The hobbits go to the tavern in the inn and begin to drink. There is a crowd of regulars and they invite them over. There is also a loner sitting on the other side of the bar. Frodo, while keeping a watchful eye on his friends, asks the tavern owner, a man named Butterbur, about the loner. Butterbur tells him he's a ranger, a mysterious group of men who keep to themselves.
Among the crowd of regulars are a group of Hobbits whose last name is Underhill. This eases tensions rather quickly, as the Creative Wizard tell us that "they took Frodo in their hearts as a long-lost cousin." Talk, and beer, flow more freely.
The stranger in the corner motions to Frodo to come over to him. He warns Frodo his friends seem on the edge of revealing too much. Pippin has begun to tell the story of Bilbo's disappearance at his birthday party. He suggests Frodo make a distraction.
Frodo jumps up on the table. Everyone stops talking and looks at him. There is a moment of silence and then they begin chanting that he sing them a song. Frodo begins to feel embarrassed. He puts his hands in his pockets, as so many of us do when we feel out of place.
He felt the Ring on its chain, and quite unaccountably the desire came over him
to slip it on and vanish out of the silly situation. It seemed to him, however,
as if the suggestion came to him from outside, from someone or something in the room.
He resisted the temptation firmly, and clasped the Ring in his hand, as if to
keep a hold on it and prevent it from escaping or doing any mischief.
to slip it on and vanish out of the silly situation. It seemed to him, however,
as if the suggestion came to him from outside, from someone or something in the room.
He resisted the temptation firmly, and clasped the Ring in his hand, as if to
keep a hold on it and prevent it from escaping or doing any mischief.
Frodo, thinking quickly, crawls to the other side of the room, takes off the Ring, and stands up to reveal where he is. He tries to claim he had just performed some kind of magic trick. The crowd is not happy to have been so fooled and they all begin leaving. The stranger, whom Frodo is now very near, tells Frodo he has done something much worse than any of his friends might have done. He introduces himself as Strider and tells Frodo they should talk more, but in Frodo's room and not in the public tavern. Frodo nervously agrees. So ends the first chapter.
The next chapter takes place in Frodo's room. Strider, the chapter's titular character and main subject, is eventually revealed to be a friend of Gandalf. He promises to lead the hobbits to Rivendell, an Elf region, where Gandalf has instructed them to go.
I want to focus on what happened to Frodo in the tavern. He stands on the table. The Ring is on his mind - he is on the table to prevent its reveal. He feels a temptation to wear it, but he is keenly aware this temptation is not his own - it comes from outside. He resists and grips it in his hand. He will not be swayed.
However, just a few minutes later, after some jovial singing, he loses his balance and, just like that, the Ring is on his finger. How could this have happened?
Remember, the Ring has its own will. The Ring is looking for an opportunity. The Ring wants to be found, and it will not be found as long as it remains in his pocket. The Ring wants to be worn.
When Frodo is focused on the Ring, it cannot overpower him. At this point, Frodo can resist the Ring in a battle of wills (This in itself is a notable feat). Frodo even realizes that the desire to put it on is not really coming from within himself. Frodo will not be fooled.
But then Frodo begins singing. At first it is meant as a distraction to the others, but then Frodo begins to be distracted, himself. He allows himself to enjoy the situation and this causes his resolve to weaken. When he stumbles, the Ring sees its opportunity. It cannot win a battle of wills, but the Ring is single-minded. It can wait for a better opportunity. We can easily imagine that when Frodo stumbles he loosens his grip on the Ring. This is all it needs - it slips onto his finger.
How can we learn from Frodo's efforts to resist the Ring?
It can be easy to fight off temptation when we are focusing on it. Many temptations in life are not insurmountable - they just require some focus. Fast food, a personal attack during an argument, staying on the couch instead of going for a walk, hitting the snooze button. These things may make us feel good in the short term, but they usually cause more trouble than they are worth. But we've all done them. These things won't kill us. So that's...... fine. Right?
Not really. These temptations take control away from us. We are busy after a long day or long week or long month. We're not at 100%. And these insidious temptations offer us temporary relief. But they are not truly on our side. We would resist them, if we could.
They don't help us solve the problems we are hoping to overcome. Most food is better than fast food. Saying a cruel word during an argument does nothing to address the issue. It is healthier to incorporate some movement into your day. Hitting the snooze button can actually decrease your overall energy for the day To resist these things we must focus. They can only defeat us when we are tired or distracted or busy. But that is not a weakness, it is their strength. We must be on our guard all the time. They need only to overcome our will one time and the battle is lost.
We should remain on our guard anyway. Giving into temptation is a way of relinquishing control over our own lives. Saying 'no' requires effort but that effort is in the service of asserting control over our own lives. Consumerism and pop culture send us so many messages - it can be easy to internalize some of them. As I write this I find myself wanting McDonald's for lunch, even though the only reason it's on my mind is because I'm writing negatively about it. But "these suggestions come to [us] from outside, from someone or something [else]." Like Frodo, we must recognize these temptations are external. We should grab them and seize control. Your life and your choices should remain your own.
These things are difficult to resist and at certain stages in my life I have found it easier and harder. This advice, like all advice, isn't one-size-fits-all. Or, rather, it may not be your present priority, even if it remains true. However, if you are on the financial or emotional edge, maybe don't sweat it so much. You've got different priorities. I get it.
A final personal anecdote. One day at work my car broke down and I had to take the bus home. There was no direct bus from my job to my apartment. What was usually a 20 minute drive took an hour and a half and three bus transfers. By the time I was off the last bus, I was exhausted. However, for some reason, I didn't want to just get home and lie down on the couch - however much I deserved to. I wanted to do more than that. So I went to the grocery store (which was near the bus stop), bought spaghetti and ingredients for Alfredo sauce, went home, and refused to sit down until I had made dinner.
I tell this story to you because I tell it often to myself when I feel temptation creeping up. I use it to remind myself that there was a day when I felt beaten and like "I had earned" a lazy evening and delivery pizza, and that I pushed myself further nonetheless. And if I could do it then I can do it again now. It's an important personal story, even if it ultimately is just about a time I was stressed and still made dinner.
The point is, if you resist easy temptation and do the harder thing once, then you'll know you can do it again in the future. This is a powerful way your life remains yours and not the result of outside messaging by people who care only about your money and your clicks.
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