Fire in his glance, and wildness in his breast
Oct 16, 2024 1:01 am
"Fire in his glance, and wildness in his breast,
He feels all his former self possest;
He bounds--he flies--until his footsteps reach
The verge where ends the cliff and begins the beach..."
--Lord Byron -- "The Corsair"
Before I get to my thoughts on "Power, Poison, and Paltering Prevarication in the Lord of the Rings," let me remind you that Road Trippin' is out. My nom de plume is plastered on the cover (along with some other names),
I've completed chapter ten of my boys adventure book. They next Wyrd West anthology is due out in a few days with one of my stories, and I have two others submitted. Another publication coming in November or December carries another of my stories, and that same publication has accepted another story of mine that will be out next fall. I plan to submit a few more stories this year to Raconteur as they have some interesting anthologies planned for 2025.
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Power, Poison, and Paltering Prevarication in The Lord of the Rings part 1
A recent rewatch of Jackson’s rendition of Tolkien’s famed trilogy troubled me. It occurred to me, as I watched Merry and his enchanted blade unmake the foul Dwimmerlaik who had been the Witch King of Angmar so that Eowyn could deliver her fell stroke, that many of those who accomplished feats against great odds to save the world in Tolkien’s trilogy were doing things they weren’t supposed to be doing.
Merry and Eowyn were to have stayed behind instead of secretly joining Theoden and the Rohirrim in their ride to aid Gondor. Frodo and Sam left the fellowship to strike out for Mordor on their own. Eomer and his mounted contingent destroyed the orc raiders who had taken Merry and Pippin, defying Theoden’s commands, saving the two hobbits, and allowing them to recruit the Ents to the fight. Faramir released Frodo and Sam contrary to his orders to keep all who were caught without their papers, so to speak. Pippin saved Faramir by disobeying Denethor and getting Gandalf to help him. Sam got himself into the mix by eaves dropping, and Merry and Pippin joined the conspiracy to accompany Frodo on his trip when they were not invited. Gandalf himself continued to research Frodo's ring without telling Saruman his suspicions about it. In fact, in the books, Saruman imprisons Gandalf because he won’t tell him where the ring is. Aragorn may be the only main character who consistently follows the course of his duty to accomplish the ultimate purpose—and that makes for an interesting point I’ll get to later in this discussion.
Is there a point in having these characters flout authority or expectations to complete Tolkien’s goal? I’m no expert, merely a longtime fan of the trilogy. What business do I have in drawing conclusions about purpose or understanding? I would say the answers are, respectively, “Yes, and let me wrestle with it here,” and, “None whatsoever, but, to paraphrase Admiral Kirk, I’m going to do it anyway.”
--end of part 1-- This is a work in progress. Now I've got you thinking. Let me know if you think you know where I'm going with this.
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Hey, don't forget to get your submissions in for our flash fiction contest. The deadline is officially tomorrow, but should you get something in by the end of the week, I'll still consider it. Not to exceed 350 words and must include a Halloween story featuring an interesting monster/ghost OR a cursed Halloween treat. Do it now.
850 word flash story - "Treasures Within"
Book Review Bonanza -- these books are free to review.