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weaver
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 5:36pm
Post #1 of 65
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Homeward Bound 1 -- "At last the hobbits had their faces turned towards home."
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Welcome to this week's discussion of Book Six, Chapter VII – Homeward Bound.
The hobbits are now on their way home.
The first part of the chapter deals with what happens from when they leave Rivendell to right before they reach Bree, and includes stops at the Ford of Bruinen and Weathertop.
Tolkien focuses on the reaction of Frodo to these locations:
"When they came to the Ford of Bruinen, he had halted, and seemed loth to ride into the stream; and they noted that for a while his eyes appeared not to see them or things about him. All that day he was silent. It was the sixth of October.
At length they came to Weathertop; and it was then drawing towards evening and the shadow of the hill lay dark on the road. Then Frodo begged them to hasten, and he would not look towards the hill, but rode through its shadow with head bowed and cloak drawn close about him."
Tolkien has Gandalf talk with Frodo about his reactions:
"'Are you in pain, Frodo?' said Gandalf quietly as he rode by Frodo's side.
'Well, yes I am,' said Frodo. 'It is my shoulder. The wound aches, and the memory of darkness is heavy on me. It was a year ago today.'
'Alas! there are some wounds that cannot be wholly cured,' said Gandalf.
'I fear it may be so with mine,' said Frodo. 'There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?'
Gandalf did not answer."
Between these “dark times”, however, Frodo seems fine:
"By the end of the next day the pain and unease had passed, and Frodo was merry again, as merry as if he did not remember the blackness of the day before. After that the journey went well, and the days went quickly by; for they rode at leisure, and often they lingered in the fair woodlands where the leaves were red and yellow in the autumn sun."
This section ends with this description:
"That night the weather changed, and a wind came from the West laden with rain, and it blew loud and chill, and the yellow leaves whirled like birds in the air. When they came to the Chetwood already the boughs were almost bare, and a great curtain of rain veiled Bree Hill from their sight."
Questions:
1. Any thoughts on why Tolkien uses the word “bound” in the Chapter title? What does it mean to be “bound” in LotR? How many contexts of the word “bound” might apply to this chapter/part of LotR?
2. Why does Tolkien make Gandalf the confidante of Frodo here, rather than one of the hobbits?
3. Is it obvious to you, at this point, that Frodo’s story will not have a happy ending, at least in terms of being able to stay in the Shire? Does Tolkien merely hint, or does he clearly foreshadow, what Frodo's fate will be? How well does he do at “keeping you guessing” about what will become of Frodo?
4. Here are the descriptors Tolkien uses to set the stage at the end of this section:
the weather changed
a wind comes from the West laden with rain
the wind blows loud and chill
yellow leaves whirl like birds in the air
the bows are almost bare
a great curtain of rain veils Bree Hill from their sight
4a. What is the cumulative effect of these descriptors? What lines especially stand out to you and why?
4b. What is the significance of the wind coming from the West?
4c. Is the bird reference meant to be meaningful in any way? Or is this just a good way to describe the movement of autumn leaves?
4d. Why is Bree behind a curtain and veiled to their sight? When else are these types of analogies used in LotR? Is there any reason to connect them with this moment in the story?
5. Any other comments on this opening section?
Weaver
(This post was edited by weaver on Jan 5 2009, 5:39pm)
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 8:20pm
Post #2 of 65
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1. Any thoughts on why Tolkien uses the word "bound" in the Chapter title? What does it mean to be "bound" in LotR? How many contexts of the word "bound" might apply to this chapter/part of LotR?
Gandalf describes Gollum as bound to his desire of the Ring and bound to the fate of the Ring. Frodo, unlike Gollum, seems to escape the Ring, but I suppose one could argue that he is still bound to it in some way, since he still feels the effects of his long burden, as he discusses in this chapter. Still, I think it is a stretch to find a double meaning in the title of this chapter. Homeward Bound means Headed Home, and I find no plausible double meaning.
2. Why does Tolkien make Gandalf the confidante of Frodo here, rather than one of the hobbits?
Gandalf is expecting this reaction; the other hobbits are not. Therefore Gandalf asks the question, and gets Frodo's answer. Furthermore Frodo might not have been so candid with the other hobbits.
