Sunday, April 20, 2008

"The grand climax"

A small note that I have enjoyed the way Tolkien wrote Frodo's reactions and actions as influenced by he ring so close to the achieving of their goal. However, I am really surprised in the way that Tokien has written three books centered on one moment which in the end takes only two paragraphs to actually describe the happenings of the ring. Any similar or opposing ideas? Also, any thoughts on Gollum's sudden lack of balance when all through the book he has been able to move with such stealth?!

9 comments:

Just A Knit Wit said...

Yeah, I've never been happy with that ending. Tolkien is the master of the anti-climax. I remember the first time I read the book I was so disgusted by the ending that I didn't even read the rest of it.

Phil F said...

Yeah I think Gollum is a strong example of that conveniance of the good guys that Dr. Simms talked about. Gollum was sneaky the whole story right up until he causes trouble.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I thought that Gollum losing his balance was crazy, it should have been that sam pushed him in with the ring. I mean who would not be aware of a gapping hole of fire and easily fall in.

Heather Ater said...

Yes, I think if Sam pushed him in would have been great, especially that Sam couldn't stand Gollum all the time they were together. But that really couldn't happen because then we wouldn't see Sam as a Good character anymore.

allison said...

I was totally disappointed with the way it happened. I think that Frodo wanting to keep the ring in the end was headed somewhere good, but him and Sam should have argued about it or something like that. Then, maybe Gollum could have tried to take the ring from Frodo, Frodo snaps out of wanting to keep the ring and throws it in the fire with Gollum leaping in after it...if that did not make any sense, I apologize.

amstrope said...

I find it weird that Gollum has been climbing things and walking around barefoot and in the dark for so long but he can't avoid a huge hole. Also I agree the Sam should have pushed him. Or maybe just a casual trip would be funny.

Heidi Harshman said...

I too was a little disappointed with the climax. I even read the paragraph over a few times to make sure I hadn't skipped anything!

While I think it would be interesting for Sam to have pushed Gollum, I don't feel it would be true to their journey so far. Frodo is constantly saying to let Gollum be, and not try to kill/injure him. I think that if they ended it by killing Gollum, it would be untrue to the 'hobbitness' that is in them.

David Le said...

i think it to be ironic for such a climax, it was hyped up so much to the final part in the battle. yet a push or a shove doesn't do gollum him but his klutziness which never happend before in the text. It was just probably an allusion that greed is the downfall of many or so i think

David Le said...

it is also kind of a reference to isuldur cutting off saurons finger to preserve the greater good and inadvertantly when gollum bites off frodo's finger and falls to his doom he preserves the peace and prevents good from fall to evil.