LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 04 - Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Within the first page of this chapter, Sam, Frodo and Gollum’s location changes very rapidly, from the bleak and barren vicinity of the Black Gate to the more pleasant area of Ithilien. The oppressive influence of Mordor lessens quickly as the red eye of the tower’s light disappears. Not only the hobbits’ hearts, but also the emotional atmosphere of the chapter lightens considerably. The point of view is neutral narration in part and seen through Sam’s eyes for much of the story.

I get the feeling that the two overlap in the description of Ithilien – the naming of so many plants and the vivid description of the scents and sights definitely sound like something a gardener would relate. I love this sentence (which is certainly narrative, since it uses vocabulary we wouldn’t associate with Sam):

Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate, kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.

How do the descriptions of Ithilien affect you when you read them?

We get a feeling of refuge in this chapter; though Ithilien is no longer a safe place, it seems safer than the lands they’ve travelled through previously. It also offers clean water and nourishment, which is a parallel to previous refuges the hobbits and their fellow Fellowship members have enjoyed. The fact that nourishment is a major plot point in this chapter shows its hobbit-centricity.

Another element of refuge is sleep, and we find Frodo sleeping deeply and restfully here. We get a wonderful glimpse of him through Sam’s eyes (with the more elaborate description of the narrator included).

The conversations between Sam and Gollum are great favourites with many fans, and book readers were pleased to have them included in the movie. The “taters/Po-ta-toes” are probably the lines most mentioned. They show Gollum in a more sympathetic light and bring humour into the tale. A favourite line of mine:

I does ask. And if that isn’t nice enough, I begs.

Fun to use in real life…

Then comes potential danger - discovery and captivity by Faramir’s Rangers. This scene is much less hostile in the book than in the movie, characterized by courtesy on both sides, despite the mutual mistrust of strangers. This passage fills in some story elements, showing a new aspect of the battle of Gondor against Mordor (guerrilla warfare) and connecting Boromir and the Rangers, though not yet in detail. What makes the strongest impression on you – the Oliphaunt/Mûmak, the close look at a fallen foeman, the battle action, or the conversations? I enjoy the bits of humour that we find in this encounter, especially chuckling over the Gondorians’ speculation on the nature of the hobbits:

Nay! Not Elves… Elves are wondrous fair to look upon, or so ‘tis said.

What is the significance of Gollum’s disappearance here? I know the simple reason, but do you think there is a deeper meaning to it?

There are many interesting questions to ponder and discuss – I look forward to your contributions!

[Boromir88]

I only have a small bit to add, I wonder if that passage when Sam sees that dead Southron on the ground was Tolkien reminiscing...

Then suddenly straight over the rim of their sheltering bank, a man fell, crashing through the slender trees, nearly on top of them. He came to rest in the fern a few feet away, face downward, green arrow-feathers sticking from his neck below a golden collar. His scarlet robes were tattered, his corslet of overlapping brazen plates was rent and hewn, his black plaits of hair braided with gold were drenched with blood. His brown hand still clutched the hilt of his sword.

A wonderful description of this man, and even though he was "evil" so to say, I tear up when reading through it. Then we have Sam's thoughts...

It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace-

The line "battle of men against men" is depressing, gets me thinking about all the past wars. We are in Sam's head, and he seems to be pitying the guy. We see him wondering if this man was truly evil, if he actually WANTED to fight for Sauron, or if he was forced into it. Another weakness of Sauron, his forces weren't united. His orcs fought with eachother, the Southrons might not have liked what they were doing, they were just frightened. Where the people of Middle-earth (especially the unity between Eomer, Theoden, and Aragorn) are actually fighting for a purpose that they believe in. It could mean a lot if you have people fighting for a cause, or something they believe in (American Revolutionists, WWII) vs. people who really don't want to fight (England, Germany).

I think the importance of Sam in this moment is to counter Mablung and Damrod's conversation earlier...

"Aye, curse the Southrons!" said Damrod. "Tis said that there were dealings of old between Gondor and the kingdoms of Harad in the far South; though there was never friendship...Now of late we have learned that the Enemy has been among them, and they are gone over to Him, or back to Him-they were ever ready to His will-as have so many also in the East..."

