with vengeance.' Then Pippin received back his sword and put it in its sheath.

What's interesting here is the 'misunderstanding' - as far as Pippin is concerned he is swearing an oath of service to Denethor, the father of Boromir, who gave his life to try & save him & Merry. Denethor, misunderstands this, possibly deliberately, as an oath of service to Gondor - though, if he does no longer distinguish between himself & Gondor maybe he thinks it is the same thing. Whatever, Pippin swears one oath & Denethor recieves another one entirely. This 'misunderstanding will surface later, when Denethor 'releases' Pippin from 'his' service - ie from service to Gondor - & Pippin says he doesn't want to be released from his oath to Denethor. Denethor recieves Pippin's service without really understanding what the Hobbit has offered. He doesn't take it personally - it is service to the realm, service of a man at arms in wartime as far as he is concerned, not an oath of service to a bereaved father by someone trying to make up for a lost son.

But from my word and your service I do not wish to be released while you live. And if they come at last to the Citadel, I hope to be here and stand beside you and earn perhaps the arms that you have given me.'

Finally, we have Merry's oath:

'I have a sword,' said Merry, climbing from his seat, and drawing from its black sheath his small bright blade. Filled suddenly with love for this old man, he knelt on one knee, and took his hand and kissed it. 'May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Theoden King?' he cried. 'Receive my service, if you will!'
'Gladly will I take it,' said the king; and laying his long old hands upon the brown hair of the hobbit, he blessed him. 'Rise now, Meriadoc, esquire of Rohan of the household of Meduseld!' he said. 'Take your sword and bear it unto good fortune!'
'As a father you shall be to me,' said Merry.
'For a little while,' said Theoden.

Like Sam's oath, this is sworn out of love. Like Pippin's it is an oath sworn to a man, not to a 'realm'. It is a personal commitment, & is understood to be such by Theoden - even if he does not take it as quite as seriously as Merry:

The king turned to Merry. 'I am going to war, Master Meriadoc,' he said. 'In a little while I shall take the road. I release you from my service, but not from my friendship. You shall abide here, and if you will, you shall serve the Lady Eowyn, who will govern the folk in my stead.'
'But, but, lord,' Merry stammered, 'I offered you my sword. I do not want to be parted from you like this, Theoden King. And as all my friends have gone to the battle, I should be ashamed to stay behind.'
'But we ride on horses tall and swift,' said Theoden; 'and great though your heart be, you cannot ride on such beasts.'
'Then tie me onto the back of one, or let me hang on a stirrup, or something,' said Merry. 'It is a long way to run; but run I shall, if I cannot ride, even if I wear my feet off and arrive weeks too late.'

We seem to have a number of different kinds of oaths sworn, not all of which are sworn on full knowledge, & not all taken as meant. We've discussed this before on other threads, & maybe this repeats some of those earlier discussions, but as Pippin's oath is so central to this chapter I thought it might be interesting to examine the theme in a bit more detail.

[Lathriel]

You can see that Pippin hasn't fully matured yet because if he had he might have thought twice before he offered his services to Denethor. He still lets his emotions guide him, but thet don't overtake him as much as they used to before.
He is also losing some of that innocence that he had back in book 1 or just some of his ignorance which led to curiosity and drove him to do silly things like throwing the rock down the well in Moria.

[Celuien]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I noticed the maritime images in this chapter as being quite curious. Does this hark back to the maritime Numenorean heritage of Gondor? Minas Tirith seems to be described as though it is a great ship, moored to Mindolluin. There is no sea for it to sail off into, and its inhabitants do not have the urge to leave it, but it seems as though one of their ancestors' great ships has been moored here for the future generations to dwell in.

Even the ringing of the hourly bell echoes maritime tradition and the uniforms of the guards include sea bird emblems. Is this tradition intentional, to remind them of their past? We even get a hint here of the shape of Numenorean ships; they are not swan-prowed like Elven ships, but are of the shape we are more used to.

I think that the tradition is intended to remind them of their past. To step back a few chapters to The Window on the West, Faramir refers to Minas Tirith as "The City of the Men of Numenor" and loves the memory and ancientry of the city. This passage from that chapter is also interesting:

"Yet now, if the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us, enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them, and can scarce claim aymore the title High. We are become Middle Men of the Twlight, but with memory of other things."

It seems that there is a longing for the past glory of Numenor, and so it would make sense that the traditions were started as a way to keep the memory alive.

[Firefoot]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Maybe impulsive is too strong a term, certainly seen in the light of Gollum's impulsiveness in the previous book, but Pippin is certainly not cool and calculated. He is emotionally moved by the sight of Boromir's broken horn in the hands of Denethor, moved by the sight of a father in grief, and coupled with the sense that his own bravery is being questioned, he is prompted to speak and act. In this chapter I think we see that Pippin is very much the young man, in that he wishes to appear capable and brave, but he also wears his feelings on his sleeve and has a great intelligence. Probably more than being impulsive, I think he is simply a little unpredictable, as Gandalf finds out to his pleasant surprise.

Absolutely. I was not trying to say that Pippin had fully matured, rather that he had matured some and that this also can be seen in his actions. For example, the Pippin from Book 1 would not in all likelihood have been able to go before Denethor like he does now. He does still have a way to go yet, but he's getting there. Mostly I had a problem with your post because it sounded to me as if you didn't feel Pippin had matured much at all and that he was still the foolish young Took.

Part of his 'impulsivity' I think can be blamed on his inexperience. He did not have the advantage of really getting accustomed to Rohan first, which could have been a sort of intermediary stop. Pippin went from the breaking of the Fellowship to the Orcs to the Ents to Orthanc to Minas Tirith. His personality combined with inexperience is going to lead to some impulsivity. Pippin feels that he has something to prove. The whole reason he is going with Gandalf is because of his mistake with the Palantir; no doubt he will feel he has to make up for it. Then he comes in and the men immediately doubt him, so he associates himself with Boromir to heighten their esteem. (Actually, this may have been a pretty good idea if Boromir weren't dead...) Maybe he didn't think it would do any harm in letting them know about Boromir's death.

Pippin tries hard. He just does not yet have the wisdom and the experience to deal with the situation he is thrown into.