Ah, the blessing of Elvish rope! Not only is it a practical miracle that
Sam happened to grab a coil of it on the way out of the boat, or that the rope
appeared to Frodo in the midst of an odd blindness, now it is giving them
assistance of its own free will.
Sam is a practical sort; he's a laborer, and knows a thing or two about tying
knots, so he ties the knot in the rope that lets him down off the
precipice. When Frodo lets himself down, it seems the rope has lost its
usefulness, yet it conveniently slithers down to them. Elvish
magic? Coincidence? What do you all think?
Sam describes the rising moon and stars as "Elvish" and the image is serene and
comforting in the midst of their hard journey. It's interesting that this
image of beauty is juxtaposed with the looming threat of Gollum following them.
Speaking of Gollum...
It seems to be Sam who is continually bringing up the topic. Does this
tell us anything about Sam? Is this particularly significant?
As Sam muses about Gollum and trying to throw him off the trail, we find Frodo
trying to reconcile his physical and psychological weariness with his intense
desire to press onward and complete the quest. This is a hard point to
reconcile; if he rests he's delaying the Quest, but if he doesn't rest he will
weary to exhaustion, making successful completion of the Quest
impossible. In a case like this, what would be the best choice? Or
is Frodo caught in between a rock and a hard place? (no puns intended!)
As the night wears on Frodo and Sam shelter briefly in the "lee of a
boulder". Finally physical, basic life needs take over: "sleep crept upon
them in spite of all they could do to hold it off." It is now, just as
they are about to succumb to rest, the threat of Gollum becomes a
reality...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Which Ringwraith are You?
By Lisa
"He starts out pure-hearted, but the Ring chips away at the innocence and purity of Frodo's soul... he starts to lose trust and faith in the people around him." ~Elijah Wood, on Frodo
"In his heart, Frodo begins to realize the Quest will claim his life." ~Galadriel
