All's Well as Ends Better

This week - our final week - we read "The Grey Havens."  The Shire has been saved from Saruman's cruelty, and the work of repairing it begins.  Houses had been destroyed and trees had been felled needlessly.  Sam is the busiest at work, taking the soil that was a gift from Galadriel and spreading it around the Shire.  It grows in the next year as much as it should have taken 20 years.

The Gaffer, Sam's father, says, "All's well as ends better!"  Given all the struggles we've seen, we should hope things are going to be 'better.'  In everyday life the quote is "all's well that ends well," but why not hope for it to be better?  Struggles and pain and slow progress are a poor payment for things to just be the same as always.  We want to see improvement.

Our text tells us how our four hobbits return to their life in the Shire.

Merry and Pippin lived together for some time... it warmed all [the Shires'] hearts to

see them go riding by with their mail-shirts so bright and their shield so splendid,

laughing and singing songs of far away...Frodo and Sam, however, went back to ordinary attire.

Merry and Pippin enjoy the spoils of their victory long after the victory is over.  There's nothing wrong in basking in that glory, but the text now leaves them behind.  No one likes an uncle Rico, but that's the extreme.  We can't find much fault in what they are doing.  However, they are not moving onward.  Not like Sam.

Sam gets married, and has a child, a daughter.  He and his family move in with Frodo at Bag End, and we are told Sam becomes Governor at a later date.  Sam goes on the Quest, but then when he returns, his great deed being done, he returns to his old life.  Sam does not hold on to past glories like Merry and Pippin, but nor is he stuck with them like Frodo (who becomes ill on October 6th (when he was stabbed at Weathertop) and on March 25th (when the Ring was destroyed)).  Sam represents those of Middle Earth who see great things, but then must return to the humdrum of life.  And he does.

We've talked a lot about what the message of our text is.  We've mentioned that war is the true enemy (so many times I even feel self conscious about linking to it!), and that we, like Faramir, must love only that which it threatens.  What does it threaten?  Let's broaded our  search, and go from war to conflict.

All conflict threatens peace and growth and love and peace.  I know I said peace twice - the first is a generic peace, a lack of conflict.  But the second I mean as an inner peace.  All conflict, all of the Rings which we bear - though we may not know where our own Mount Doom is - prevent us from living full and happy and peaceful lives.  We may live lives that are exciting and dramatic and full of twists and turns, but our text teaches us that those must in our eyes seem less desirable than peace and contentment,  Someone will get hurt in the excitement, the drama may be too much to bear, not everyone will be able to endure the twists.  We must all aim for the simple joy of living with loved ones, raising the next generation, and enjoying our time together.

Many stories in our culture end when the drama ends.  Alfred Hitchcock said "What is drama, but life, with the dull bits cut out,"  The scene ends at a dramatic point, montages speed up weeks or months of tedious practice, irrelevant conversation or thoughts of characters are not shared. But there is a toll to all of this.  Real life doesn't mirror stories.  It's rougher and more grotesque than that.  But here, the text is not a celebration of the War, or the Quest, or the Ring.  It goes on to detail "where they are now."  We're supposed to care about these characters fully, not just about their prowess in battle.

"All's end as ends better," is a fitting quote, then.  Things are even better than they were - but what good is that unless we enjoy it?  In Star Wars, Han Solo is supposed to sound selfish when he says "What good is a reward if you ain't around to use it?"  But there's some truth to that.  What good is fighting to defeat evil if you aren't able to enjoy the peace that comes afterwards?  Even if that peace is one of "the dull bits."

So our Creative Wizard takes us on a tour of post-War Middle Earth, where justice reigns and our heroes are free to live their lives out in peace.  We walk away from the text not just knowing Sauron has been defeated, but that life in Middle Earth goes on, even if we aren't there to watch it.

Enjoy the adventures life has for you, be sure to return with boons - souvenirs and lessons from your quests - and then, having returned, get back to the life you had been living.  Adventures are the fuel that drive our engines, but our daily lives are the car which that engine drives.  We must live for peace and joy and contentment, and not get attached to the battles and the drama.  We must ensure that we love "only that which they defend." (I guess I linked to that page after all...)  We must always be ready, eagerly, to return to the joyful humdrum.  As Sam says at the closing of our text (but the beginning of the rest of his own story) "Well, I'm back."

Living Free

This week (Sept 7th) we read "The Scouring of the Shire".  The Hobbits return to the Shire to find... a gate.  And it is locked.  And none will let them in, even though they all (gatekeepers and travelers) are hobbits.  There is talk of "the boss" and "the chief" and "Sharkey" and "the chief's men."  This is not the Shire we left in Fellowship of the Ring.

