I always liked how Tolkien says that Merry bore his brown scar to the end of
his days. It's kind of a reassurance to young (and not-so-young) readers that
Merry survives, especially since things are starting to look pretty dark all
around. It's also a typical storytelling device in sagas and oral tales, where
the audience already knows the outcome.
It reminds me of the scene in the movie "The Princess Bride" where Peter Falk
stops reading and reassures Fred Savage that Buttercup doesn't get eaten by the
sharks.