I do find it strange that Sam doesn't pick up on Frodo's pain, though. Perhaps Sam is distracted; perhaps his thoughts have finally moved away from Frodo, and on to Rosie and the future. Perhaps Sam simply does not want to see Frodo in pain, any more than Frodo wants to reveal his pain. Clearly something is going on with Sam, for it isn't like him to be oblivious to Frodo's plight, and yet despite various clues Sam remains fairly oblivious right up to the day they ride to the Grey Havens, two years hence.
3. Is it obvious to you, at this point, that Frodo’s story will not have a happy ending, at least in terms of being able to stay in the Shire? Does Tolkien merely hint, or does he clearly foreshadow, what Frodo's fate will be? How well does he do at "keeping you guessing" about what will become of Frodo?
Arwen flat-out told Frodo he could take her place in the ship sailing West if he so desired, and strongly hinted that he would need a cure unavailable in Middle-earth. Elrond told Frodo that Bilbo would travel west with the elves, and that Frodo could join them. Now Frodo has told Gandalf his wounds have returned. The groundwork has been laid, and the reader should not be surprised by Frodo's choice.
But some first-time readers may not understand the full import of what has been said, and in particular may not be prepared for the bittersweet farewell between Frodo and Sam. The expectation of a happy ending is so strong that the melancholy of "The Grey Havens" can catch a reader by surprise, I judge, despite all of Tolkien's warnings.
4. Here are the descriptors Tolkien uses to set the stage at the end of this section:
the weather changed
a wind comes from the West laden with rain
the wind blows loud and chill
yellow leaves whirl like birds in the air
the bows are almost bare
a great curtain of rain veils Bree Hill from their sight
4a. What is the cumulative effect of these descriptors? What lines especially stand out to you and why?
Tolkien never explains why he gives us regular weather reports throughout LotR, including noting every change in the direction of the wind. I don't think he would have done it if it weren't significant, but he always maintains ambiguity. This particular change in the weather is harder to explain, because Sauron is gone, and the unpleasant weather is coming out of the West, not the East. And again, Tolkien does not give us an answer. But here's my speculation.
First of all, if Saruman still had any power it's possible that he could have been responsible for the cold wind from the West, just as I think he was responsible for the weakening wind from the North the Three Hunters encountered in Rohan. But I don't think Saruman has such power any more. So I raise that theory only to reject it.
Instead, I see this as an omen from the Higher Powers that all is not well in Bree and the Shire, a cold, wet slap in the face for the returning hobbits. I also see it as a counterpart to the curtain of rain through which Frodo passes when he sails West. Bree and the Shire in the Age of Men seem to be cut off from Fairie now, behind a curtain of rain on the east and the west. The Scouring is an adventure that could easily happen in the Primary World, with little or no magic involved. This transition is reinforced at the end of the chapter, when Merry speaks of waking up from a long dream, and Frodo speaks of falling asleep again. This is a transitional chapter, and the rain curtain helps mark that transition.
4b. What is the significance of the wind coming from the West?
Again, I see it as an omen that all is not well in Bree and the Shire, and as part of a transition from Fairie to non-Fairie.
4c. Is the bird reference meant to be meaningful in any way? Or is this just a good way to describe the movement of autumn leaves?
Birds are connected with Manwe, and water-birds with Ulmo, but here I see such a connection as a stretch. I see the wind and rain as significant, but the description of the leaves as just a good description. (On the other hand, I see the actual birds inhabiting the western shore of the Anduin and the black swans flying over Aragorn as significant and very possibly related to Manwe or Ulmo or both. But here we just have a comparison to birds, not actual birds.)
4d. Why is Bree behind a curtain and veiled to their sight? When else are these types of analogies used in LotR? Is there any reason to connect them with this moment in the story?
The rain curtain analogy is used when Frodo dreams of sailing West in Bombadil's house and again when he actually sails West, and the curtain is drawn back to reveal a "far green country under a swift sunrise." As noted, I do see a connection between this rain curtain on the east and the rain curtain Frodo will encounter to the west. I see the rain curtains as marking a division -- perhaps a new division in this Age of Men -- between Bree and the Shire and Fairie.
Tolkien also uses curtains of water created by waterfalls in Faramir's hideout and Treebeard's home, and a curtain of darkness when the Three Hunters rest in Rohan, but I don't see a connection to this rain curtain in front of Bree.