Damrod and Mablung don't think too highly of the Southrons, but this is a clear example of the biased opinions of Men (which we so often see). They see these Southrons marching to aid Sauron, and don't even think about why. (But after all should we really expect them to, they are going to fight for "Him.") The point is, that they don't understand why they aided him. Damrod assumes that the Southrons were ever more excited when Sauron returned, and anxiously awaited to join him.

Where Sam comes in and acts as the neutral thought. He doesn't know about these Southrons, he doesn't know about Faramir and his rangers. As Estelyn points out Sam is the neutral narrator of this chapter. He doesn't give you the biased thinking of "They must be evil, they are serving Sauron." He gives us the other possibilities of wondering whether these men actually were "truly evil," or were they sort of forced to do it? Because of fear? They were lied to? Wealth? Power?

[davem]

A single red light burned high up in the Towers of the Teeth, but otherwise no sign could be seen or heard of the sleepless watch on the Morannon.
For many miles the red eye seemed to stare at them as they fled, stumbling through a barren stony country. They did not dare to take the road, but they kept it on their left, following its line as well as they could at a little distance. At last, when night was growing old and they were already weary, for they had taken only one short rest, the eye dwindled to a small fiery point and then vanished: they had turned the dark northern shoulder of the lower mountains and were heading southwards.
With hearts strangely lightened they now rested again, but not for long

Its interesting that this ‘single red light’, introduced in one paragraph has become by the next a ‘red eye’. Clearly we are meant to think of the presence of Sauron. When the travellers pass beyond the range of it’s sight they feel their hearts’ ‘strangely lightened’. In a sense they have passed out of his realm & back in to the world of Men - albeit a world that bears his mark. Perhaps what we are seeing with this ‘red eye’ is a literal manifestation of the earlier statement that Sauron watches some places more than others. He is looking for attack from the Gate. It seems that being seen by the Eye is not simply to be put in danger of capture, but it is oppressive, it makes the heart heavy, increases the individual’s sense of hopelessness - Sam certainly seems to lighten up & rediscover some strength of spirit. And now we see that Gollum wasn’t speaking metaphorically when he told the Hobbits that ‘All roads are watched’ - they literally are...

Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate, kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.
South and west it looked towards the warm lower vales of Anduin, shielded from the east by the Ephel Duath and yet not under the mountain-shadow, protected from the north by the Emyn Muil, open to the southern airs and the moist winds from the Sea far away. Many great trees grew there, planted long ago, falling into untended age amid a riot of careless descendants; and groves and thickets there were of tamarisk and pungent terebinth, of olive and of bay; and there were junipers and myrtles; and thymes that grew in bushes, or with their woody creeping stems mantled in deep tapestries the hidden stones; sages of many kinds putting forth blue flowers, or red, or pale green; and marjorams and new-sprouting parsleys, and many herbs of forms and scents beyond the garden-lore of Sam. The grots and rocky walls were already starred with saxifrages and stonecrops. Primeroles and anemones were awake in the filbert-brakes; and asphodel and many lily-flowers nodded their half-opened heads in the grass: deep green grass beside the pools, where falling streams halted in cool hollows on their journey down to Anduin.

I wanted to give this passage in full, if only to counter claims that Tolkien couldn’t write. This is one of the most beautiful & evocative passages of description in the whole of LotR. In one of his letters Tolkien stated that Itillien was a beautiful land & I think he made a special effort to communicate this to the reader. One can see why the Rangers of Ithilien fought so hard to defend the place & drive out the orcs. As an aside, in the documentary ‘JRRT: A Film Portrait of Tolkien’ CT remarks on the similarity of the part of northern France in which he & his wife live to Ithilien as described by his father.

Frodo after a few mouthfuls of lembas settled deep into the brown fern and went to sleep. Sam looked at him. The early daylight was only just creeping down into the shadows under the trees, but he saw his master's face very clearly, and his hands, too, lying at rest on the ground beside him. He was reminded suddenly of Frodo as he had lain, asleep in the house of Elrond, after his deadly wound. Then as he had kept watch Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within; but now the light was even clearer and stronger. Frodo's face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiselling of the shaping years was now revealed in many fine lines that had before been hidden, though the identity of the face was not changed. Not that Sam Gamgee put it that way to himself. He shook his head, as if finding words useless, and murmured: "I love him. He's like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no."

