LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 05 - A Conspiracy Unmasked

[Estelyn Telcontar]

For the most part, this chapter takes place in Frodo’s (supposedly) new home in Crickhollow. Having the movie’s dramatic scene at Bucklebury Ferry in mind, the crossing of the hobbits as told in the book seems almost peaceful, with the danger less obvious, seen only from the other side of the river. Again they enter a house which provides them with a brief respite and nourishment – though it’s only Fatty Bolger standing in the light to welcome them this time!

Two poems are included in this chapter: the Bath Song, which I’ve always enjoyed very much, with it’s humorous back and forth between poetic and practical references to water; and the Farewell Song – so typical for hobbits to make a light-hearted poem in face of danger!

Rereading this chapter made me aware of the fact that it is Merry who has the greatest role in it. Though all of Frodo’s friends are involved and Sam is the chief investigator, it is Merry who is the chief conspirator, understanding the connections between the bits and pieces of information they’ve collected, and organizing everything. He is the one who says my favourite lines in this chapter, when Frodo complains that he cannot trust anyone:

You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin – to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours – closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word… We are horribly afraid – but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.

What a wonderful declaration of friendship!

The chapter ends with a look ahead, at the near danger of the Old Forest, the path they must take; and Frodo’s dream of the sea, a foresight into the far future for him.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Skipping to the end of the chapter...

Every time I have read LoTR I have been struck by the frequency with which Frodo’s dreams are relayed early on, and how they taper off. If memory serves, the last being the dream in Tom Bombadil’s house. When pondering them I have the tendency to believe that these dreams have something to do with Gandalf (and not just the content of them). For though he is absent in person his mind is very much on Frodo, and having spent some time in Lorien, the istar might have gained a little knowledge from Irmo on dull afternoons.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Hilde Bracegirdle

When pondering them I have the tendency to believe that these dreams have something to do with Gandalf (and not just the content of them). For though he is absent in person his mind is very much on Frodo, and having spent some time in Lorien, the istar might have gained a little knowledge from Irmo on dull afternoons.

Originally Frodo's dream was very much to do with Gandalf - it was about Gandalf! In notes for an early draft Tolkien writes:

Black riders pursue him - Gandalf has insufficient magic to cope with Black Riders unadied, whoes King is a wizard. They pursue him over Sarn Ford & he cannot (or dare not) go back to Shire.

Eventually he is besieged in the Western Tower. He cannot get away while they guard it with five riders. But when Black Riders have located Frodo & found that he has gone off without Gandalf they ride away.

And Frodo's dream, after the snuffling figures, runs:

Suddenly he found that he had drawn near & the tower loomed loomed high above him. About its feet there was a wall of faintly shining stones, & outside the wall sat silent watchers: black robed figures on black horses, gazing at the gate of the tower without moving, as if they had sat there forever.

There came at last the soft fall of hoofs, climbing up the hill. The watchers all stirred & turned slowly towards the sound. They were looking towards Frodo. He did not dare to turn, but he knew that behind him another dark figure, taller & more terrible, had appeared: it beckoned, & called out in a strange tongue. The horsemen leapt to life. They raised their dark heads towards the lofty chamber, & their mocking laughter rang out cruel & cold; then they turned from the white wall & rode down the hill like the wind. The blue light went out.

It seemed to Frodo that the riders came straight towards him; but even as they passed over him & beat him to the ground, he thought in his heart: ‘I am not here; they cannot hurt me. There is something here that I must see’. He lifted his head & saw a white horse leap the wall & stride towards him. On it rode a grey mantled figure: his white hair was streaming, & his cloak flew like wings behind him. As the grey rider bore down upon him he strove to see his face. the light grew in thee sky, & suddenly there was a noise of thunder.

where the 'psychic' link between Frodo & Gandalf is spelled out. It seems like Gandalf was going to end up trapped in a tower one way or the other! This dream seems almost like a case of 'astral projection' in that Frodo is experiencing actual events, somehow present as an observer. The way Tolkien turns this into the symbolic dream which we end up with, retaining the basic elements of the original gives us a fascinating insight into how the creative process works.

One thing I'd like to bring up here is Sam's feelings as he crossed the river:

Sam was the only member of the party who had not been over the river before. He had a strange feeling as the slow gurgling stream slipped by: his old life lay behind in the mists, dark adventure lay in front.

