"The Voice of Saruman" - Eric's Thoughts

So. Here we are at what I remember to be one of my favorite chapters of the whole series. Everyone else seems psyched about Saruman's cameo just like I do. The question is -- does it live up to the hype???

Fortunately -- it does! Hooray! A true engaging chapter. I remember many times while being bored at church I would jump to and read this chapter. Something about it is really fun.

The plot is simple: the characters approach Saruman, who is holed up in Orthanc. The purpose of the meeting seems completely unclear and pointless. If he's that dangerous, why even bother talking to him? Gandalf reveals near the end was that the purpose was to give Saruman a chance of redemption, even though Gandalf knows that Saruman will reject it.

Besides the obvious -- that showing mercy is distinguishing factor of good from evil -- the point of this chapter really is to have a marvelous confrontation. A chapter like this shows that the most engaging parts of a story are not when fights occur, but when characters confront one another and really try to **** each other through dialogue.

Not dialogue that says "We meet again, Mr. Bond. You'll never escape this time. I think a nice . . . shark tank is what's in order here." But dialogue where the characters are trying to influence each other, and there's a decision where the influence could lead to a pivotal choice. This is what creates the most memorable moments in fiction.

Thus, a simple plot. But the confrontation is complex. Many paragraphs are spent describing the power of the voice. What Saruman says itself is not particularly convincing. But Tolkien spends so much time describing the voice, and its power, that the reader can visually see these puny mortals falling under its spell. It's an enchanting effect, both to the characters in the story, and the reader.

I found myself almost WANTING Saruman to prevail. And when he was beaten, it was a most unpleasant sensation. I too, had fallen under Saruman's spell.