Well, it seems that Gandalf was right about Frodo seeming to be filled with a ‘shining light’ for those with eyes to see it. Here we see into Sam’s heart. We see his motivation laid out plain. All his own struggles & sacrifices have been made not out of a sense of service or duty, but out of love. Probably that’s why the Quest succeeds in the end. Service & duty are all very well, but one rarely lays downs ones life willingly for such things - & perhaps Tolkien would not have approved of such an attitude. Sam is willing to give his life in the Quest, but not out of a sense of ‘duty’ or ‘obligation’. He has given up everything, he had, & is prepared to give up his life for love of Frodo.

When he thought all was ready he lifted the pans off the fire, and crept along to Frodo. Frodo half opened his eyes as Sam stood over him, and then he wakened from his dreaming: another gentle, unrecoverable dream of peace.

Another ‘gentle, unrecoverable dream of peace’. Where are these dreams of peace coming from - what is their source? Not, in all probability, from Frodo’s unconscious. More likely from the same source as his dream of the West in the house of Tom Bombadil. These dreams seem to sustain Frodo on his journey as much as, or even more so, than the Lembas. The lembas may strengthen Frodo’s body & heart but it seems these dreams are what sustain his soul & keep him going.

You are in peril, and you would not have gone far by field or road this day. There will be hard handstrokes nigh at hand ere the day is full. Then death, or swift flight back to Anduin. I will leave two to guard you, for your good and for mine. Wise man trusts not to chance-meeting on the road in this land. If I return, I will speak more with you."
"Farewell!" said Frodo, bowing low. "Think what you will, I am a friend of all enemies of the One Enemy. We would go with you, if we halfling folk could hope to serve you, such doughty men and strong as you seem, and if my errand permitted it. May the light shine on your swords!"
"The Halflings are courteous folk, whatever else they be," said Faramir. "Farewell!"

As Esty has said, these Gondorians are far more courteous, not to say decent, than the thugs we meet in the movie. They are civilised men, fighting to uphold their values. They may be biassed against their enemies, but that is down to desperation & perhaps a growing sense of hopelessness. What we see clearly, though, is that they are good people, & we can understand them, & more importantly care about them, instantly. We know who’s side we’re on & why - & its not simply because (as in the movies) the ‘good’ guys are prettier than the bad guys. This is a battle of Good vs Evil, not a beauty contest..

They spoke together in soft voices, at first using the Common Speech, but after the manner of older days, and then changing to another language of their own. To his amazement, as he listened Frodo became aware that it was the Elven-tongue that they spoke, or one but little different; and he looked at them with wonder, for he knew then that they must be Dunedain of the South, men of the line of the Lords of Westernesse.

And so we see that even in their speech they are on the side of the good. They speak the language of the Elves, even when they have never encountered any - ‘Elves are wondrous fair so they say’ This shows a sense of tradition, upholding the values of the past even when any connection with a living link to that past has been lost. Elves are ‘wondrous fair’ & so is their language. We see in so many ways, through so many examples, a desire to uphold, to ensure the survival of, what matters. These Rangers are fighting for something, not simply against a bunch of ugly bad guys who want to do them in.

It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace--all in a flash of thought which was quickly driven from his mind.

Sam’s horror & disgust & pity are plain to see. As is the horror of war - which is not the ugliness of broken bodies & maimed souls, the wanton destruction of nature, but rather the individual tragedies it creates, the stories (if we adopt an ‘Entish’ perspective for a moment) which are stopped dead before they are full told. What we get to see through Sam’s eyes is this very thing - Sam wonders about the Swerting’s story, & how it perhaps would have turned out. We see that Sam, as much as Bilbo or Frodo, is the right one to tell us this story. Bilbo began the Red Book, Frodo continued it, but Sam will be the one who completes it, & more importantly, who tells it & begins the long chain of retellings which begin with his readings of it to his own children & continue on down to ourselves & will continue on down the years (hopefullly).

On the great beast thundered, blundering in blind wrath through pool and thicket. Arrows skipped and snapped harmlessly about the triple hide of his flanks. Men of both sides fled before him, but many he overtook and crushed to the ground. Soon he was lost to view, still trumpeting and stamping far away. What became of him Sam never heard: whether he escaped to roam the wild for a time, until he perished far from his home or was trapped in some deep pit; or whether he raged on until he plunged in the Great River and was swallowed up.
Sam drew a deep breath. 'An Oliphaunt it was!" he said. "So there are Oliphaunts, and I have seen one. What a life! But no one at home will ever believe me. Well, if that's over, I'll have a bit of sleep."