5. Any other comments on this opening section?
Although Frodo feels his pain in his shoulder, he acknowledges that the pain is triggered by his memory, i.e. the anniversary of his wound and the memories brought on by the Ford or Weathertop. Note also that Frodo did not just tie his pain to the "knife" (the Morgul blade), but also to "sting" (Shelob), "tooth" (Gollum), and "a long burden" (the Ring, and possibly a lingering desire for the Ring). Under the circumstances, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that Frodo's pain is more mental than physical, and to connect it with post-traumatic stress syndrome, or what Tolkien would have known as battle fatigue (World War II) or shell shock (World War I).
However, I object to any implication that what Frodo needed was a good psychologist or psychiatrist. Middle-earth is a Secondary World full of magic and spirits, and devoid of psychologists and psychiatrists. What Frodo needed was magical/spiritual healing, healing Gandalf concluded he could only get in Elvenhome/Valinor. Any resemblance between Frodo's ailment and Primary World psychological diagnoses is, I judge, highly misleading -- unless, perhaps, Tolkien was one of the many people who prefer spiritual therapy to psychological therapy in the Primary World, and not just in his Secondary World.
(This post was edited by Curious on Jan 5 2009, 8:26pm)
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batik
Tol Eressea
Jan 5 2009, 9:04pm
Post #3 of 65
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Just a *quickie* this afternoon (it's been a long 2 weeks)....more after work
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and yes, I am referring to RR "Q and A" ...tsk, tsk...
This really stems from reading Curious' thoughts on 1 and 2....maybe one reason Gandalf, not Sam, picks up on Frodo's state is due to Sam now being Homeward bound--headed for the rest of his life-- and no longer "bound" to the role he has played during his journey with Frodo.
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visualweasel
Rohan
Jan 5 2009, 9:26pm
Post #4 of 65
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"Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory [...]"
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1. Any thoughts on why Tolkien uses the word “bound” in the Chapter title? What does it mean to be “bound” in LotR? How many contexts of the word “bound” might apply to this chapter/part of LotR?
First, @ Curious:
Still, I think it is a stretch to find a double meaning in the title of this chapter.
I disagree. I find it perfectly plausible that there was a deliberate double meaning here, either intended or accidental, but nevertheless quite applicable. Didn't Tolkien once say, "I would always rather try to wring the juice out of a single sentence, or explore the implications of one word [...]. And I am afraid that what I would rather do is what I have usually done." While you may be right, I'd rather give the Professor the benefit of the doubt that additional layers of meaning were intentional.
As to what they might mean, I agree with the point you (Curious) made about how Gollum, and perhaps Frodo too, is still bound to the Ring. There is also the faint philological suggestion of bound > bond > band > Ring to back that up. I also think of Aragorn's words as he departs his life, quoted above. Hard not to think of them, really, as the same verb is used in the same way more than once in The Silmarillion as well. And mutatis mutandis, I think they apply very well to Frodo too. And finally, the word recalls to mind the Bounders of the Shire.
The hobbits are homeward bound, by leaps and bounds, to the bounds (boundaries) of their own country, where goodness and comfort abound. Or will, I'll be bound, once they've cleaned up and tossed out a ruffian or two, and the country rebounds. Zounds, that's a lot of "bounds" I've found! 
Jason Fisher
Lingwë - Musings of a Fish
The Lord of the Rings discussion 2007-2008 – The Two Towers – III.4 “Treebeard” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
“On Fairy-stories” discussion 2008 – “Origins” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(This post was edited by visualweasel on Jan 5 2009, 9:29pm)
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weaver
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 9:59pm
Post #5 of 65
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I like your sense that Sam is now out of Frodo-bounds...
Weaver
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weaver
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 10:04pm
Post #6 of 65
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You get the Bounder Award for this one, to be sure!
I do think it's an interesting word choice by Tolkien -- the "one Ring to bind them" verse was what made me wonder why he chose "bound" here as opposed to "The Journey Home" or something like that...but there are a lot of ways of looking at this one word, aren't there? Thanks...
Weaver
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 10:06pm
Post #7 of 65
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Why just a double meaning, then?
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confined by bonds; "bound and gagged hostages"
Frodo clearly doesn't want to go home, but does so reluctantly, like a bound and gagged hostage. Alternatively, Frodo is bound to the Ring, which itself is a bond.
held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union
The hobbits are bound together as they head home. Frodo is still bound to the Ring.
secured with a cover or binding; often used as a combining form; "bound volumes"; "leather-bound volumes"
Don't forget that Frodo carries with him all of Bilbo's writings, doubtless leather bound!
bound(p): (usually followed by `to') governed by fate; "bound to happen"; "an old house destined to be demolished"; "he is destined to be famous"
It was the hobbits' fate to return home.
bandaged: covered or wrapped with a bandage; "the bandaged wound on the back of his head"; "an injury bound in fresh gauze"
Could the connection with Frodo's wounds be any clearer?
jump: move forward by leaps and bounds; "The horse bounded across the meadow"; "The child leapt across the puddle"; "Can you jump over the fence?"
