Saturday, January 26, 2008
Trust
It just amazes me how Frodo and friends can be so trusting so quickly and easily....maybe it is the food that drives them. ;) I just read chapter seven, and how quickly they trusted Tom. I am curious as to how this develops. Nonetheless, I can't help but do the "No!! Don't do that!!"reaction as though watching a movie and the 'dun-dun-dun' foreboding music plays. Anybody else just waiting for their trust to get them into deep trouble?
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I agree...Frodo has been overly trusting. First he wants to give the ring to Gandalf, then he practically tells all to Gildor. Soon he is confining in Tom like he is his long lost brother or something. He tells him things that he hasn't even told Gandalf, and he has known Gandalf for basically his whole life. Is it just me or does it seem like Frodo is almost trying not to succeed? He is constantly telling himself that the quest is dangerous and he must go alone, but he wants to tell everybody and their mother about it. I agree, this is bound to bite him in the butt..eventually.
I agree with where you guys are coming from on these points. They are quite valid, but the fact remains that Frodo is a hobbit and not 'well-versed' in the outsiders world. Therefore I think that its primarily his simple-mindedness that leads him to telling his whole spiel to every single person he meets. I don't know if it is possible for him to hide the information from Gandalf, Gildor, or Tom though as it seems to me that they already knew what he was going to tell them. But once again, I agree he needs to quit telling everyone he sees.
I too agree...
In my opinion he seems to trust people and ignore all warnings given to him. We can only hope that it doesn't come back to haunt him. And I also agree, he seems to be trying not to succeed. I find it entertaining that when he did try keeping his secret, all his friends still managed to find out, so maybe either way someone will find out.
I don't know if i necessarily agree that Frodo is trying to fail but i do think that the amount of information that he gives away is not something a "wise one" would do. However, i does seem that when ever the four hobbits are in some type of danger they can't them selves get out of, a character is indroduced as a rescuer of sorts. And it seems to me that because these characters (Gildor, Tom or even Farmer Maggot to a certain degree) help the hobbits they are trust worthy enough to know about the quest. By telling them Frodo also may be trying to get more information or help concerning the ring. Besides, having a ring with such power and reputation is dangerous but also a hard secret to keep for too long.
The fact that the hobbits are soooo trusting is the fact that they can be in the Shire. There is no hate, greed, murder, or theft to speak of were they come from, so why would they act that way? We are so quick to say, "what are they doing," because of the world we live in. It makes me sad that we cannot live like the hobbits, in a trusting world.
I also wonder if this is "the power of the ring" itself at work. Yes, these characters seem trustworthy, but it might be the ring trying to get back to it's maker.
Further idea: although it would be wonderful to be able to live in a hobbit world where everyone is trusting, however I must make a few points. If you are told not to go to a certain town with a ball cap on for crazy example or something bad would happen, hello, it's likely you would not do it. Also, we all have the power to keep our own deep secrets truly so although his close friends who were near him and specifically spying on him did get info, and yes some characters are getting more info than expected, I do not think it is crazy to think a secret could be kept. (Just maybe not from these particular characters for whatever reason-though even that could raise some concern.)
Yes, I agree our world now is not like that, we should not trust anyone these days! But Tom is the only guy that saves them, if it was not for him where would the story end up? I wish we lived in a world like the hobbits too and worry about nothing!
I think it is funny that many have claimed to want to live in a world akin to the shire because there are no cares in the world. I think though, that Tolkien himself you disagree. I think tolkien would say that the hobbits were only happy because they actively tried to ignore and dispel anything that was different or scary. In the end though, will that benefit the shire or its inhabitants? I don't think it would but i am interested in why you would think the shire isolationism would be such a wonderful thing.
After reading chapters 9-10, the point of trust is even more important to make.
While Frodo is hesitant to trust Strider, a simple 'note' from Gandalf is enough for him to allow the stranger to come along with them on the rest of their journey? It seems to me that while the story of Strider's connection to Gandalf has fallen together, and maybe it is in fact true that Strider is a 'good guy' that will help them through their journey- it seems an awfully big risk to take so quickly.
It's important to take into account Frodo's immense burden of bearing the ring. He wants nothing to do with it and is concerned mostly with getting rid of it. Although he is responsible and knows not to simply leave the ring in just anyone's hands, I think he does want to give the ring to someone who knows more than he (such as Gandalf or Tom Bombadil). If you were suddenly placed in such a hazardous situation and were approached by almost all-knowing and powerful people such as these two, wouldn't you trust the ring in either of their hands? They certainly seem like they would be much better equipped to handle such a situation than a naive little hobbit.
There are points for and against Frodo's trusting people simply because he's an innocent Hobbit from the Shire. On the one hand, he is an innocent Hobbit from the Shire and doesn't know much the outside world. Therefore, he's more willing to fall under the influence of a fast talker or persuasive person, much as a person who's lived on a farm away from society his or her whole life is much more likely to make a bad deal buying a Rolex from a guy in an alley in a big city on a visit. On the other hand, Frodo knows a lot more about the outside world than most other Hobbits because of Bilbo. Bilbo shared his knowledge with Frodo through countless stories. The fact that Frodo speaks with the Elves in their own language is testament to this.
For those of you who think that Frodo is trying not to succeed, you maybe interested in looking up a concept known as the "imp of the perverse," which is basically the idea that one's unconscious will often lead him or her to follow actions that will end in failure.
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