{"id":731,"date":"2012-01-13T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2012-01-13T14:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=731"},"modified":"2012-01-07T14:33:52","modified_gmt":"2012-01-07T22:33:52","slug":"mark-reads-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-book-two-chapter-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2012\/01\/mark-reads-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-book-two-chapter-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’: Book Two, Chapter 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixth chapter of the second book of The Fellowship of the Ring<\/em>, grief and sorrow must be cast aside as the Company presses on. They are surprised by a pleasant discovery in Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien, and it’s the first sign of hope on their journey. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Lord of the Rings<\/em>.<\/p>\n

CHAPTER SIX: LOTHL\u00c3\u201cRIEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, Tolkien could have kept his characters in grief for a while, and I’d get that. Gandalf led<\/em> the entire group, and now he’s gone. Even though Aragorn has now taken control of the Company, there’s a very distinct vacancy created by his loss, the least of which is the fact that no one else in the party can really cast spells. There’s no one person who possesses the sort of knowledge he did. And this is still the first book<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Instead, he chooses to keep the fear of orcs present, and the Company must press on. He allows the briefest<\/em> moments of sorry before Aragorn orders them all to keep moving. That’s a tough choice to make as a writer because there’s so much one could<\/em> write about the loss of Gandalf at this point. Obviously, in the work it’s a tough choice for Aragorn, but I really adore that the Company looks upon what is before them, and simply decides where to go next.<\/p>\n

There is a momentary stop at the Kheled-z\u00c3\u00a2ram, as Gimli insists he take Frodo to see the lake that is so important to the lore of the Dwarves. Again, I’m taken in by the beauty of Middle-earth; it’s one of many things I’m impatient to see in the films. Geography is so important to this story, and I’m eager to be assailed with fanart to represent all of this once I can’t be spoiled by it. Out of everything, though, I think I am most excited by the thought of seeing Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien represented on screen.<\/p>\n

We haven’t had a whole lot of Legolas in the story as of yet; he hasn’t said much, and this chapter provides a massive amount of information about the Elves and Legolas himself. Here, he tells the Company how ecstatic he is to return to the legendary forest that holds so much meaning to his people, since it’s where the Elves were said to come from. (Well, the group that now lives where Legolas does, that is.) Before they get there, though, there’s\u00e2\u20ac\u201csurprise!\u00e2\u20ac\u201clots more walking. Sam and Frodo, both injured by the fight with the orcs, do eventually fall behind, and Aragorn makes the group stop so he can tend their wounds. It’s interesting to contrast his behavior here with the very first time we met him, considering I thought he was unnecessarily suspicious with the hobbits. He’s far more tender and caring now, and his opinions of these characters has changed a whole lot for the better. Plus, I think it’s adorable<\/em> when Aragorn discovers that Frodo has a mithril-coat. There’s a really awesome subtext to this book and to The Hobbit<\/em>, and it’s related to this: one should really not judge the courage and capacity of people solely on the physical appearance. So often, other characters in this book assume all the hobbits are lazy, cowardly, or weak, and Bilbo and all four of the main hobbits here disprove that theory. I like that.<\/p>\n