The reason this interests me is, while it may simply be Tolkien's way of communicating Sam's emotional state, there is something in Unfinished Tales (The Hunt for the Ring) which is a bit puzzling:

My father nowhere explained the Ringwraiths’ fear of water....Thus of the rider (who was in fact Khamul of Dol Guldur*) seen on the far side of Bucklebury Ferry just after the hobbits had crossed it is said that ‘ he was well aware that the Ring had crossed the river; but the river was a barrier to his sense of movement’, & that the Nazgul would not touch the ‘elvish’ waters of Baranduin**.

*From notes recounting in detail the movements of the black Riders in the Shire it emerges that it was Khamul who came to Hobbiton & spoke to Gaffer Gamgee, who followed the hobbits along the road to stock, & who narrowly missed them at Bucklebury Ferry. The Rider who accompanied him, whom he summoned by cries on the ridge above Woodhall, & with whom he visited Farmer Maggot, was ‘his companion from Dol Guldur’. Of Khamul it is said here that he was the most ready of all the Nazgul, after the Black Captain himself, to percievethe presence of the Ring, but also the one whose power was most confused & diminished by daylight.

**[At the Ford of Bruinen only the Witch King & two others, with the lure of the Ring straight before them, had dared to enter the river; the others were driven into it by Glorfindel & Aragorn.

Now its not so much the fear of water (& the interesting fact that we now at least know who it was that spoke to the Gaffer, & Farmer Maggot) that I'm getting at, but the reference to the waters of the Brandywine being 'Elvish'. Why? The Baranduin flows out of Lake Evendim, in Arthedain, where the Numeorean city of Annuminas was founded, but have I missed some Elvish connection - Saruman does tell the Lord of the Nazgul that the Shire is situated 'on the borders of the seaward elvish country', but would that be enough to make the Brandywine an 'elvish river'?

Is there something in the elvishness of the waters that affects Sam's perception? Frodo has dreamt of 'crossing the river' - the Brandywine or the Anduin isn't specified, but there is definitely a timeless symbolism in crossing a river.

In short, why is the Brandywine 'elvish'?

[Boromir88]

The Chapter name would be "A Conspiracy unmasked." If you ask me Tolkien is playing with our expectations, we expect something "big" to happen in this chapter, maybe something "evil," instead its quite peaceful and light hearted. The "conspiracy" is Merry, Pip,..etc finding out Frodo is leaving the Shire, and their plan to make sure he does so unnoticed. Anytime the Hobbits are in some sort of danger, theres this place, refuge, person, or thing who help the Hobbits out. They have black riders pursuing them, Gildor comes, they are lost in the forest, find Farmer Maggot, Tom Bombadil...etc.

My question here is Gandalf says The Shire is not "hid" anymore, or something to that effect. Revealing Sauron now knows about the Shire, and knows the ring is there. However, was Sauron really THAT interested in The Shire? We know Saruman had his own plans but what about Sauron? I was wondering because when the Hobbits leave the Shire there are no more stories of "Black Riders" in The Shire anymore. It just seems once Sauron finds out the ring has left the Shire, he doesn't care about that place anymore. All the Nazgul go and fight in the wars to come, and still pursue the ringbearer. There are no more stories of black riders being in The Shire, so to me it seems like Sauron really wasn't interested in the Shire in the first place. The only reason he sent his minions there was to find the ring.

[Aiwendil]

This is an important chapter. It is first of all the conclusion of the Hobbits' first journey, which occupies chapters 3, 4, and 5. It is also the last chapter set in the Shire until book VI (not counting the brief scenes in I. 11). And it is a chapter of some logistical importance - that is, it tells us who is going where.

Crickhollow is the third safe place we have encountered so far on the journey (the others being Woody End and Farmer Maggot's house), and in as many chapters. But each one of these safe places seems (to me, anyway) less safe than the last. With the Elves we fear no danger. Maggot certainly does not seem invulnerable; he is a fallible hobbit - but he is older and has a certain degree of authority. But at Crickhollow there is no authority figure, save Frodo (and Merry, I suppose). The danger has not really escalated all that much since the first encounter with a Black Rider. But the protection offered by the safe houses along the way has diminished.

Estelyn wrote:

Rereading this chapter made me aware of the fact that it is Merry who has the greatest role in it.

