END OF SEMESTER

I just wanted to say that after reading the books and having watched the trilogy, I believe the people who made the movie did an excellent job of conecting the film to the book. Had I not watched the movies first, I wouldn't have been able to picture all the things Tolkien wrote about so I just wanted to say Kudos to the movie.

Battle of Bywater

At the end of Return of the King, I really don't understand why Frodo is so standoffish. In the Battle of Bywater, he tries to "prevent the hobbits in their wrath at their lossses, from slaying those of their enemies who threw down their weapons" and I think that's a little strange...

Grima and Gollum

As I was reading the end of the novel, I was struck by how much Grima was depicted like Gollum. It is said that he moved about the ground almost on all fours, like a dog. He followed his master, not out of love but because this was someone that had control in tough situations and could make sure he was taken care of, even if it wasn't the best situation for Grima to be in. It is also stated how thin and drawn Grima had become. The only difference is that Grima chose to kill his master, while Gollum had to fall over a cliff to become free (because, let's face it: Frodo wasn't the master, the Ring was. Frodo just happened to be its keeper). I am of the opinion that Tolkien depicted Grima in this way to give a parallel to Gollum. We've talked a lot about this character being how the other should have been. Is Grima the embodiment of how Gollum should have ended up?

More of the End

Appendix B, which is located at the end of The Return of the King, gives a nice long timeline of events, one of which gives an account of the events following the end of the trilogy, all the way up to the death of Aragorn. I personally enjoyed reading this, because I liked seeing the broad events of the rest of the Company after Frodo left. Does this list of events ruin the novel's ending for you, or are you glad to have that extra information?

Eowyn's love?

I never thought that Eowyn was really in love with Aragorn. I just thought that she was in love with the idea of him and the glory she could attain with him. I believe that in the book, Aragorn actually says that she only loved but a "shadow and a thought" of him. That's why I think that her feelings for Faramir would actually be more true for she sees him as he is and chooses the man rather than a position of glory and honor. In a way, this choice kind of reminds me of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Through the entire book, Scarlett was "in love" with Ashley, but in the end she realized that she really wasn't, but instead she realized that Rhett was who she really wanted. While both instances restore balance with people choosing to be with those who seem more suitable, it also however seems that they are just waking up to realize who they really care about and who's position they only care about.

Scouring of the Shire

Every time that I read this chapter it always seems to me to be overenthusiastic fan fiction. While I know that all of the hobbits are going to be changed by their experiences, it seems a little overdone.

Return of the Hobbits

I found it interesting that when the Hobbits returned to the Shire, their characters seem so much different than when they left. It is for obvious reasons of course, as they have been through so much.

Before, it seemed to me that they were all simple folk. Minding their own business, never looking for trouble, and tending to their gardens. Now they return with a renewed confidence, able to lead the rest of the Hobbits in an attack of the ruffians. Its interesting to me that none of the other Hobbits (at least up until this point) have noticed or commented on the changes in the Hobbit's personality.

Its also interesting that Rosie commented to Sam that Frodo may be in much danger and Sam should not leave him alone. I liked that Sam found humor in that, as he and Frodo had been through so much together already.