When Frodo and company finally convince the other hobbits to open the gate, they tell them of all the new rules that have been put in place.  There is no pipeweed to have, all food must be sent for separation (the hobbits have suspected for some time, though, that it is being hoarded), the pubs have been boarded up, and much of the Shire has been demolished to make new "gloomy" and "ugly" houses.  There is also a list of rules that are strictly enforced.

We only learn one of the rules, though many are hinted at.  The hobbits are put up in a guard house for the night (also, of course, against rules), and we are told "Pippin broke Rule 4 by putting most of the next day's allowance of wood on the fire."  The other hobbits start to get antsy, but Frodo calms them all down, and they begin to develop a plan to overthrow the mysterious tyrant.  Further, Pippin makes a point of tearing down the rules wherever he finds them.  The hobbits are at first terrified at this defiance, but slowly it begins to inspire them.

But the hobbits are betrayed, and as they ride through the Shire trying to inspire the residents to join their rebellion, they are set upon by several hobbits dressed in uniform.  We are told they look "both important and rather scared."  The company laughs at them.  Not a bold laugh, or a laugh meant to intimidate, but a laugh of amusement.  They have seen war beyond what anyone here has experienced - they have no need to follow their rules or listen to their commands.  Eventually, one of the uniformed hobbits, Robin, admit he doesn't like working for Sharkey, but that he isn't allowed to quit.  Sam responds: "If I hear 'not allowed to' much oftener, I'm going to get angry."

Frodo and company are, indeed, important.  They have completed great feats, and are honored through Middle Earth.  Merry and Pippin are still dressed in the vestments of Rohan and Gondor.  However, they forget it often.  It has become ingrained within them that they have no need to advertise it.  They would be just as valiant in their plain clothing.

The uniformed hobbits, on the other hand, draw strength from their uniform - they need to look important in order to feel important.  And they need to feel important, or else they would feel the oppression their fellows feel.  We sense a profound sadness when Robin admits he'd rather not be there.  Before admitting that, he was hiding that desire even from himself.

The agency of all the hobbits has been suppressed.  Their only joy is in following rules, even if they are ridiculous rules.  And if they are punished for breaking the rules (there are many snitches), they are forced to live a life of boredom, just hoping to not be punished.  That's an awful way to live.

But rules are meant to be broken, right?  Sort of.  Breaking a rule just because it is a rule is rather immature - that doesn't lead to any particular betterment of one's life.  Rules are there for "the people."  They are there to guide the people and to show them the best way for things to be done.  "Best," at least, according to the leader.  But, sooner or later, one must break put from underneath the leader to become one's own master.  Or, in this case, a hero must come with the boon from their own quest, to share with the community.  When other hobbits broke the rules, they were powerless against the consequences.  But Frodo and Sam have been to Mordor and back.  A couple of bullies don't intimidate them.

Sometimes we are the hero, bringing our knowledge and skills from the outside.  But sometimes we are the oppressed, and we need a hero to come and show us a new way.  Breaking rules not just to break them, but breaking them for a higher purpose.  I recently started a new job, and the way I write lessons plans is not according to the template they expect teachers to use.  But, fortunately, they liked and understood my structure, and were OK with me doing it my way.  I wasn't refusing to use their template because I didn't feel like it - I had a real alternative.

Here is a harrowing article about being a modern sex slave.  I share it mostly because she says, at the end, that she has PTSD from the experience, and that one of the hardest pieces of becoming free is that no one is responsible for you but you.  For us who are lucky enough to avoid this fate, the idea that no one is responsible for you but you is inspiring - I can do what I want!  But imagine growing up where all your choices were made for you.  The idea of needing to make all those decisions for oneself must  be overwhelming.  It is similar to prisoners who become institutionalized.  Especially at the rate technology is changing.  Imagine needing to learn all of that at once!

But the article also involves one person, "Jane," choosing to write the article, even if it puts herself at risk, in an attempt to save those still stuck.  If Jane only freed herself, she'd be a fortunate woman for whom we'd wish all the luck in the world.  But, by returning to her past, acknowledging there are others who still do not have the freedom that she has, she becomes a hero.  Jane's boon is to share that freedom is possible, even if it is initially terrifying.

Such as it is with our hobbits.  They incur the wrath of the Chief and his men, and there is a battle in the Shire (despite Frodo's best attempts to avoid bloodshed).  But, with Pippin and Merry to inspire them, the other hobbits do not lose heart, as they might have otherwise.

