LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 01 - The Taming of Sméagol

[Estelyn Telcontar]

We now leave the travellers in Rohan and Gondor behind to catch up with Frodo and Sam again. As the lands that surround them are barren, so is the cast of characters - only two at the beginning of the first chapter, plus one more during its course. There is some descriptive writing, showing us the landscape through which they are attempting to travel.

Frodo says something very important almost at the beginning:

It's my doom, I think, to go to that Shadow yonder, so that a way will be found. But will good or evil show it to me? What hope we had was in speed. Delay plays into the Enemy's hands...

And then comes a sentence that seems to echo Aragorn's similar statements from Chapter 1 of Book 3:

All my choices have proved ill.

As for Aragorn, later events prove that this isn't true.


One object is very significant in this chapter, and it almost seems to be a character - the Elven rope. It radiates light, gives hope, courage and confidence to the good persons, loosens when needed, and hurts the evil character. How significant is it that Sam called Galadriel's name when taking leave of the rope? Why does it (and the Elven cloaks too, apparently) hurt Gollum?


There is another statement that echoes one of the Three Hunters - Frodo says:

I wish there was a clear path in front of us: then I'd go on till my legs gave way.

Remember Gimli's words?

My legs ... would be more willing, if my heart were less heavy.

Gollum's appearance is foreshadowed for both Frodo and Sam as well as the readers. The gleaming eyes and the soft but audible sounds give him away. Then comes a direct echo of words from the past, the quote about pity.

It's interesting to read Sam's point of view about seeing Frodo and Gollum, different and yet similar. Frodo shows himself as Master here! How does what Gollum says make you see his character? What do you think of his promise - can he be expected to keep it?


There's one little mystery that is left unresolved - the fact that Frodo could not see when he fell down the cleft. What reason can you imagine for that, and what significance do you think it had?

[A_Brandybuck]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

There's one little mystery that is left unresolved - the fact that Frodo could not see when he fell down the cleft. What reason can you imagine for that, and what significance do you think it had?

I see there a clear image related to the situation, in which Frodo is arranged. Frodo left the Fellowship with not knowing what will happen resp. going a way, which is dark.

The circumstances, in which Frodo decided to go alone to Mordor, were very hectically ones.
He decided to go into the dark, but do not knowing the clear way, that lies before him. Like the situation, in which he fell down the cleft.
There must be a way down, but what way is this exactly?
There are many parallels to Frodo's general situation.

[Boromir88]

Gollum makes two promises in this chapter. By his end, he keeps one of them, the other he breaks....

"And what would you swear?" asked Frodo.

"To be very very good," said Gollum. Then crawling to Frodo's feet he grovelled before him, whispering hoarsely: a shudder ran over him, as if the words shook his very bones with fear. "Smeagol will swear never, never, to let Him have it. Never! Smeagol will save it. But he must swear on the Precious."

"Down! down!" said Frodo. "Now speak your promise!"
"We promises, yes I promise!" said Gollum. "I will serve the master of the Precious. Good master, good smeagol, gollum, gollum!"

Then Tolkien gives us this small paragraph of foreshadowing, and the events to happen, up until Gollum thinks Frodo "betrayed" him...

At once Gollum got up and began prancing about, like a whipped cur whose master has patted it. From that moment a change, which lasted for some time, came over him. He spoke with less hissing and whining, and he spoke to his companions direct, not to his precious self. He would cringe and flinch, if they stepped near him or made any sudden movement, he avoided the touch of their elven-cloaks; but he was friendly, and indeed pitifully anxious to please. He would cackle with laughter and caper, if any jest was made, or even if Frodo spoke kindly to him, and weep if Frodo rebuked him.

