The Taming of the Shieldmaiden

This week's (Aug 24th's, really) chapter is called "The Steward and the King."  In it, Aragorn returns to Minas Tirith and begins the rule of his realm.  The title of the chapter refers to the moment when Aragorn refuses Faramir's surrender of the office of Steward, stating that victory over Mordor was not his alone, and that he has not come to the city to take what rightly belongs to others.  However, that moment is not the subject of our conversation today.

Earlier in the chapter, we rewind a little and find Eowyn and Faramir together in the Houses of Healing.  There has been no news yet from the army that marched north to battle Sauron at the Black Gate.  Their fate is still uncertain.

Eowyn despairs at her situation.  She is not happy she survived the battle of the Pelennor Fields, and wishes to leave in order to join the army.  The Warden of the House of Healings forbids Eowyn from leaving his care, saying she is still not better.  She complains to Faramir, "I looked for death in battle.  But I have not died, and battle still goes on."  We know that Eowyn is a shield maiden, and that she defies how women are portrayed in our text.  She certainly confounds Faramir, who asks how he can help her.

Before continuing, I want to point out that our creative wizard, Tolkien, was a man, and that his stated view of women is definitely quite negative.  That the work is written by a man, and largely for a male audience (I feel safe assuming that because it was published in the 1950s, though if you disagree with my assumption feel free to speak up), the women are not portrayed in a particularly accurate manner.  Better yet, they are portrayed accurately in regards to what men think women are.  Here's a quote from a Cracked article on the subject:

Right now I'm reading a book from mega-selling fantasy author George R. R. Martin. The

following is a passage where he is writing from the point of view of a woman -- always a

tough thing for men to do.  The girl is on her way to a key confrontation, and the

narrator describes it thusly:

When she went to the stables, she wore faded sandsilk pants and woven grass

sandals.  Her small breasts moved freely beneath a painted Dothraki vest...

That's written from the woman's point of view.  Yes, when a male writes a female,

he assumes that she spends every moment thinking about the size of

her breasts and what they are doing.  "Janet walked her boobs across the city square. 'I can

see them staring at my boobs,' she thought, boobily."  He assumes that women are

thinking of themselves the same way [men] think of them.

And Martin is quoted as saying "I've always considered women to be people."  And that's still what we get.  So what happens when Tolkien tried to write a significant turning point in a woman's life?

The next day, they receive news of the victory at the Gate, and Eomer sends an invitation to Eowyn to join them at the celebration at Field of Cormallon.  Faramir is not invited, because he needs to remain in the city.  When they speak, Eowyn tells him she refuses to go.

Faramir asks Eowyn what she would like.  Eowyn responds: "I would have you command this Warden and beg him let me go."  But the text comments, "But though her words were still proud, her heart faltered, and for the first time she doubted herself.  She guessed this man, both stern and gentle, might think her merely wayward."

That seems to be a weird thought for Eowyn to have, after all she's been through.  How does Faramir, whom she just met, cause self doubt to begin to well inside her?

Faramir ventures two guesses why: either because she does not want to leave him behind or she is upset Eomer invited her, and not Aragorn.  Then he blurts out, rather awkwardly, "Eowyn, do you not love me, or will you not?"  Eowyn says she "wished to be loved by another.  But I desire no man's pity."  Faramir's rant continues, "You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn... but when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle.  Look at me, Eowyn!  Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Eowyn.  But I do not offer you my pity... you are beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the tongue to tell.  And I love you,  Eowyn, do you not love me?"

"Then the heart of Eowyn changed, or else at last she understood it... "I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying.  I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.""

So that's... sudden.  It's a big reversal.  Eowyn was the antithesis of what it was to be a woman in Middle Earth (Part of that being: she had significant dialogue and despised the love of men.  (Even Galadriel, when tempted with the Ring, her idea of absolute power is to be beautiful, so that "all shall love me and despair.")).  Now, due to Faramir's... persistence... she relents and becomes "a good girl."  I'm actually curious how much more dialogue she will have in our text or if, having been tamed, she fades away as an individual.

