So ends Book III! And what a way to end--the battle has been won only for us to be reminded that the war is far from over. As Gandalf frames it: "So we fly--not from danger but into greater danger." Expertly handled, Tolkien: I've waited so impatiently to at last return to the adventures of Master Frodo and Samwise Gamgee, only for me to be left hungry to find out what happens next to Peregrin Took, of all people!
That cliffhanger is especially expert because the first part of this chapter initially felt like a dull return to the plodding wordiness of "Road to Isengard" and "Flotsam and Jetsam"--I began to fear that from here on out, chapters like "The Voice of Saruman" would be exception, not the rule. But then the eye of Sauron appears, the Nazgul desecrate the sky, and the war-party's leisurely trot across the plains suddenly becomes a mad dash through the night. Tolkien knows how to move when he feels like it!
As for the vision in the titular palantír: Sauron's gloating laugh over poor Pippin was of special interest to me, particularly given my discussion of Gandalf's cutting laugh against Saruman in the previous chapter. There is nothing that Sauron cannot turn to evil use, and laughter is one of them; and whereas Gandalf uses it to punch up and puncture the powerful, Sauron uses it to punch down and oppress the weak. It is the difference between the humor of the generous verses the humor of the cruel; indeed, whenever I read of some politician or comedian complaining about how "political correctness" is hampering humor, I've realized what they're actually complaining about is how they can no longer get away with being as big of pricks as they'd like to be--and the fact that they can't imagine comedy without cruelty speaks volumes about their own crooked character. That is, I bet Sauron ain't big on "political correctness" either. What a fascinating compare and contrast.
Also of interest: we finally get a brief discussion in how exactly Gandalf the White differs from Gandalf the Grey. It's not much, but Merry's "He can be both kinder and more alarming, merrier and more solemn than before" still seems to communicate something profound. The description reminds me of what Maslow wrote of the "self-actualized" in Motivation and Personality--how they can be both more light-hearted yet also somber, both more generous yet also more ruthless in ending friendships they perceive as corrupted, are quick and accurate judges of character, and are as comfortable leading as they are submiting (which we see with Gandalf's bow to Aragorn). All these feel like apt descriptions of Gandalf the White--if not Gandalf the Gray.
For I vaguely recall us discussing clear back in Book I how Gandalf the Grey is frankly a bit of dick. But here, whereas early Gandalf would have rapped Pippin's ears for letting himself get seduced by the palantír, now Gandalf's "face grew gentler, and the shadow of a smile appeared. He laid his hand softly on Pippin's head." That is, Gandalf has become self-actualized in Maslow's model--though boy has he ever earned it! But then, it's not an actualization that ever comes cheap; indeed, it has been my experience generally that the most genuine, kind, and generous people I have ever met are the ones who have passed through the most searing pain, who have seen the most. It is petty small-mindedness that makes us cruel (as shown by Sauron's obsession with that tiny ring); it is a broad-mindedness born of soul-expanding tragedy that makes us generous.
We are now half way to the end. I stop here waiting for you. Until Book IV, gentlemen.
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