This is coming straight from Tolkien, not from character's dialogue, or from their conscious thinking, but from Tolkien. Gollum did "change," he wasn't putting on an act, trying to lull them into a false sense of security. He honestly changed, and I believe if Gollum had not misunderstood the Hennuth Annun situation, then he wouldn't have tried to kill Frodo. A few paragraphs earlier, Tolkien compares the Frodo and Gollum relationship as a master-dog one. Being a dog lover, and just recently getting a new puppy (5 months now, cocher spaniel) dogs are quite loyal animals. They don't hold grudges, if you yell at them for doing something they shouldn't, they will go off and whine, and you'll feel bad, but they'll wake up the next day happy and ready to start a new day. They watch over you (which we see Gollum also do later on)...and so on, the point is not to brag about dogs, but to show the comparison between a dog/owner relationship, to that of Frodo's and Gollum's. A comparison that is echoed in the paragraph above.

But in that same paragraph we also have some more foreshadowing, but a little darker than the previous passage above...

Sam said little to him of any sort. He suspected him more deeply than ever, and if possible like the new Gollum, the Smeagol, less than the old.

This mistrust could be something that hurts Gollum, more so than being "tricked" by his master as he thinks it, something we'll have to look at when the time comes.

Edit:

Something davem has been talking about recently, is mercy, and the absence of mercy. This again is seen within this chapter, which is filled with pity. Gollum does deserve to die, and is surely not worthy of Frodo's mercy. Despite this Frodo still shows his pity, and offers it to Gollum. Gollum reacts to it in a positive way, and we see hope that he could change. Opposite of Sam, who suspects Gollum, and keeps a closer eye on him, distrusting him, showing him no mercy. Again makes you wonder, if Sam would have shown mercy to Gollum, like Frodo, what would have happened? (Don't worry Sam, I still love ya).

[A_Brandybuck]

I find this chapter always when I read through over and over again fascinating. The "real" introduction of the character "Gollum" is very interesting and absolutely surprising.
In the previous chapters, Gollum is always represented in a very indirect way. There are only some sounds or a pair of eyes in the darkness.

Until that chapter the reader is viewing Gollum as a mysterious dark creature (save he/she let him/her influencing by the Hobbit. ;-) ). And it is all the more surprising, that Gollum is suddenly a creature with a distinct character, and not that evil and dark. Rather a bit to smile.

As Estelyn and Boromir have already mentioned, the pointer back to the beginning of the story, the discussion of mercy is very important here.
All the senses of the reader are crying, no don't make a trade-off with this creature. It wants the Ring for itself, No Frodo, no! Naturally with the words of Gandalf about 'deserve to die" in mind, which stands for understanding Frodo in a way.

It would be too simple, that Gollum would be a honest servant of Frodo until the Ring is destroyed. Tolkien introduced Gollum to the readers in a way, that reminds me at to the reaction of Gandalf as he heard from Faramir, that Frodo was going with Gollum. Horror mixed with the feeling, that this is the only solution.

[davem]

I don’t know where to start with this chapter, so I may as well do what I usually do & just go with the scenes that made the strongest impression on me.

I think the first one was:

For a moment it appeared to Sam that his master had grown and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mighty lord who hid his brightness in grey cloud, and at his feet a little whining dog.

This is odd in itself - why does Sam see Frod in that way? Is it the effect of the Ring - ie is Sam picking up on what Frodo could become if he took the Ring - ‘a tall stern shadow, a mighty lord’? or is he somehow picking up on thee deeper, spiritual changes Frodo is going through, as he becomes increasingly like a ‘clear glass shining with an inner light:

'Still that must be expected,' said Gandalf to himself. 'He is not half through yet, and to what he will come in the end not even Elrond can foretell. Not to evil, I think. He may become like a glass filled with a clear light for eyes to see that can.'

Can’t remember if anyone pointed out that that description of Frodo is virtually a description of the Phial he now carries. It is (perhaps ?) significant that at this moment Frodo bears both the Ring & the Phial of Galadriel, the source of greatest evil in Middle earth & the source of the purest Light, that of the Silmaril of Earendel.