When they arrive at Bag End, they find "Sharkey" waiting for them.  It is Saruman!  Saruman has no great plan - he just wanted to destroy the Shire, as Isengard had been wrecked,  He thought it unfair that his home should be destroyed, with all its defenses, but that the Shire should survive the War of the Ring untouched.  It was purely out of meanness.

But what are our heroes fighting for?  It isn't that Pippin, Merry, Frodo & Sam don't like rules or gates or leaders.  If anything, they understand their need more than ever.  But the rules come from within, and the gates are not locked (or swung open) indiscriminately.  Being free from a tyrant means you get to make your own rules.  In fact, you must make your own rules if you are to avoid becoming the tyrant yourself.  Otherwise, you are irresponsible, and while some may find you fun and enjoyable company, you are not a mature companion.  Tom Sawyer would be fun to hang out with for a few days, but Huckleberry Finn is the one between them with real depth.  Pleasure is passing.

Living free means not needing to look important, nor looking scared, as the uniformed hobbits did.  If you have conquered your Quest, your monster, your enemy, you know you are accomplished, and you know you are able to face any challenges in the future.  You know it without needing to advertise it.  We can imagine all the hobbits, having overthrown Saruman, feel more important than they ever looked.

So now the Shire has been saved.  All the wars are over.  We have one chapter left, which will wrap up our text.  Now that peace has been restored we can finally see, as Faramir put it, "That which [war] defends."

A "Boon-tiful" Quest

This week (Aug 31st) is our final double portion.  Our first chapter is "Many farewells," and in it we wrap up many of the outstanding story lines.

• Eomer announces the wedding of Eowyn and Faramir (And Eowyn does, indeed, have some dialogue.  It isn't as much as we may hope, but she was never the central figure of the story anyway, so we need to keep our expectations realistic.  While she was certainly demoted in the previous chapter, she at least is still given an active place in the story)
• Gimli shows Legolas the Glittering Caves of Helm's Deep, and Legolas guides Gimli around Fangorn Forest.
• Eomer, who had offended Gimli earlier by referring to Galadriel as a witch, makes amends when he sees her, and admits to Gimli he was wrong in his judgment.
• Theoden is buried in Rohan, and Merry mourns him, "Like a father to me, for a time."
• The Hobbits find Bilbo in Rivendell and share their adventures with him.

This chapter makes it clear that, while the drama is over, our characters go on, and that they did not live only for war.  War was the enemy, and now that it is defeated, they are free to live the lives they always wished to.

The second chapter is "Homeward bound."  The hobbits say farewell to their other friends and head off toward the Shire (with Gandalf).  They arrive at Bree, where they stayed so long ago, and where they met Aragorn.  They expect a warm welcome, but to no avail.  The gatekeeper is very gruff until he recognizes them.  Evidently, all is not well.

Butterbur, the proprietor of the Prancing Pony, informs them that, over the past year, robbers and worse have been coming to Bree and the surrounding areas, and that news from the Shire is even worse.  It seems as though the hobbits have more to do to wrap up their own story

Butterbur does make an interesting comment at some point.  "Some [who came to Bree and started the trouble] were just poor folk running away from trouble."  What trouble?  Probably, possibly, related to what the Quest was about in the first place.  It's difficult to bring down an enemy without causing some collateral damage - and that damage needs to be accounted for somewhere.  In the case of our hobbits, while they've been off saving the world, their home has been in dire need.

There are many examples of this throughout time.  Somehow, fighting the enemy without causes the enemy within, or at least allows the enemy a chance to strike.  It would have been better, maybe, to have just done nothing.  But we cannot grow without some pain.  Biologically, growth is always about a cycle of destruction and creation (Read the sidebar).  Growth always involves leaving an old perception behind.

Obviously, Frodo (and the others) were right to leave the Shire, even if it meant exposing it to this kind of harm.  In fact, had they not, they would have not been able to help.  They needed to go out on the Quest to acquire the skills required the defend it.  The Shire had been kept safe by hidden forces, but now those forces are fading.  Merry says to Gandalf, almost casually, "Well, we've got you with us, so things will soon be cleared up."  Gandalf says, "I am not coming to the Shire.  You must settle its affairs yourselves."  The Shire needs heroes of its own.

Mythologically speaking, this is the boon.  The boon is what is brought back from the hero's journey.  the boon proves the hero completed the quest, as well as improves the lives of the hero's home.  The hero did not go on an adventure merely for their own benefit, but for the benefit of all.  So what is the boon here?

