April 15, 2003

Frodo vs Boromir
Manofwesternesse

In response to Beleg's article. I honestly cannot see where you are coming from on this one. You draw comparisons between Frodo's experience with the concept of the Ring and that of Boromir.
Frodo understood the danger of the Ring, having listened to and believed the discussion at the Council of Elrond. His only desire thereafter was to bring the Ring to the Cracks of Doom and consign it to the Fire. You quote "admittidly Frodo did get the ring to Orodruin with all of the best intentions (mostly" - where does the "mostly" come from. Right up to that instant when he found he could'nt do it his intent was pure.

Boromir on the other hand, having attended the same Council of Elrond, came to believe he knew better. I do not fault Boromir greatly in this, indeed in all my readings of the Book I have seen Boromir as a noble character who failed, through honest desire to do good, and then redeemed himself in the defence of Merry & Pippin. (& redeemed himself in the eyes of Aragorn his King which I believe was important to him in the end).

If I had to compare the two, in relation to their understanding of how to deal with the Ring, and their nobility (for want of a better word)in how to carry that out, then I cannot see how Boromir could be deemed to have handled the situation better than Frodo.