"Homeward Bound" - Eric's Thoughts

Wherein herein lies a transitional chapter, wherein herein it only deserves a transitional analysis.

Homeward Bound (the chapter) could be best described by Homeward Bound (the movie), which assuredly everyone watched growing up. Remember that one? No?

I will summarize. There are two dogs and a cat in that movie (I think). The animals get lost. They have to find their way home. Antics ensue, including a porcupine attack to one of the dog's faces. (I'm pretty sure that happened. Anyone willing to (re)watch it to make sure?)

All right, maybe the chapter is not all that similar with the movie, but you get the point. The hobbits are bounding towards home -- i.e. they are homeward bound. Along the way they see Butterbeer, err, Butterbur. Him and Knob and Cobb are much more suspicious towards outsiders. Tolkien is doing this to show that the world the hobbits left behind has changed. As have the hobbits.

Gandalf leaves, again. (You may be be wondering: why is that wizard always running off at critical moments?? He did the same thing in The Hobbit! [Spoiler below***])

The chapter ends with a real cliffhanger as the hobbits approach home. Is everyone the way it was??? Can Sam go back to a peaceful life of gardening notwithstanding the visions that he saw in Lothlorien and Butterbur's ominous foreshadowing in Bree??? Dum - dum - dum!!!! We'll have to see!!!!

***Answer: Because that way the characters can develop without a crutch. The wizard / helper figure generally has to be taken out of the equation so that the hero can truly demonstrate his/her apotheosis. See Campbell.

"Many Partings" - Eric's Thoughts

The highlight of this chapter is the brief appearance of the villain Saruman, who is described as an old ragged beggar leaning on a staff. In his ragged form, once again, Saruman is offered mercy. And once again, Saruman rejects it.

I can't help but suspect that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis had a talk about theology once or twice. Saruman's repeated rejection of mercy is very similar to Lewis' Great Divorce. Indeed, Saruman's infinite, unrelenting pride gives him the incapacity to understand why Gandalf and the others offer mercy in the first place. Saruman cannot accept others' mercy because he once dominated the council of wizards and was one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth. Even Gandalf would take Saruman's counsel. To be seen in rags by his former friends; that must gnaw him from the inside. To accept their mercy, well, that would just be giving them the satisfaction that he was wrong, right? Humbug!

As will be seen, sympathy for Saruman is not the best approach, however. The man is a snake, and Saruman's capacity for evil is not done yet. Perhaps spurred by his close encounter, Saruman turns to the Shire to seek revenge. One thing I wonder -- is Saruman aware that the hobbits Merry and Pippin spurred the Ents to war? If so, it adds another layer of pettiness to the man--even though he has lost, he wishes to destroy as many lives as possible before he is caught and taken from the world.