The hobbits make good time from Rivendell to Bree, despite a slight hiccup at the Ford and Weathertop -- they cover the distance in leaps and bounds.
boundary: a line determining the limits of an area
As noted, the rain-curtain in front of Bree marks a boundary or bound between Fairie and non-Fairie.
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in `college-bound students'; "children bound for school"; "a flight destined for New York"
The obvious meaning -- heading home.
form the boundary of; be contiguous to
Similar to boundary or line, above, Fairie is contiguous to Bree and the Shire.
bound by an oath; "a bound official"
Sam is bound to Rosie, and will be bound to the office of Mayor in the future; Frodo will be bound to the office of Mayor for a while, but only in an acting capacity; Merry and Pippin will be bound to the offices of Thain and Master of Buckland.
restrict: place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends"
The hobbits' time in Fairie has come to an end; they have reached their limit or bound.
limit: the greatest possible degree of something; "what he did was beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior"; "to the limit of his ability"
Outside of the Shire the hobbits broke free of their limitations or bounds; now they return to them.
apprenticed: bound by contract
I'm not sure I see this one. Any ideas?
bounce: spring back; spring away from an impact; "The rubber ball bounced"; "These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide"
Like a rubber ball the hobbits bounce back to the Shire with renewed energy.
leap: a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
The hobbits have a new bounce in their step they lacked when they left.
bound(p): confined in the bowels; "he is bound in the belly"
Frodo's wounds have given him constipation! Or perhaps a partially blocked intestine, which I happen to know is quite painful.
By the way, how can a "deliberate double meaning" nevertheless be "accidental"?
In all seriousness, I'm willing to entertain the idea that Tolkien intended multiple meanings for his titles, but without additional evidence I still find this particular title pretty straightforward. Although several of these hidden meanings are almost plausible, I still find it a stretch to interpret the title of the chapter as a deliberate pun. Although I see hidden meanings throughout LotR, I don't see puns. I don't see that as Tolkien's style, the way I do with James Joyce, for example. Okay, maybe some of Tolkien's invented names like Smaug are philological puns, but I see that as different, and an exception.
(This post was edited by Curious on Jan 5 2009, 10:14pm)
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weaver
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 10:14pm
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I like your sentiment that the entree into Bree marks the transition back into the Primary World for the hobbits (all but Frodo, as you point out) -- how very "Tolkien" of Tolkien to give us a description of a curtain to mark a juncture like this, where you pass in or out of, or see into, Faerie...
I wonder why, though, this particular curtain veils Bree from their sight? Shouldn't it let you see into Bree, and veil everything else? Or do the hobbits need to pass through it before they can "see" the Primary World again?
Weaver
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visualweasel
Rohan
Jan 5 2009, 10:18pm
Post #9 of 65
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By the way, how can a "deliberate double meaning" nevertheless be "accidental"?
Okay, you got me: this accidental slip clearly undermines the entire point of my post, I suppose ...?
In all seriousness, [..]
Hmm, a little too much perhaps. It may just be me, but I felt I detected an acrid note behind the protracted litany of examples you concocted there.
Jason Fisher
Lingwë - Musings of a Fish
The Lord of the Rings discussion 2007-2008 – The Two Towers – III.4 “Treebeard” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
“On Fairy-stories” discussion 2008 – “Origins” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 10:21pm
Post #10 of 65
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It's a transition for Frodo, too.
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It's just a different kind of transition, since for him Faerie feels more "real" than the Shire.
Do you think Bree should be visible because it is at the crossroads between Faerie and non-Faerie? That's a fair point, but the inhabitants of Bree have more in common with the hobbits of the Shire than with the Rangers or elves. Despite their interactions with the inhabitants of Fairie, Bree still seems more like the Primary World.
(This post was edited by Curious on Jan 5 2009, 10:24pm)
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 10:23pm
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Sorry, I wanted to be lighthearted, not acrid.
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No offense meant, and I apologize if any was taken.