Oh, right, it’s been far too long since Tolkien messed with my head:<\/p>\n

Yet he had heard something, or thought he had. As soon as the shadows had fallen about them and the road behind was dim, he had heard again the quick patter of feet. Even now he heard it. He turned swiftly. There were two tiny gleams of light behind, or for a moment he thought he saw them, but at once they slipped aside and vanished.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Okay, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6a mini-orc? Some other<\/em> creature? What is following the Company? I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but it’s creeping me out<\/em>.<\/p>\n
The group makes it to the outskirts of Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien, where Legolas can barely contain his joy. It’s dark out, though, so no one aside from Legolas really appreciates where they are. To be fair, it’s not certain that any Elves still live<\/em> here anymore, and they’re about to enter a forest that can hide a whole lot of danger, too.<\/p>\n
However, what interests me the most about this is how Tolkien uses the Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien to exacerbate and expand on the conflict between Dwarves and Elves. He certainly hasn’t ignored it before; Gimli hasn’t exactly kept a lot of his prejudices to himself, but it’s right at this moment that they start coming out. Often<\/em>. First, Gimli opposes the idea of cutting through the forest, and you can tell it’s not just because of danger or peril. He agrees to go on, yes, but it’s not without reservations. The difficulties between the two races is still in his mind, though he largely keeps things to himself that day. That is, he does this until<\/em> Legolas sings a song about Nimrodel, and it causes him to reflect on the fact that the Dwarves “awakened evil in the mountains,” which brought sorrow and loss to Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien.<\/p>\n
That history is so present<\/em> for the two of them, and I see now more than ever before why the two might not be the best of friends. But this only gets worse when the Company tries to find grounds to camp on. Well, I should say trees<\/em>, as it’s customary for Elves to live in the trees. Legolas is shocked to discover that there most certainly are<\/em> Elves living in Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien, and that they’ve known the Company was there, and<\/em> they know who they are and<\/em> they’re quite fine with them being in the forest.<\/p>\n
Well, that’s nice!<\/p>\n
In particular, they ask Legolas to bring Frodo up to them so they can speak with him about the rumors and tales that they’ve been hearing. I think this is my favorite line:<\/p>\n
‘You do not look evil!’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well of course not<\/em>. Hobbits are adorable! Well, except for the Sackville-Bagginses. I imagine they don’t look adorable. THIS IS MY HEAD CANON.<\/p>\n
However, all this cuteness comes to a halt when the Elves find out that they’ve brought Gimli, a dwarf, into the forest.<\/p>\n
‘That is not well. We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days. They are not permitted in our land. I cannot allow him to pass.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Who do you think you are, Gandalf??? YOU TAKE THAT BACK.<\/p>\n
Though I do love that Frodo just namedrops Elrond and the Elves pretty much accept that. Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6sort of.<\/p>\n
‘If Aragorn and Legolas will guard him, and answer for him, he shall pass; but he must go blindfold through Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Oh, he’s going to be pissed<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Before they proceed through the forest, the group spends the night at this very tree; the hobbits stay up with the Elves, and Aragorn hides their luggage below in a drift of leaves. There’s something massively appealing to me about the idea of a slumber party in a tree house with Elves. How can we make this happen? Actually, wait, let me add a qualifier to this: it’s awesome but only unless<\/em> what happened next did not happen for me. Because that night, they’re visited by orcs and, like many things in this goddamn book, I start worrying that I’m going to have nightmares about The Lord of the Rings<\/em>. I’ve managed to avoid it so far, but seriously, how awful is this?<\/p>\n
Something was now climbing slowly, and its breath came like a soft hissing through closed teeth. Then coming up, close to the stem, Frodo saw two pale eyes. They stopped and gazed upward unwinking. Suddenly, they turned away, and a shadowy figure slipped round the trunk of the tree and vanished.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Okay, so it’s some sort of spy creature, maybe? What is this thing?<\/p>\n
‘It was not an orc. It fled as soon as I touched the tree-stem. It seemed to be wary, and to have some skill in trees, or I might have thought it was one of you hobbits.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Wait, what?<\/em> So this is something new? Oh, that’s kind of exciting. Possibly a new kind of creature in Middle-earth! BRING IT, TOLKIEN.<\/p>\n