Each time I've read LotR I've realized more just how distinct the characters of Merry and Pippin are, even from the beginning. On earlier readings, I confess, I had thought of them as more or less identical - and I think this is the natural reaction of a lot of readers. But they are quite different. Pippin is a Took, Merry a Brandybuck - therefore Pippin has the Tookish curiosity and inclination toward adventure while Merry has the Brandybuck maturity. Pippin has a tendency to take up an adventure lightly, without worrying about maps and names and such things; Merry is little less likely to accept an adventure but is much more likely to do some research first. Pippin is a Hobbit of the Four Farthings; Merry is a Hobbit of Buckland and therefore knows a thing or two about the wider world. Merry has even been in the Old Forest. Pippin is altogether more like Bilbo and Merry more like Frodo - and this is no surprise, since Bilbo's mother was a Took and Frodo was raised in Buckland. Of course, Merry and Pippin are very similar in other ways. Both, after all, are inquisitive; and both are thoroughly Hobbit-like. The differences between them are very subtly drawn. This is a prime example to hold up in argument against those who criticize Tolkien's skill with characterization.

It's interesting that in chapters 3, 4, and 5 the party is made up of three, four, and five Hobbits, respectively. And in a sense in chapter 2 it consists of just two Hobbits - for it is there arranged that Frodo is to take Sam along. And this brings me to Fatty Bolger, one of those relatively minor characters that I am fond of for some reason unknown even to me. Perhaps it's because of the lack of recognition he receives - you'd be hard-pressed to find a reader that couldn't remember who Frodo or Sam or Merry or Pippin was, but I'll bet a lot of readers wouldn't remember Fatty Bolger. And yet he was in on the whole thing in the beginning just the same as Merry and Pippin. He even knew about the Ring! It's odd to think that while Gandalf is hiding the whole truth even from Theoden, and Denethor is just guessing it, there is away in the north in some hole or house in the Shire a Hobbit that knows all about the Ring.

[Boromir88]

Aiwendil Quoted:
It's interesting that in chapters 3, 4, and 5 the party is made up of three, four, and five Hobbits, respectively. And in a sense in chapter 2 it consists of just two Hobbits -

Don't forget Chapter one which focuses on Bilbo. Yes, it has some info about Frodo, Sam, Ted, plus the Sackville-Bagginses. But, the main focus on this Chapter is Bilbo, Bilbo's party, Bilbo's ring, and Bilbo's departure. Interesting point you picked up Aiwendil.

[Aiwendil]

Boromir88 wrote:

Don't forget Chapter one which focuses on Bilbo.

True. But in 2, 3, 4, and 5 the process is cumulative. In two we have Frodo and Sam. Three adds Pippin. Four adds Merry. Five adds Fatty. Still it's a good point that chapter one focuses on a single Hobbit. Alas, the pattern is broken in chapter 6 (as it had to be at some point, or we'd have quite an army by the end).

[Thinlómien]

So, random thoughts about this chapter:

1. The Narrator tells us the Bucklanders were no different from the folk of the Shire except in their relationship to boats and swimming. This seems quite contradictory with other parts of their introduction - Buckland seems a lot more hierarchial than say Hobbiton and its surroundings, and the Bucklanders seem more conscious of their own history and the outside world too.

2. Maybe the contrast between Buckland and the old Shire is so strong also because we are introduced to them under entirely different circumstances. We first come to Hobbiton on a beautiful day and celebrate a birthday party. Buckland, on the other hand, we arrive to in the dark, on the run, chased by the Black Riders. I bet Hobbiton would seem a little creepy too if we only saw it after sunset with the Nazgûl on our tail.

3. Random note: I always felt for Frodo very much when he feels sorry he's not actually moving to Crickhollow and that his friends went through so much trouble to make it home. This is of course alleviated later in the chapter when it turns out Frodo's friends know exactly what's going on.

4. Can't quote now, but Merry speaks as if Crickhollow was not to be just Frodo's new home but rather some sort of a bachelor commune. Seriously, three bathtubs?

5. I love this chapter as a portrayal of (and an ode to?) friendship. I bet there's a lot of discussion of that on his thread already and I don't feel like I have anything interesting to add - just, the Conspiracy getting unmasked always warms my heart very much, and I always related to poor Frodo in this chapter.

6. In Three Is Company, I pointed out Pippin's attitude towards Sam - jovial, teasing and a little patronizing. It goes on here, and I'm not entirely sure I like it. Sam never reacts to Pippin's quips in any way, which makes me think he's not entirely comfortable with them.

7. Is there a separate thread for Frodo's dreams? I hope so, because they are very fascinating.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

The Narrator tells us the Bucklanders were no different from the folk of the Shire except in their relationship to boats and swimming. This seems quite contradictory with other parts of their introduction - Buckland seems a lot more hierarchial than say Hobbiton and its surroundings, and the Bucklanders seem more conscious of their own history and the outside world too.

