S. was so excited when the narrative returned to Sam and
Frodo, in chapter one of book IV, the second book of The Two Towers. “I missed them,” she declared. When I told her that
we would stay with them throughout this book, she was glad to hear it, though
she admitted she will likely be missing “Aragorn and company,” (as she now
refers to the rest of the companions) before we got to the end of the book.
Tolkien’s narrative strategy really is interesting in this
middle section of his epic. After staying with Frodo and his companions for all
of Fellowship, he naturally spins them out in different directions when the
Fellowship breaks. Then instead of inter-cutting or weaving together the
stories of all the “groups,” he gives us great swathes of time with one group
or the other. That means when he does return to another set, we often backtrack
quite a bit in time.
It’s a little startling, for instance, when we first pick
back up with Sam and Frodo, to discover that they are only three days out in
their wanderings. For them, the events of the breaking of the Fellowship are
still fresh, while for us, having lived through long treks in the wilderness
chasing Orcs, long marches in the forest with Ents, and a prolonged battle at
Helm’s Deep, those events have started to fade. There’s something authentic
feeling about this kind of story-telling though, as we sense through the layers
that these events really are taking place at the same time – we just can’t
train our eyes on more than one of them at once.
The doings of Sam and Frodo feel small, lonely, and bleak
compared to the dramas of the others, but it’s that spareness and loneliness
that reminds us their secret task is the most daunting and important of all. As
S. says, only Tolkien could spend half a long chapter just getting two
characters down a rock ledge. They have to use Sam’s silky grey rope from
Lorien – and it’s a good thing they have it. Its magical properties enable them
not only to use it, but to keep it, when it would seem that they would need to
leave it behind. The mysterious “footpad” following them needs no such rope, as
he can climb spider-like down the cliff wall.
Of course his identity is not really so mysterious, as
they’ve known since Moria that Gollum has been following them – or more to the
point, following his “precious.” He finally catches up to them and Sam jumps
him as lands at the bottom of the cliff. Their ensuing tussle, in which
Gollum/Smeagol uses his wiry strength to fight sturdy Sam and ends up biting
the hobbit in the shoulder, does not bode well for their future relationship. Frodo,
however, is prepared to be lenient and gentle with Gollum, if only for the sake
of a conversation he once had (and now remembers clearly) with Gandalf. At that
time, Gandalf told him that it was pity that stayed Bilbo’s hand long ago in
the cave, when he might have killed Gollum. Seeing him now, Frodo feels deep
pity for the creature too.
I said Gollum/Smeagol above because this is the part of the
story where we get to know the deeply “split” nature of the poor creature who
has been enslaved by the Ring for so many years. The Gollum part of his nature
is the grasping, slavering, cringing, fearful part of him. JRRT describes him
in ways that call to mind an abused dog who knows that his ultimate master
(Sauron) is terrifying. Gollum is a conniving survivor, at whatever cost. The
Smeagol part of his nature is the deeply buried part of him who still remembers
better things in himself and others. Frodo will continually try to appeal to
that part of him, hard as it is to reach.
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