In our case, the Ring was destroyed and Frodo lost a finger - they've actually returned with fewer things than they came.  But they, through their trials, gained knowledge and wisdom and grit.  Hobbits are notorious sluggards and pranksters.  But now, when our hobbits share their boon, they will be able to become their own heroes.  No longer will they need to depend on others for protection, but also no longer will they be able to live in blissful ignorance of the Outside.  But that is the price of growth.

In the next chapter we will see, while witnessing another cycle of creative destruction, the Shire receive and accept the boon.  We will follow our heroes complete their own quest (not just The Quest).

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.

This book goes ever on and on!

Our chapter this week (Well, Aug 17th) is called "The Field of Cormallen."  When the Ring is destroyed, the forces of Mordor flee.  The eagles arrive and Gandalf rides them to find Frodo and Sam and rescue them.  Several days later, we find Frodo and Sam asleep in a bed, recovering from their ordeal.

The story seems to be over.  The destruction of the Ring was the climax, after all.  But we have 6 more chapters to go!  How is this?  What is left to talk about?

The "Return of the King" film has been criticized for having too many endings.  The book suffers from this, too - though suffer may not be the right word.  Recall what Faramir said many chapters ago:  "War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory.  I love only that which they defend."  The purpose of the story is not to celebrate victory over Sauron, but instead to celebrate how, now that Sauron is destroyed, life can return to normal.

But in order to appreciate that, we need to see it.  And that can potentially be pretty boring.  But that's because happiness is pretty boring.  Here's a quote, not from our text: "Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensation for misery.  And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability.  And being content has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt.  Happiness is never grand."  That's why most stories end with "Happily ever after."  Because the story, the interesting part, was the conflict.  Living happily is, for the most part, boring and routine.  So the story ends.

But our text intends to delve pretty deep into "happily ever after."  What does it look like, and in what ways are people happy?  Aragorn will soon become the king.  Gimli and Legolas have promised each other they will do a tour of Middle Earth together.  The Hobbits still have to get back home.  And then there's Gandalf and Eowyn and Eomer and Faramir.  What happens to them?  There's a lot to cover.

"Happily ever after" is a very blanket statement.  Happiness can come in many forms.  But happiness is also, as stated above, kind of boring.  That boredom can affect an otherwise good job or good relationship or good routine.  Howard Stern once said (8:43), "There's nothing more exciting than the announcement... But then you actually have to go out and get it done."  I'm starting two new jobs, and that's very exciting.  But I'm certain in a few months I'll start to feel the drag of employment.  Even this blog fits into that pattern - the first few weeks were a blast, but then I got into a routine, and I still like it but... I have to keep doing it.  And if I don't, but still got a high from the announcement, that's sort of like cheating the system.  That's why we look down on people who get married, but can't stay married, but then get married again, but can't stay married again.  They're hooked on the idea of an exciting wedding day, but they aren't able to follow through.

We can't really live from one high of excitement to the next.  Or, if we need that boost, we shouldn't get it from our real lives.  That's messy.  But that's what video games and sports teams and fantasy teams and movies and books are for.  We as humans don't do great with routine.  As Barry Manilow said, "I'm doing OK, but not very well."  We need more to feel really alive.

In the coming chapters we will see the characters deal with the consequences of victory, and find a place for themselves in the post-Sauron world.  It will sometimes feel like the book is dragging on, but that's how life can feel after a big victory.  And rather than looking for another fight to have, we should try to learn how to embrace the calm and enjoy happiness, stability and contentment.  Even if they aren't very grand.

What's a "eucatastrophe" anyway?

Our chapter this week (Err, August 10th) is called "Mount Doom", and is the climax of our whole text.  Every chapter has led us to this point.  Frodo has brought the Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it.  He enters the mountain, which is pitch black inside except when the lava shoots up from below to light the cavern.  With this ominous setting Sam watches as Frodo stands at the edge of the walkway, directly over the lava.  And then Frodo says:

"I have come, but I do not choose to do what I came to do.

I will not do this deed.  The Ring is mine!"

And suddenly, as he set it on his finger, he vanished from Sam's sight.

 

It's a complete disaster.  Frodo claims the Ring, and we are told Sauron becomes aware of Frodo's presence, and the Nazgûl begin a "last desperate race" to retrieve the Ring.  Sam is stunned by this turn of events, and then knocked on the head by a rock.

 

Gollum has returned.