Faramir's attitude to Eowyn is also desperate and forceful.  "And I love you, Eowyn, do you not love me?" is good drama, but what about in real life?  What if we knew someone who didn't have feelings for someone but then, suddenly, relented and admitted s/he did.  It just isn't convincing.  We'd be suspicious.

This is, we could infer, Tolkien's view on women.  They are stubborn and want only whom they cannot have.  Not receiving whom they wish, they become self-destructive.  And only a gentle and persistent man can bring them back around.  These women should be grateful these men took the time to rescue them.

There is a lot to criticize here.  What does Faramir love about Eowyn?  They spend a few days during the chapter talking before he declares his love, but he seems smitten with her almost immediately.  That obviously isn't unbelievable, we've all met "beautiful strangers."  But, if a relationship is to come of that, it needs to deepen somehow.  When Faramir explains his love, he only cites that she is beautiful.

There is another question with Eowyn's moment of revelation.  "Then the heart of Eowyn changed, or else at last she understood it."  What does that mean?  Either Eowyn's very heart undergoes a change (The last thing said to her here is "Do you not love me?"), or she finally understands what her [woman's] heart wants, which is love from a man and to be a healer and a grower.  Not the sort of thing we look for in modern feminism.  And even those who oppose feminism would unlikely take up this view.  It's very extreme, compared to our current ideas.

What do we do with all of this information?  In the text this is supposed to be something we rejoice at.  Eowyn has recovered from her death wish.  But not by her own volition, but because Faramir emotionally wears her down.  While we can view Eowyn as the last of those in Middle Earth who want to fight, and who need to accept that the battle is over, and it is time to learn a new way of life, it is difficult to ignore that Eowyn is a woman.  No other character seems to struggle with the transition.  Faramir was ready for the transition even when he met Frodo and Sam in Ithilien.  And, in any event, Eowyn's motivation was unrequited love.

Here is an incredibly sloppy defense of Tolkien's sexism.  I share it because it takes a very apologist point of view.  It basically says, "Yeah parts are kind of sexist but at least he isn't misogynistic," which seems like an unusual line to draw.  Here's a quote from the article: They are almost never "traps" for men (although they do often seem like "trophies").  In fact, Tolkien tends to place his women on pedestals so high that I can't imagine him hating them at all (the realism of these "pedestal women" is another discussion entirely).  The author manages to acknowledge a series of problems and then immediately dismisses them, or makes grossly inaccurate assumptions (If the women in the text are on such high pedestals that no real woman could possibly reach them, then that is absolutely sexist because - if one has such high standards that are not met - you better believe that embitters them towards women).  It seems bizarre to state the women are not traps, and then casually acknowledge they are trophies and then move on. 

There is no good defense of Tolkien's sexism and the sexism within Middle Earth.  At least when sexism happens in Westeros, Martin has his female characters protest, even if to no avail.  We sense Martin knows sexism and disagrees with it, even if he accepts it as occasionally inevitable.  With Tolkien, we see very little protest.  We can love the work even if we see gaping holes in it.  The problem comes with dismissing those shortcomings, or ignoring them.

I suppose there isn't a lesson here.  "Don't be sexist" doesn't really count as one, and in any event this chapter doesn't teach us not to be.  But it is interesting that, after so much story, Eowyn's ends in a way that is sudden and unsatisfying.  Given how drawn out the ending of our text is, it seems a shame that their entire relationship is covered only in one chapter.  I really wonder how much more dialogue Eowyn will have.  I'll be disappointed if the last we here from her is a renouncement of everything that made her an exciting character, and a promise to Faramir to fall in line with other women.

I guess we'll find out together...

Update:  She does have some dialogue after this chapter.  In the chapter "Many Partings," she (having married Faramir) says to Aragorn "Wish me joy, my liege-lord and healer!" Soon after she gives Merry an heirloom of Rohan.  Then the narrative follows the hobbits to the Shire, leaving Eowyn behind in Gondor.  So she does get a relatively good send-off.