Boromir's Death

[Ardent]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

Do you think this is a point Tolkien intended to convey?
...

It seems quite certain that Tolkien intended this connection. In the words of Faramir:

'For so we recon Men in our lore, calling them High... Men of Twilight, such as are the Rohirrim... and the Wild, the Men of Darkness.
...For as the Rohirrim do, we now love war and valour as things good in themselves... so even was my brother, Boromir...' The Window on the West

As for my first reading of the death of Boromir I did not find it so shocking. I had the impression he was somewhat bigger, grumpier and more uncouth than Jackson'/Bean's Boromir. Back then I was not familiar with the images of the dress customs of Middle Earth and I imagined him more like Beorn; less armour and accoutrements, more wild looking.
Also his argument for taking the Ring to Minas Tirith made him seem like a small town man whose first concern was with 'me and mine' rather than the 'big picture.'
I think it may only have been reading Aragorn's and Faramir's accounts of him that made me see him in a more sympathetic light.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Ardent

Back then I was not familiar with the images of the dress customs of Middle Earth and I imagined him more like Beorn; less armour and accoutrements, more wild looking.

Like he was portrayed in the Bakshi movie.

Also his argument for taking the Ring to Minas Tirith made him seem like a small town man whose first concern was with 'me and mine' rather than the 'big picture.'
I think it may only have been reading Aragorn's and Faramir's accounts of him that made me see him in a more sympathetic light.

I agree with you there.

[Raynor]

Are there readers out there who did find Boromir’s death surprising or is Boromir’s death just something that you take for granted?

In my first reading, I didn't have much empathy for that character, and I wasn't shocked to see him die (seeing how the author appear to build him up for me the reader).

[Nerwen]

I always found Boromir quite a sympathetic, if flawed, character– and I thought Sean Bean's portrayal captured him, or my idea of him, quite well, being in fact one of the best aspects of the film. I actually don't see any major discrepancy between the book and movie version– not compared to the treatment of certain other characters, anyway. (His immediate family members, now...well!)

But as for Boromir's death being "shocking"... well, no, not really. I thought his trying to take the Ring was the shocking part.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

But as for Boromir's death being "shocking"... well, no, not really. I thought his trying to take the Ring was the shocking part.

Now that brings up a very interesting point that I didn't consider (i.e. just took for granted) in my initial post.

Not only did Tolkien kill a protagonist, he had the protagonist do something decidedly un-protagonisty shortly before he did.

How post-modern! How very subverting of the archetype!

And people say Tolkien operated in a universe of only black and white.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Boromir's character arc goes through numerous changes throughout Tolkien's writing of The Lord of the Rings...

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

Boromir seems to my mind to be a character who was created just to die.

... This may be how it seems at first, but the development of the character has some interesting twists and turns. According to the outline of 'The Story Foreseen from Moria' (Chapter XI from History of Middle Earth Volume 7 - The Treason of Isengard), Boromir survived the breaking of the Fellowship and travelled with Aragorn.

Originally Posted by HoME VII: The Treason of Isengard; Chapter 11

"Boromir and Aragorn (who notes a change in Boromir - who is keen to break off the chase and go home) reach Minas Tirith, which is besieged by Sauron except at back. ? [...] The Lord of Minas Tirith slain and they choose Aragorn. Boromir deserts and sneaks off to Saruman to get his help in becoming Lord of Minas Tirith."

The section is crossed out and replaced with the tale of Legolas and Gimli being captured, which is also crossed out.

There are further plans, still keeping Boromir alive. Eventually, however, Tolkien decides;

Originally Posted by HoME VII: The Treason of Isengard; Chapter 11

"What about Boromir? Does he repent? [Written later in margin: No - slain by Aragorn]"

As Tolkien comes to write the Breaking of the Fellowship he outlines the orc attack and Boromir's death for the first time.

Boromir's death is an event that seems to dawn on Tolkien as he discovers the depth of his treachery. Alas, I find nothing in the letters on Tolkien's decision to kill him at Amon Hen, rather than by Aragorn at some later point. I wonder if it was simply a narrative tool in the beginning.
But one could read something into it with regard to a comment I happened across a moment ago. With regards to Faramir.

Originally Posted by The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien #65

"Faramir [...] is holding up the catastrophe by a lot of stuff about the history of Gondor and Rohan (with some very sound reflections no doubt on martial glory and true glory)"

The fact that Boromir's death happens "off screen", so to speak, is interesting to me and I wonder if it is part of one of Tolkiens themes of 'martial glory vs. true glory'. In his death, Boromir achieves a sort of martial glory, as he as done in his life. A heroic death against many foes. And yet at the same time, he dies defending the Hobbits, repenting of his fall to the Ring's influence. Does he, therefore, almost reach 'true glory' beyond simple martial glory?

The Lord of the Rings does seem to stand in contrast to The Silmarillion, in my mind, on this point. Where the latter is filled with martial glory (and the terrible consequences of it), The former shows the victory of the little Hobbits, where all the assembled armies of Middle Earth failed. So with Boromir's death, perhaps, we are seeing this shift. We see the warrior falling not to defend the city, not to fight Sauron himself, not surrounded by banners and songs, but defending hobbits.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Hookbill the Goomba

The fact that Boromir's death happens "off screen", so to speak, is interesting to me and I wonder if it is part of one of Tolkiens themes of 'martial glory vs. true glory'. In his death, Boromir achieves a sort of martial glory, as he as done in his life. A heroic death against many foes. And yet at the same time, he dies defending the Hobbits, repenting of his fall to the Ring's influence. Does he, therefore, almost reach 'true glory' beyond simple martial glory?

I would think that a self-sacrifice to defend those weaker than himself, coupled with remorse for his actions involving Frodo, elevated Boromir's death from the "usual" heroic deaths in the books, like other unseen demises such as that of Halbarad of the Dúdedain or Grimbold of the Rohirrim (admittedly both minor characters).

I wonder too if there was also a desire on the part of the author to delay giving details of the fight to create some additional suspense for the reader regarding the fate of Merry and Pippin.