Nature, wild & untamed (despite what the Mahuts may have thought), breaks free, & tramples men, & their little hopes & dreams into the dust, & we ourselves, like them, will never know what happens to it.

[Boromir88]

As Esty has said, these Gondorians are far more courteous, not to say decent, than the thugs we meet in the movie. They are civilised men, fighting to uphold their values. They may be biassed against their enemies, but that is down to desperation & perhaps a growing sense of hopelessness. What we see clearly, though, is that they are good people, & we can understand them, & more importantly care about them, instantly. We know who’s side we’re on & why - & its not simply because (as in the movies) the ‘good’ guys are prettier than the bad guys. This is a battle of Good vs Evil, not a beauty contest..

Nice point, and I'm glad you brought it up because I don't think I got my previous post across well. I didn't mean to come across as Damrod and Mablung being mean, but simply biased, and possibly not understanding the situation the Southrons faced. I could certainly understand their despise for the Southrons, after all, they joined the Enemy that is planning to take away any good left in the world (you've already pointed out Ithilien would be a place worth fighting for, worth saving). I was trying to get across that their view of the Southrons was opinionated since they disliked them, where Sam presents a more neutral, sympathetic look towards them.

We do instantly know that these Rangers are good (possibly even better company then some other Gondorians), and I think that is why Frodo and Sam are so "courteous" to them. Frodo's only fear would be if they find out about the Ring, but we don't even get a sense of that. Frodo has escaped "the eye," and is relieved to come upon such an admirable group of men. The movies I think portrayed it as if Frodo and Sam were "captured," which I thought was a wrong way to go about it.

[davem]

Originally Posted by B88

Nice point, and I'm glad you brought it up because I don't think I got my previous post across well. I didn't mean to come across as Damrod and Mablung being mean, but simply biased, and possibly not understanding the situation the Southrons faced. I could certainly understand their despise for the Southrons, after all, they joined the Enemy that is planning to take away any good left in the world (you've already pointed out Ithilien would be a place worth fighting for, worth saving). I was trying to get across that their view of the Southrons was opinionated since they disliked them, where Sam presents a more neutral, sympathetic look towards them.

I wasn't criticising your point - which I think was well made. My post was a kind of stream of consciousness thing, just writing what came to me, & was mostly doen before reading your post. I think you make an important point re Sam as a kind of objective observer of the situation, confronting the facts of war for the first time - possibly reflecting Tolkien's own emotions as a young Subaltern coming face to face with the realities of war for the first time. I think Sam's viewpoint may come as a shock to some & as out of place to others. He is showing empathy toward the 'enemy', seeing them as human beings - which is so easy to forget, particularly with the kind of mass media we have today.

I don't think this scene is in the book because Tolkien was a pacifist, & wanted to make out that all war is evil & morally wrong. My understanding is that Tolkien felt that, human nature being what it is, war is most likely inevitable. But he was a man who had seen war first hand & knew what it involved. Perhaps this is one of the things that keeps drawing us back to LotR - for all that its marketed as a 'fantasy' story it confronts us with some pretty harsh facts: like, for instance, while sometimes war is unavoidable (because some things are so precious they have to be preserved & other things so Wrong that they have to be stopped), at the same time war is ugly & real human beings will be hurt, maimed & killed as a consequence. We can't use that fact to avoid our responsibilities & let the Hitlers & Stalins have a free hand, but at the same time we can't dehumanise the 'enemy' to such an extent that we refuse to see that they are human beings like ourselves, with hopes, fears & dreams - just like ourselves....

[Mithalwen]

What struck me particularly from the description of Ithilien, on rereading it yesterday was how medditerranean it sounds. And having also reread the biography yesterday, I don't think he had visited that area at this point ( though I could be mistaken). I know he visited Venice AFTER LOTR was published and he thought it was like his idea of Old Gondor/ Pelargir. If I am right it is amazing how evocative this description is especially given that this was effectively pre-television and even colour film was fairly poor quality.

If this scenery is evoked by no more than thorough research in to the flora of an area then it is remarkable - especially since it is such a loving description of a landscape, fairly different to the typical English "patchwork quilt" of field, wood and hedgerow which always seems so close to Tolkien's heart. More I would say but it will have to wait.