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visualweasel
Rohan
Jan 5 2009, 10:47pm
Post #12 of 65
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Especially since it wasn't meant. Maybe it's the weather here. 81° the day before yesterday; 32° and freezing rain today. Supposed to in the 70's again in a couple days. No wonder everybody's been catching colds. Bit of a mood-damper, that.
Anyway, sorry to have strained the bounds of comportment.
Jason Fisher
Lingwë - Musings of a Fish
The Lord of the Rings discussion 2007-2008 – The Two Towers – III.4 “Treebeard” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
“On Fairy-stories” discussion 2008 – “Origins” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(This post was edited by visualweasel on Jan 5 2009, 10:47pm)
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squire
Half-elven
Jan 5 2009, 11:07pm
Post #13 of 65
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Contracts, half hitches, and other ties that bind
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Two of the terms you picked out of that dictionary are especially helpful in thinking about Tolkien's very deliberately worded title.
apprenticed: bound by contract
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in `college-bound students'
These two usages combine in the originally nautical term we encounter in Tolkien's title. Homeward bound, like outward bound, are less specific variations on the compass point phrases so often encountered in talk of sailing and shipping: northward bound, southward bound, eastward bound, and westward bound.
In all these cases, the point is that the ship is contracted to go in a specific direction: it is bound by contract to sail, or more exactly to carry its cargo, where it is supposed to. As you may remember when you had that souvenir shipped home from foreign parts, the cargo when it arrives at the destination port is stored "in bond" - it is not yet picked up and signed for, and therefore it is still bound on its journey even though it has reached dry land. (We may now all flash on The Hobbit's chapter title "Barrels in Bond"!)
Why the suffix "-ward" add to the destination? "-ward" suggests a tendency, rather than a specific heading. Sailors, of course, depend on the wind and the currents, and rarely can navigate their ships directly to their destination. By tacking, and changing course back and forth, they head "towards" a direction rather than in a direction. They sail "eastward" rather than "east", etc. You may take a "southbound train" by contrast - the train tracks go exactly where they're meant to, by the shortest and fastest route.
This chapter's title could well have been "Going Home", "Headed Home", "The Journey Home", etc. The title phrase "Homeward Bound" is evocatively nautical (and very English - it's a sailor's island). It conveys both the wandering nature of the hobbits' travels back to the Shire, taking their time and stopping at every way station, and more importantly the idea that they must go home - they are compelled (bound) to go home by their hobbit natures and the terms of their quest. I don't think it has the evil connotation that the Ring's spell has; as we know, Tolkien approves of some forms of compulsion and contract, such as being "bound to hearth and home". But the echo is there, all the same.
As others have noted, Tolkien uses bondage as a central image in much of his writing. The Ring is the great binder in LotR, but don't let us forget that a major version of the Silmarillion's Luthien story is entitled the Lay of Leithian, a odd word that Tolkien said meant "release from bondage" (Even Christopher Tolkien does not really explain this very well; I suspect the bonds referred to are the same as Aragorn talks about in his farewell to Arwen.)
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion; and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 6 2009, 12:06am
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a pun or double meaning. Rather, you analyze the origin of the phrase "homeward bound," and its precise meaning in common usage and in this chapter. And I have some quibbles.
I agree that "homeward bound" has a nautical feel to it, and that "homeward" suggests a wandering direction rather than a straight line -- but the path from Rivendell to the Shire is fairly straight, so I'm not sure that is Tolkien's purpose in choosing this title. I'm even less convinced of the contractual meaning, in the nautical context or in this chapter.
I think, rather, that the phrase "homeward bound" suggests a great journey, as opposed to a short trip. One might "head home" from a neighbor's house, or perhaps even from Buckland to Hobbiton, but one is only "homeward bound" from a distant land, not a short commute. I think Tolkien conveys the idea that the hobbits are on the final leg of a long, long journey, and I think that meaning of "homeward bound" is more important than the notion that they are tacking back and forth or that they are under contract to come home.
I also agree with you that "Homeward Bound" does not have the evil connotation of the Ring's spell. On the contrary, the title seems quite reassuring -- deceptively so, as we shall discover.