 

When Sam comes to, he sees Gollum floating in the air near the edge of the precipice, swaying this way and that.  Then he hears a loud crack, and Frodo reappears and falls to the ground.  Gollum lands on his feet and holds the Ring (still on Frodo's finger) and celebrates his victory.

And with that, even as his eyes were lifted up to gloat on his prize,

he stepped too far, toppled, wavered for a moment on the brink, and then

with a shriek he fell.  Out of the depths came his last wail "Precious," and he was gone.

The Ring is destroyed.  The struggle is over.  Sauron is defeated.

But let's look closely at how?  The Creative Wizard's own word for this type of event is a eucatastrophe.  What is a eucatastrophe?  The easiest way to understand it is to look at stress and eustress.  Eustress is the type of stress that motivates you, not overwhelms you.  Linguistically "Eu," Is a prefix meaning "good."

A catastrophe is an event wherein everything goes wrong.  Suddenly and terribly.  Suddenly is the key phrase here.  A eucatastrophe is where everything is going wrong, but suddenly there is such a reversal of fortune that, in fact, things turn out alright.  "It is always darkest before the dawn," is the (non-sensical) phrase that comes to mind (Note:  The discussion within that link is fantastically (and unnecessarily) detailed.  Enjoy at your own risk).

Pippin is being crushed by a troll.  Gandalf, Aragorn and the others have been led to believe Frodo is dead.  Frodo claims the Ring.  Sauron is coming to take back what is his.  Sam has been knocked to the ground.  Gollum attacks Frodo and takes the Ring.  How could things get worse?  Sauron's victory is nearly assured.

And then Gollum, lost in his celebration, accidentally falls off into the lava.  No one pushes him.  Gollum just falls.  No one could have seen it coming.  It's arguably not a very good plot device.  It isn't as if, to this point, we have seen other moments of Gollum's missteps.  In fact, he is has been shown to be very good at climbing.  Gollum, out of the blue, missteps and falls in.  The end.

Miraculous is a word that comes to mind.  Unbelievable, too.  For 10 months now we have read this text, following its plot carefully, which the Creative Wizard details greatly.  And now, at the climax, our heroes succeed due to a completely unpredictable turn of events, almost in spite of their own failures?  What’s the lesson here?

I think there are two.  First, hearkening to last week, the Ring plans and plots just as the free peoples do.  Every time Gandalf plans, the Ring has a chance to counter.  The Ring can twist those plans to its own will.  The Ring, we could choose to believe, bided its time while Frodo bore it, only to overwhelm his will in the heart of Mordor.  Otherwise, Frodo could have taken the Ring deep underground as Gollum has.  But by waiting until it was inside Mordor, the Ring could be assured Sauron would retrieve it.  Whether Gollum or Frodo left Mount Doom with the Ring, Sauron was going to get it from them.

But no one could have predicted Gollum’s fall.  It isn’t an event that could be planned for, and so there is no plan to twist.  Just as the oppressed must ensure their defiance doesn’t feed into a cycle of oppression, so only an accident can ensure the Ring’s destruction.

Widening our scope from the content of our text to the mind of our author (because within the context of the story it certainly seems too convenient to be believable) what was he thinking?  Having survived World War I, only to see World War II erupt mere decades after, we can understand Tolkien’s concern of a cycle of violence.  And if war is the true villain, and if war requires planning, then the only way to avoid war is by an act that cannot be planned.  But that doesn’t make for great stories.  We can imagine, in years after, when this tale becomes a common story among the people of Middle Earth, that this version will be lost in favor of a more dramatic version.  Frodo pushed Gollum, or the Nazgûl appeared in the cavern entrance, and Gollum panicked and fell in.  But sometimes things just... happen.

We all have experience with eucatastrophes, to one degree or another.  Everything goes wrong and seems to get worse and worse and worse but then, suddenly, everything gets better.  And because it is our life, we don’t do a good job of asking “why?”  We’re too relieved to wonder.  And if someone were to ask what happened, we’d either admit we don’t know, or we’d try to come up with a rationalization.  Neither makes more sense than the other.  There’s no good reason for Gollum to fall, and trying to invent one would be futile.  But it happened.  And maybe in our lives, looking for a reason why our fortune suddenly turned is futile.

We may never understand why the Creative Wizard decided to have the Ring come to such an anti-climactic end.  There are many good reasons we can come up with, but those say more about ourselves than the text.  That’s the beauty of this kind of text study.  We take a text, try to understand its original purpose, and then ultimately walk away with a lesson that is unique to us.