LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 11 - The Palantír

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Not given much emphasis in the thread above, though it really struck me during this reread, is the fact that Pippin's encounter here is the only direct experience of Sauron that we get as readers in the whole book--and Pippin is the only hobbit that actually faces the great enemy.

I agree that this is a very striking moment and one that I think is often overlooked. We know Aragorn later confronts Sauron through the Orthanc-stone, but Aragorn does not speak to him: "I spoke no word to him, and in the end I wrenched the Stone to my own will." Even Pippin's brief conversation is reported, albeit word-for-word, after the fact, keeping the Dark Lord aloof and mysterious to the reader even when he directly converses with one of the heroes.