The Lord of the Rings discussion: Chapters 3 and 4

[Tuor of Gondolin]

In these chapters you can see some of the work of JRRT’s in structuring LOTR and perhaps why it took him so long to write and rewrite, since each chapter in a sense builds on the others and brings in interrelated and interacting characters and places- each with their own history and concerns. Prior to these chapters first hobbits and then the Shire are depicted. Then the general history of Northwestern Middle-earth is briefly outlined together with a general idea (with a brooding atmosphere) of how that world is threatened. This chapter now brings that danger into focus and increases mysteries and fears. Not just western Middle-earth in general, but hobbits in the Shire itself are threatened by mysterious figures. Who are they? How dangerous are they? How did they find Frodo’s actual residence? Where is Gandalf? Has he been captured or killed? And once the gang of four leave the Shire virtually nothing is reported on the Shire or its residents until the end of the story. This remains a constant, nagging worry of the four hobbits. The prologue to the epic is over and the quest to rid Middle-earth of the ring, in some yet undetermined fashion, has begun.
One story device seen in these chapters which seems to add verisimilitude to the tale is the varying story pace. For example, too often in plots (one example being the Doctor Who TV programs) you’re presented with constant tension, action, fighting, etc., going on and on without letup. LOTR has a more believable feel in its alteration of conflict with periods of r and r. In these chapters witness the hobbits meeting and being given aid and rest by elves, who seem to be a “good� people but are also rather mysterious and with their own agenda, willing to give some help without becoming too involved but apparently planning on eventually sailing far away to some other place. Was it just by some coincidence that the hobbits and elves happened to meet? Then later the hobbits are sheltered and fed (and provided a measure of protection) by Farmer Maggot and his family. Even in wars soldiers don’t constantly fight, but experience periods of relative calm, sometimes longish. In a typical Hollywood-type action movie it might be all action from beginning to end, hardly believable.
It’s also interesting to note the growth of Frodo and Sam in these chapters. Unlike certain movies, which shall remain nameless, Frodo is a responsible and (to use a word I’m not crazy about) “pro-active� figure, seen as such by Gildor and Maggot, as he tries to work out a viable plan of action “on the fly� due to Gandalf’s being m.i.a. (not unlike Gandalf’s disappearance in The Hobbit). And Sam, again unlike his portrayal in a certain movie, begins to show an awareness of the outer world and his “calling� to be an agent in working out its fate. He does not decide that it is time to go back to the Shire once he has seen Gildor and his elves. Quite the contrary:
"I don't know how to say it, but after last night I feel different. I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can't turn back. It isn't to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want- I don't rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me."

Some questions:
1. Is foreshadowing evident in these chapters, particularly troubles in the Shire (i. e., the Scouring)?
2. How might the plot have been changed if Gildor’s people hadn’t been encountered at this point and lent their assistance (scaring away a Black Rider) and given Frodo their, rather limited, advice? (Limited because, after all, ask the elves for advice and they will say both no and yes).
3. To what extent do writers after JRRT owe him a debt for his use of literary description and maps in creating a believable “subcreated� world? In these two chapters (and many succeeding ones, including the next with the High Hedge and the Old Forest) the world envisioned seems to be as much an actor as the peoples and creatures in it. In a way this is an echo of JerseyDevil’s observation in Chapter 2 concerning the importance of seasons in LOTR.
Note the difference in depth between Middle-earth and Narnia (while Narnia is in its way good, I’ve read both aloud to fourth graders) the variation in subcreation is enormous, as are the too obvious theological allusions in Narnia, lacking Middle-earth’s subtleties.
4. A parallel to WW I in the four hobbits seems apparent. Frodo the young, intellectual Lieutenant, Sam, a gritty, unassuming noncom or batman doing much of the practical work of survival, and Merry and Pippin the privates. All four would much rather have stayed home, but slogged on to do their duty and try to save their people and their life-style. Oh, and Fatty Bolger keeping the home fires burning?
5. And, as an unanswered question which has no doubt bedeviled scholars for fifty years, how did they prepare the mushrooms Mrs. Maggot gave Frodo? Mushroom cheeseburgers, mushroom omelets, mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat? If so, with crabs presumably gained by barter, not fishing, after the cautionary tale of Drogo and Primula Baggins.
And mushroom devotees in the Northeastern United States needn't envy Frodo's mushroom bonanza since Chester County, Pa. is one of the largest mushroom growing areas in the world.