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squire
Half-elven
Jan 6 2009, 12:36am
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The only sense of "double meaning" I perceive here is that most people do not know or care about the origin of the phrase "homeward bound", but Tolkien does. In fact, in everyday use, the phrase does now mean exactly what you say, that they are simply headed home after a journey away - no nautical or contractual sense necessary for understanding. However, like most words with as many meanings as you brought up, this usage of "bound" has an origin that relates to binding, and that origin is the nautical/contractual one I was explaining. I think Tolkien chose this usage because he understood that the "bound" in "homeward bound" still means tied/compelled/contracted/forced and the "homeward" reflects nautical thinking, etc. Tolkien very much liked to use words in ways that bring out their origins and original meanings, as we all know. The "double meaning" is there if you look for it - you don't have to, of course, to understand the title!
Had he used "Headed Home", we would be analyzing the idea that the animal being ridden has to have its head pointed in the direction of home in order to get there. "The Journey Home" would ask us to think about the length of time (jours = days) involved.
The joy of reading Tolkien!
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion; and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 6 2009, 12:49am
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I've Googled several dictionaries of nautical terms, and I see nothing about a contractual meaning of "homeward bound." I still have difficulty applying that meaning to this context, too, since the hobbits are not, as far as I can tell, under contract.
I even have problems applying the term "homeward" to this chapter, although I agree with your definition, since on this leg of the journey the hobbits do not wander or tack, but travel straight from Rivendell to the Shire.
Even assuming you are correct about the precise meaning of "homeward bound," I don't see how that precision applies to this chapter.
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batik
Tol Eressea
Jan 6 2009, 1:30am
Post #17 of 65
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I think I must have been resolved to be oblivious to any hints, foreshadowing, or direct hits over the head concerning Frodo's fate. Gandalf's silence actually spoke volumes-- in hindsight.
"That night the weather changed, ...this, after they lingered "in the fair woodlands...in the autumn sun"
and a wind came from the West laden with rain,...water brings life/cleanses/reshapes; wind/air also reshapes, freshens/cleanses
and it blew loud and chill,...an announcement, not to be ignored
and the yellow leaves whirled like birds in the air. artificial life of the leaves
When they came to the Chetwood already the boughs were almost bare,..but not completely bare
and a great curtain of rain veiled Bree Hill from their sight." set change coming up
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squire
Half-elven
Jan 6 2009, 1:51am
Post #18 of 65
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I made it all up. But it sounds right to me. It's a joy of Tolkien thing. You are - as always with me - free to disagree. If you do find the answer, I would like to know why English speakers say "-----ward bound" to mean they are traveling in some direction. I don't think it's because they are jumping (bounding), leap by leap, across the landscape.
I certainly did not mean to imply the hobbits were "under contract" to return home! That would be like finding the owner's manual to the One Ring.
Nor did I mean that the hobbits were somehow wandering, lost, off the Great Road, or - more bizarre - tacking a small "land boat" into that west wind.
As I tried to make clear, I am not talking about precision, but its opposite: association and metaphor, which seems to pervade Tolkien's use of language
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion; and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
(This post was edited by squire on Jan 6 2009, 1:55am)
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Dreamdeer
Valinor
Jan 6 2009, 5:56am
Post #19 of 65
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Free drinks on me at the Friday Fiesta for whoever can find the most puns in Tolkien's work! There's loads of them!
Life is beautiful and dangerous! Beware! Enjoy!
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sador
Half-elven
Jan 6 2009, 8:55am
Post #20 of 65
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A few thoughts, some to the point
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1. Any thoughts on why Tolkien uses the word “bound” in the Chapter title?
A homage to Simon and Garfunkel?
What does it mean to be “bound” in LotR?
As far as I remember, usually one person is bound to the other. Isn't Gollum bound to Frodo? I don't have the book here.
How many contexts of the word “bound” might apply to this chapter/part of LotR?
I lost count after Curious' post.
2. Why does Tolkien make Gandalf the confidante of Frodo here, rather than one of the hobbits?
Gandalf asks it, so Frodo answers. And Gandalf is more perceptive, and would more expect such a thing (Sam probably doesn't realise how bad Frodo is hurt until the journey to the Havens - remember he wasn't with him next October 6th).
Apart of that, Frodo seems to have the odd habit of confiding in the person nearest at the moment - see his telling Gimli about his suspicion Gollum is following, in 'Lothlorien'.
3. Is it obvious to you, at this point, that Frodo’s story will not have a happy ending, at least in terms of being able to stay in the Shire? Does Tolkien merely hint, or does he clearly foreshadow, what Frodo's fate will be? How well does he do at “keeping you guessing” about what will become of Frodo?