Day arrives, and with that comes LOTS OF BICKERING. It’s time for Gimli to be blindfolded! Unsurprisingly, he’s not very happy with the arrangement made without his consent. I do think that Tolkien does a good job presenting both sides of this, though I think I ultimately side with Gimli on this. It’s rude for them to blindfold the dwarf because of something that happened so long ago. Would Elrond honestly appoint him to be a part of the Company of Nine if he was not to be trusted? I understand that the Elves also have their law, and it’s not really up to Haldir and the other Elves to make an exception; they do their best not to be condescending about it either. But when Gimli won’t budge and he actually draws his axe as a threat, it’s Aragorn who comes up with a solution:<\/p>\n
‘If I am still to lead this Company, you must do as I bid. It is hard upon the Dwarf to be thus singled out. We will all be blindfold, even Legolas. That will be best, though it will make the journey slow and dull.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Wow, that’s pretty reasonable of you, Aragorn! And I was equally unsurprised when Legolas was having none of it<\/em>, suddenly just as obstinate as Gimli. He does make a good point about the absurdity of this all:<\/p>\n
‘Alas for the folly of these days!’ said Legolas. ‘Here all are enemies of the one Enemy, and yet I must walk blind, while the sun is merry in the woodland under leaves of gold!’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Dude, I didn’t make the rules! Keep your sass levels down!<\/p>\n
And so the Company proceeds to walk through Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien while blindfolded. My initial worry is that I’d miss out on the experience of Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien, since it couldn’t really be narrated from the point of view of any of the main characters. But Tolkien compensates for that through an interesting phenomenon. In Frodo’s case, he suddenly feels as if he’s slipped back in time and his senses aside from sight are heightened. I don’t think it’s any magical thing happening here. I think they recognize that they’re traveling in a forest with a long history, but one that’s been untouched for a very long time.<\/p>\n
Plus, it’s not long before they reach another set of Elves who bring news that the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim have allowed them all to remove their blindfolds. Immediately I wanted to be there, in that forest, at the moment of discovery and revelation. What I can tell from Tolkien’s description is that this is one of the most glorious and beautiful forests any of these characters have set eyes upon. Not only that, but they get to see the Cerin Amroth for the first time; it seems to be some sort of tree structure, circular in nature, a grand and bizarre sight.<\/p>\n
The others cast themselves down upon the fragrant grass, but Frodo stood awhile still lost in wonder. It seemed to him that he had stepped through a high window that looked on a vanished world. A light was upon it for which his language had no name. All that he saw was shapely, but the shapes seemed at once clear cut, as if they had been first conceived and drawn at the uncovering of his eyes, and ancient as if they had endured for ever. He saw no colour but those he knew, gold and white and blue and green, but they were fresh and poignant, as if he had at that moment first perceived them and made for them names new and wonderful. In winter here no heart could mourn for summer or for spring. No blemish or sickness or deformity could be seen in anything that grew upon the earth. On the land of L\u00c3\u00b3rien there was no stain.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
YEAH CAN I GO HERE. HOW CAN I GO HERE. I WOULD LIKE THIS VERY MUCH RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF REASONS.<\/p>\n
Upon atop Cerin Amroth, Haldir shows Frodo the spectacular view, in particular pointing out the contrast between the way the sun falls upon where they are, and the darkness of Southern Mirkwood, specifically Dol Guldur. It’s where the Enemy once lived, and possibly lives again. Is that where they’re headed next? I imagine that they have<\/em> to go where the Enemy is dwelling to destroy the Ring, yes? Or is Mordor in another place?<\/p>\n
The end of this chapter, though, has a strange moment with Aragorn, who is\u00c2\u00a0 “wrapped in some fair memory.” Something about this place holds a positive thought for Aragorn. He speaks something in Elvish about Arwen, and then turns to Frodo and smiles.<\/p>\n
‘Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth,’ he said, ‘and here my heart dwells ever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we still must tread, you and I. Come with me!’ And taking Frodo’s hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
YEAH OKAY WHY ARE YOU ENDING THIS CHAPTER LIKE THAT??? Tolkien, I swear, did you specifically plan to ruin my day all those years ago? It’s like you knew<\/em>. Oh god, how does Aragorn know Arwen? What happened here? What happens to him that prevents him from coming back??? AHHHHH GODDAMN IT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the sixth chapter of the second book of The Fellowship of the Ring, grief and sorrow must be cast aside as the Company presses on. They are surprised by a pleasant discovery in Lothl\u00c3\u00b3rien, and it’s the first sign … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,136],"tags":[156,161,143,162,118,160,23,138,148,145,144],"class_list":["post-731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-fellowship-of-the-ring","category-the-lord-of-the-rings","tag-aragorn","tag-boromir","tag-frodo-baggins","tag-gimli","tag-jrr-tolkien","tag-legolas","tag-mark-reads","tag-mark-reads-the-lord-of-the-rings","tag-merry-brandybuck","tag-pippin","tag-sam-gamgee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}