There and Back Again

[Boromir88]

I would definitely call Frodo 'shell-shocked,' but I don't think it's allegorical. Tolkien admits every writer is effected by their experiences to a certain point, but Frodo's shell-shock isn't truly caused by experiences as a soldier in the horrors of war. I think the only battle of army against army he sees is when the Haradrim are ambush by Faramir's men. That was Sam's "first experience" at seeing war up-close and personal, I would guess it was Frodo's too.

Frodo's change is the One Ring removed every sense of home from him and then when the Ring was destroyed there was nothing. Those feeling of home didn't return. For me, it's probably the most chilling, unnerving part of LOTR:

'Do you remember that bit of rabbit, Mr. Frodo?' he said. 'And our place under the warm bank in Captain Faramir's country, the day I saw an oliphaunt?'

'No, I am afraid not, Sam,' said Frodo. 'At least, I know that such things happened, but I cannot see them. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, no memory of tree or grass or flower, no image of moon or star are left to me. I am naked in the dark, Sam, and there is no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I begin to see it even with my waking eyes, and all else fades.'~Mount Doom

Sam's role in this journey is keeping Frodo grounded in home. We're surrounded by strange and shock, Sam is in the middle of it all stewing a rabbit. Talking of oliphaunts and people at home will never believe it! He talks of planting trees and seeing Rosie and other friends again. He succeeds marvelously in keeping Frodo reminded of home, until the very end when the Ring inevitably has taken over completely. There is nothing left, Frodo is naked in the dark and he even begins seeing nothing else with his "waking eyes" except "the wheel of fire." That part always gives me intense goose bumps.

The Ring is destroyed, what's left then? No memories return, no sense of home comes back and the only thing he can remember was destroyed. I'm just guessing here, but I think if the Shire was the same as always when Frodo returned, he could have had some sort of recovery post-destruction. Old memories that were lost, could have been replaced by returning new memories to a completely familiar home. But, the changed Frodo and physical change in home...I have no words to describe just how awful to experience it.