I think last chapter foreshadowed it quite clearly - starting with Arwen, and then with the vision of Bilbo - 'living happily ever after to the end of his days' indeed!
I can't remember properly my first reading, but I think I took Elrond's parting words as a clear warning that not all is well.
4a. What is the cumulative effect of these descriptors? What lines especially stand out to you and why?
I'm not sure; after all, it's Autumn.
With hindsight, this does signify the change of atmosphere; but with hindsight, one feels it already in the previous chapters.
4b. What is the significance of the wind coming from the West?
Interesting. Usually, the wind from the West means hope, and the help of the Valar. Here, it serves as a bleak sign, foreshadowing Frodo's homecoming will not be what we looked forward to.
But on the other hand - the wind is laden with rain. Not a bright prospect for the travellers, but it will be good for the crops of 1420!
4c. Is the bird reference meant to be meaningful in any way? Or is this just a good way to describe the movement of autumn leaves?
It's England, in a way. The birds are leaving for winter.
4d. Why is Bree behind a curtain and veiled to their sight? When else are these types of analogies used in LotR? Is there any reason to connect them with this moment in the story?
In the very last page, Frodo suddenly passes the curtain of rain, and returns to - the real life?
And that scene should be compared with Lewis' The Last Battle.
5. Any other comments on this opening section?
I wonder - is Frodo's reaction to the Ford of Bruinen as a place (where he really passed away from the world of the living to the edge of the wraith's world), or to the date of October 6th? Tolkien hints at the second possibility; but to what extent does the Ford influence him too?
"I am going home now to put my notes in order" - Frodo
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FarFromHome
Valinor
Jan 6 2009, 10:00am
Post #21 of 65
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I like the idea of the nautical association
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For me, to be [somewhere]-bound speaks of possibilities - the sense that one has a destination but that the interest is in the journey. 'Homeward bound' as a phrase is the mate of 'outward bound', usually a phrase filled with hope of great experiences. Several of Tolkien's chapters are mirror images (Many Meetings/Many Partings), but there's no 'Outward Bound' chapter, because that would imply a journey of hope. With 'Homeward Bound' I get a feeling of hope and comfort - hope for a fulfilling journey, and the comfort of home at the end of it.
What I don't get from the chapter title is a sense of 'bound' meaning compelled or constrained. In fact, according the OED, 'bound' meaning 'travelling towards' is from a completely different root from 'bound' the past participle of 'bind'. It's from old Norwegian, apparently, and meant 'ready' or 'prepared' (for a journey), rather than 'bind/bound' from a Germanic root with the meaning of 'tie' that it still has today. I didn't know this until I looked it up, but I sensed that these two 'bound's were not the same word, and I'm sure that to Tolkien the difference would have been so clear that he most likely wouldn't have even considered the double meaning of what to him would be no more than accidental homonyms.
With any other writer, I might in any case have thought that he intended the associations that arise between homonyms, but with Tolkien, for whom the roots of the language are so important, I'm not so sure. Not that there's any reason why we can't enjoy the associations we make ourselves, with or without Tolkien's intent. Visualweasel's wordplay is a great example of how words in Tolkien do become imbued with meaning, and that a good storyteller puts far more into a story than he is aware of himself - because he inspires his audience to bring their own imagination to the tale!
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship’s beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Bilbo's Last Song
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a.s.
Valinor
Jan 6 2009, 11:18am
Post #22 of 65
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implication that he is emotionally wounded
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Under the circumstances, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that Frodo's pain is more mental than physical, and to connect it with post-traumatic stress syndrome, or what Tolkien would have known as battle fatigue (World War II) or shell shock (World War I).
However, I object to any implication that what Frodo needed was a good psychologist or psychiatrist. Middle-earth is a Secondary World full of magic and spirits, and devoid of psychologists and psychiatrists. What Frodo needed was magical/spiritual healing, healing Gandalf concluded he could only get in Elvenhome/Valinor. Any resemblance between Frodo's ailment and Primary World psychological diagnoses is, I judge, highly misleading --
Not sure who has implied that Frodo "only" needs a good psychologist, or is that just an objection in anticipation of that argument?
I don't think there's any real validity to a breakdown of trauma into two categories called "mental" on one hand and "physical" on the other. Traumatized brains are connected to bodies, and soldiers (in specific) or any survivor of horror will have both physical and mental effects of trauma regardless of the type of wounding that has happened to them.
Our brains do not suffer by themselves.
