September 25, 2002

Long Post on Subjects From Boromir, Gandalf
Danny

I think it is interesting that someone speculated what may have happened had Faramir not gone in Boromir's place. This article is just some crazy speculating along those lines for any who are interested. I see several consequences that could have been pretty serious actually. Faramir would never have tried to take the ring from Frodo. That as you recall was what gave Frodo the final push to decide not to got to Minas Tirith. So who knows if Frodo would have gone with the company to Minas Tirith otherwise. I personally don't think so. So I will explore both paths. First off, Faramir would likely not have been in the same situation or location to try and save Merry and Pippin, but would have been with the company when Boromir was gone. Perhaps the company would have stayed organized and the Uruk Hai may have found them together. In that case, I think sheer numbers would have been against the company, and Frodo may have been lucky to escape alone because of the ring. Or assume Faramir and company escape the orcs, and Frodo and Sam go to Mordor. If Merry and Pippin aren't captured then Treebeard would not have been stirred to attack Orthanc, nor would the huorns have helped at Helms Deep, nor would they have defended Rohan from wargs and orcs from the north while they were at Minas Tirith (see the appendix.) But even assuming that everything falls out as reverse and Faramir dies and the hobbits go where they went etc. What would have happened when Boromir found Frodo and Sam in Ithilien? I don't think that result would have been good. Boromir seems the type who would have enforced the law rather than found the wisdom Faramir found, but that is my interpetation there. Okay so assume the other crazy idea that Frodo would go to Minas Tirith with the Ring. We saw in ROTK how dangerous it would have been to have brought the ring within Denethor's reach. That would have led to a sure disaster.
So I propose that it was part of the influence of a higher power that aided the quest that caused Boromir to go instead of Faramir. Any way I look at it, it seems that Boromir's actions were key in the unraveling of the plot. You could almost say that the moments at the end of Fellowship and begining of the Two Towers are the most important in the story. They are certainly when the tide turns as Gandalf states. Part of what I love about the books is seeing in hindsight how so many things that looked terrible when they happened ie Merry and Pippin being caught, prove to be crucial to the downfall of Sauron.
Okay now my thoughts on Gandalf. There has been a lot of talk about Gandalf's behavior with Moria. I personally feel that Gandalf did sense his destiny, and perceived the need to go to Moria. Remember that in the book Gandalf was pushing for Moria. It seems that even Aragorn sensed the destiny that awaited Gandalf as he told Gandalf something to the effect that he wasn't worried about the company, but for Gandalf should they enter Moria. In Tolkien's writings, Gandalf chose Moria back in Rivendell, but Aragorn disagreed.
So I think that Gandalf,(wise as he was in sparing Gollum, and trusting Frodo even when he saw that Frodo couldn't even cast the ring in his fireplace) recognized the song of Illuvitar and made the choices to put his life in harmony with that will.
Just an interesting comment to make this already long post full of speculation on my part even longer. People have debated fate vs free will in Tolkien's writings. I like the word destiny perhaps if the context is right. It feels clear to me that the way things would turn out was supposed to be that way, and that it was foreshadowed in the song of Illuvitar. That doesn't destroy choice however. Permit an example. I know that if I offered my brother $100,000 to mowe the lawn he would do it. That is an extreme example, but it shows a point. I know him well enough that I can predict what he would do in many cases less drastic than that. My knowing he would do that doesn't take his choice away. Just because a supreme being (Illuvitar in Tolkien's mythology, but it applies to theology in a broad sense) knows how we will behave doesn't remove the choice from our shoulders. So I think that Gandalf perceived the Song of Illuvitar with his innate wisdom, and chose not to run from his forshadowed and forseen actions.
So sorry for the long post, but I think it is better than two separate posts. Hope it gets posted.