Certainly they are closer to the borders and all; but I don't think the hierarchical part applies, really. I mean, yes, they are; while Hobbiton is more of a "bourgeoise suburb" (or rather, "urb" - there is nothing it would be "sub" to), there is the sort of "feudal" organisation here; nonetheless, it is by no means unique. If nothing else, the Tooks are the same, if not more so - tradition, nobility (the Thain), military. The Shire is a mixture of those, and who knows how things are in the places we have never visited (Northfarthing, Westfarthing. Southfarthing sounds like a patch of land parcelled among several big capitalists).

Originally Posted by Lommy

Random note: I always felt for Frodo very much when he feels sorry he's not actually moving to Crickhollow and that his friends went through so much trouble to make it home. This is of course alleviated later in the chapter when it turns out Frodo's friends know exactly what's going on.

Indeed. For that matter, it is really fascinating that they went through so much trouble even though they knew it wasn't going to last very long. I can imagine many people, even friends, would still act in such a situation more like "ugh, this bookshelf is so heavy, we don't have to drag it all the way to the back of the futhermost room like it was in Bag End, let's just dump it here by the door and be done with it, Frodo is going to stay here only for a few days at most anyway".

On top of that, can you imagine that Merry had everything prepared also for the journey?!? A very effective conspiracy, indeed!

Speaking of which, I was also reminded why I always sort of liked Merry the most of all the Hobbits (at least on first sight). He is obviously super-clever and also acts according to that, and you can see it here in full.

Also, funny thing: the whole secrecy and preparation reminded me of how I felt only a couple of weeks back, when me and few other friends were preparing several surprise events for another friend who was about to get married. Now I kind of feel like I could imagine Merry and co.'s feelings when they were preparing the whole conspiracy business.

Originally Posted by Lommy

In Three Is Company, I pointed out Pippin's attitude towards Sam - jovial, teasing and a little patronizing. It goes on here, and I'm not entirely sure I like it. Sam never reacts to Pippin's quips in any way, which makes me think he's not entirely comfortable with them.

Yes, I felt sorry for Sam sometimes in places like these and I got the feeling that he is the sort of equivalent of the kid in a group of schoolfriends who always stands in the back and sometimes even his friends are mean to him.

Originally Posted by Lommy

Is there a separate thread for Frodo's dreams? I hope so, because they are very fascinating.

They certainly are. And now I remembered that there is quite a lot about them in HOME, in the Treason of Isengard, because they had been rewritten and switched and some were originally part of some super-creepy and cool things which didn't make it to the book (like, I think this particular dream about climbing up a hill and hearing the sea and thunder was, if I am not mistaken, somehow related to the episode when Gandalf and Fatty Bolger - whom Gandalf had saved from the Black Riders at Crickhollow - were defending themselves against the Riders in the White Towers, kind of like in the later version Gandalf would fight the Nazgul at Weathertop).

Speaking of Fatty: I think he is once again an interesting and slightly omitted character, and if you look at it, he certainly didn't suffer any less than the others. (I recall Esty had once written some nice fanfiction which kind of elaborated on it very nicely... I think it remained unfinished? It was here on the 'Downs, or at least a link somewhere.) But it is true that he is a bit of an afterthought also in the chapter, because he does not say anything until almost the end. Which is kind of a pity.

[Boromir88]

'A Conspiracy Unmasked.' What a great name for this chapter.

The name, and use of labeling Merry, Sam, Pippin and Fatty as 'conspirators' makes it sound negative. That's what one usually thinks of when there is a conspiracy. However, the conspiracy that gets unmasked turns out to reveal the strongest bonds of friendship between the hobbits. We see indeed what Tolkien meant about hobbits being tough and difficult to daunt in the prologue. None of the hobbits can possibly know the dangers they have chosen to go walking into, but fear of the unknown peril is not strong enough to turn their back on a friend in need.

Merry as the head conspirator winds up revealing he knows almost as much about the Ring as Frodo. Frodo has all the knowledge that Gandalf told him, but Merry caught Bilbo using it to avoid the S-B's. And he may not know that this is the most powerful of rings, but he knows the Enemy is hunting Frodo because of the Ring, a former treasure of Bilbo's.

This is the irksome part of the movies. I have no problem with condensing the time in the Shire down and introducing Merry and Pippin joining Frodo and Sam at Maggot's. I do think it's a shame Merry and Pippin get characterized as funny sidekicks for comedic relief. Pippin is the youngest hobbit, and shows he has a lot of growing up to do throughout the journey, but Merry is Frodo's closest friend. I can't imagine Frodo getting through this early stage of the book without Merry's knowledge and calm, cool demeanor.