Soldiers with "shell shock" had physical as well as psychic distress--regardless of the presence or absence of physical wounds. Anyone with severe post-traumatic stress needs more than just a good psychologist: rest, quiet, safety, good nutrition--those physical supports are as necessary to healing a traumatized mind as any kind of therapy or psychoactive medication.
That is the analogy here to Frodo's need to be healed in Elvenhome. Some traumas are simply too severe to allow this kind of healing by a simple return to one's former home, however much one may have longed for that comfort during the battle or the trauma. I find this analogy here to the after-effects of severe battle stress very poignant, written as it was by a survivor of war trauma who must have witnessed the failed attempts by many traumatized soldiers to try to "fit in" back at home only to find they will forever be homeless and can't go back or find their deserved rest.
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Some say once you're gone, you're gone forever, and some say you're gonna come back.
Some say you'll rest in the arms of the Savior, if sinful ways you lack.
Some say that they're coming back in a garden: bunch of carrots and little sweet peas.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
Iris DeMent
Call Her Emily
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FarFromHome
Valinor
Jan 6 2009, 11:47am
Post #23 of 65
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I can't help noticing that it's not Frodo who chooses Gandalf as his confidant, but Gandalf who approaches Frodo. Frodo's reply, "Well, yes I am" (he doesn't quite add "as a matter of fact" ) tells me that he didn't intend to tell anyone, including Gandalf, about his pain. And that he's rather surprised that Gandalf picked up on it. It reminds me of how Arwen's words to Frodo, "...if your hurts grieve you still..." seem to come out of the blue, as much a surprise to Frodo, it seems, as they are to the reader. It's as if only the great folk are really aware of what has happened to Frodo - of how, like Keats' "palely loitering" knight, his experience of Faerie will never let him be quite the same again. The hobbits aren't aware of this - not even Frodo at first, I suspect - and Frodo has no intention of spoiling his friends' well-deserved happiness with complaints about his own hurts.
As for why Sam doesn't pick up on it, I'd say that it's a combination of the fact that Frodo is hiding his hurt, so that only those who knew what to expect are aware of it, and the fact that Sam believes in putting things behind you rather than dwelling on them. It's the advice he gives to Frodo in the Tower of Cirith Ungol when Frodo wants to dwell on the horror of his orc captors:
'...I'll never forget their claws and eyes.' 'You won't, if you talk about them, Mr. Frodo,' said Sam.
and even when Frodo tries to describe his horrible experience in his "no taste of food..." speech, Sam's reaction is to mutter to himself, "Talking won't mend nothing," and to get on with finding a practical way of easing the problem.
So it's hardly surprising that Sam is blithely unaware of Frodo's pain - he has no reason to suspect it, and every expectation that any hurt Frodo felt will be soon be forgotten as they go back to the one place where he's sure everything will be fine. As he says at the Grey Havens, when he finally does realize what's happened to Frodo, 'I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done.' That's the greatest reward Sam can imagine, and I don't think it ever occurred to him that Frodo might not receive it. And as Frodo admits to Sam in reply, 'So I thought too, once.'
Only the Wise understood the price Frodo would eventually have to pay. I find this reminder of the dangers of Faerie very moving - this is where the dark hints of legend and myth are shown not to be completely without substance.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship’s beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Bilbo's Last Song
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squire
Half-elven
Jan 7 2009, 2:43am
Post #24 of 65
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Yes, I see it now:
Bound. - Bown. The meaning of bound, when we speak of a ship bound for New York, is, prepared for, ready to go to, addressed to.
He of adventure happed hire to mete
Amid the toun right in the quickest street
As she was boun to go the way forth right
Toward the garden. – Chaucer in R.
It is the participle past buinn, pre­pared, ready, of the ON. verb bua, to prepare, set out, address.
-Wedgwood’s Dictionary of English Etymology, 1878, digitized by Google.
Thank you for clearing that up! But how infinitely depressing to be so wrong after experiencing such a sublime Joy of Tolkien moment. I apologize to Curious and everyone else for being so confidently misleading. I'm not sure I agree with you that Tolkien in his etymological omniscience would not have noticed the "bound/bound" coincidence in his chapter title, but I think I'll just shut up for a while.
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion; and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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batik
Tol Eressea
Jan 7 2009, 3:06am
Post #25 of 65
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I'm not sure of who to reply to but...
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I do think it's interesting that the word "nautical" is associated with this chapter title at all---considering where we will last see Frodo.
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