But the other thing that struck me was the similarity of Sam’s ‘vision’ here & that of Legolas’ ‘vision’ of Aragorn:

Gimli and Legolas looked at their companion in amazement, for they had not seen him in this mood before. He seemed to have grown in stature while Eomer had shrunk; and in his living face they caught a brief vision of the power and majesty of the kings of stone. For a moment it seemed to the eyes of Legolas that a white flame flickered on the brows of Aragorn like a shining crown.

The two great heros of the two parts of this second volume are seen by their closest companions in remarkably similar ways - both are ‘seen’ to have ‘grown’ & suddenly seem to reveal a hidden light. Of course its interesting that they are seen that way as the result of a ‘confrontation’ with another - in the case of Aragorn it is the confrontation with Eomer which ‘sparks’ Legolas’ vision, in the case of Frodo it is the confrontation with Gollum. In both cases it happens when the ‘hero’ asserts his ‘lordship’. In other words, both Aragorn & Frodo are revealing something of themselves to those with eyes to see it. Perhaps more significant in this context, both of them carry an ‘sacred’ Elvish object given them by Galadriel - Aragorn has the Elessar, Frodo the Phial. They both carry objects ‘out of the Elf country’.

Which brings me to Frodo’s ‘blindness’ :

Frodo was calling with a weak voice. He was not actually very far away. He had slid and not fallen, and had come up with a jolt to his feet on a wider ledge not many yards lower down. Fortunately the rock-face at this point leaned well back and the wind had pressed him against the cliff, so that he had not toppled over. He steadied himself a little, laying his face against the cold stone, feeling his heart pounding. But either the darkness had grown complete, or else his eyes had lost their sight. All was black about him. He wondered if he had been struck blind. He took a deep breath. 'Come back! Come back!" he heard Sam's voice out of the blackness above. "I can't," he said. "I can't see. I can't find any hold. I can't move yet."

& its ‘cure’ when Sam lowers the Elven rope to him:

The darkness seemed to lift from Frodo's eyes, or else his sight was returning. He could see the grey line as it came dangling down, and he thought it had a faint silver sheen. Now that he had some point in the darkness to fix his eyes on, he felt less giddy. Leaning his weight forward, he made the end fast round his waist, and then he grasped the line with both hands.

This rope seems more than just ‘soft, strong & very, very long’ it seems to have some kind of healing power, but of a spiritual kind. It seems Frodo’s sudden blindness was not physical but ‘psychological’ - one is reminded of the kind of hysterical blindness some of the soldiers on the front in WWI suffered. This rope seems to bring light into the darkness of Frodo’s world. It is all the more significant in this context that it has the opposite kind of effect on Gollum - ‘It burns, it freezes’. If we are to attribute the power of healing to the rope should we not also attribute to it the power to hurt? Perhaps Gollum really is harmed by the rope & the Lembas. If so, what does that tell us about the nature of things made by Elvish hands?

Finally, another occurance of ‘sanwe’?

Yet the two were in some way akin and not alien: they could reach one another's minds. Gollum raised himself and began pawing at Frodo, fawning at his knees.

What are we seeing here - Frodo & Gollum seem in very close accord if they can do that. One can only speculate - along the lines of Lalwende’s recent thread, that there may be some effect of the Ring which increases the capacity of Osanwe between its bearers

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Originally Posted by davem

If we are to attribute the power of healing to the rope should we not also attribute to it the power to hurt? Perhaps Gollum really is harmed by the rope & the Lembas. If so, what does that tell us about the nature of things made by Elvish hands?

Interesting point, davem! To hurt someone would usually be seen as a negative aspect, but I don't think that can be attributed to the Elven objects, which are intrinsically good. I would rather imagine it like light, which can be so bright in its purity that it hurts eyes not accustomed to it. We know that looking directly at the sun can cause blindness, but that does not make the sun evil. Since the ability to emanate light is attributed to the Elven rope, that comparison seems appropriate.

I'm not sure what comparison would work for the lembas, though...