One of the most successful techniques Tolkien uses in his writing is the use of dichotomies within opposite characters, to show where their choices lead. There are many examples in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which two characters are given the same choice, and one makes the wrong decision, as a cautionary tale that shows the terrible devastation of this wrong decision, while the other chooses the right path and ends in triumph and celebration.
The best examples of this are Boromir and Faramir, both sons of Gondor, both human men who are given the opportunity to try to take the One Ring and use it to protect their people. On the one hand, Boromir succumbs to this terrible temptation, tries to take the ring from Frodo and ends up losing his life as a result. On the other hand, Faramir has the same choice when Frodo ends up in Ithilien, but Faramir makes the right choice, letting Frodo go and finally saving Middle Earth by letting the ring bearer complete his quest to destroy it.
And it’s not just men who face these choices, these dichotomies range from the tiniest creatures (hobbits) to the most powerful creatures (wizards). Another pair of polar opposites showing what yielding to desire and hubris means are Gandalf the Gray and Saruman the White. Saruman himself presents Gandalf with a choice, that they must join forces and serve the dark lord, and try to claim the ring of power for themselves.
By this point, Saruman has already fallen into darkness and his greed is beyond saving, leading to him ultimately losing Isengard, fleeing to concoct an evil plan in The Shire, and then being murdered by Grima Wormtongue. Rather, Gandalf chooses to remain loyal to his friends and his Istari mission, to help the world of evil, for which he gains the opportunity to come back as Gandalf the White, eventually becoming the hero of many people. lives.
Gandalf is the savior of most main characters in one form or another, but perhaps his most notable suppression of evil is that of freeing King Theoden of Rohan from the terrible clutches of Saruman. Theoden himself presents a different dichotomy of characters, with his counterpart Denethor of Gondor. So why is Gandalf able to save and redeem one but not the other? It is clear that both rulers of the respective kingdoms suffer from a terrible mental illness.
When the public first encounters Theoden in the Two towersHe is a withered man, older than his years, who has abandoned his kind nephew and seems unmoved by the death of his only son. He is clearly being manipulated by his perverted and cunning advisor Wormtongue, who has poisoned his mind and body with Saruman’s magic. Fortunately, Gandalf is able to rid him of this terrible curse in a stunning display of power in his new form as a white wizard, and Theoden returns to himself and his senses and ascends to be the king his people need him. had.
In contrast, Denethor also clearly suffers from mental illness, as his paranoia and self-righteousness lead both his sons to the brink of death. However, when Gandalf arrives and tries to help Denethor in the same way he tried to help Theoden, he is unable to reach the Steward and cure him of his madness and his ailment. He tries to beg Denethor for help, both from himself and from others, but Denethor is too proud and powerful to admit that he and his rule are failing.
Both Denethor and Theoden are poisoned by outside forces, for Theoden it is Saruman, for Denethor it is Sauron’s whispers and terrible doubts by the Palantir in the highest towers of Minas Tirith. But as with all of Tolkien’s themes and messages, it all comes down to the choices they make and the paths they follow. The difference between the two, and the reason Gandalf can save one and not the other, is simply that Theoden wants to be saved and Denethor doesn’t.
Theoden chooses the path of hope, the path of action, he decides to fight alongside his people, knowing that he may not come out the other side, but that he will have contributed to a better future for the generations to come. . He chooses to accept Gandalf’s help and guidance, and he ends his story on the battlefield, as a brave hero who will be honored forever, and his legends have been passed down through the ages. Denethor, on the other hand, rejects Gandalf’s help and advice, believing that as the Steward he knows better. He succumbs to despair and decides that he would rather die than trust others to defend him, eventually ending his story as a coward, throwing himself off the shore and leaving Faramir and Aragorn to pick up his neglected’s pieces. kingdom.
0 Comments