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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Oct 8 2011, 9:18am
Post #1 of 5
(930 views)
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** "The Scouring of the Shire" ** 6. The Battle of Bywater
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Merry has sounded the Horncry of Buckland, and over a hundred hobbits have responded, armed with axes, heavy hammers, long knives, and stout staves: and a few had hunting-bows. It's early evening. Some of the hobbits have built a large bonfire, and erected a barrier in the road on which the ruffians are expected.
Suddenly, a squad (~20) ruffians arrives. They laugh at the barrier: "They did not imagine that there was anything in this little land that would stand up to twenty of their kind together."
1. Why not? Merry & Co. have driven off Bill Ferny and a dozen other ruffians. Surely the word has spread that there are some new hobbits who don't intimidate easily?
Opening the barrier, the hobbits let the ruffians in to the area around the fire, where they meet a very brave and apparently solitary Farmer Cotton. It's a trap: as soon as they confront Cotton, hobbits move in and surround them. Merry springs the trap:
Merry stepped forward. ‘We have met before,’ he said to the leader, ‘and I warned you not to come back here. I warn you again: you are standing in the light and you are covered by archers. If you lay a finger on this farmer, or on anyone else, you will be shot at once. Lay down any weapons that you have!’
2. Wait, does this mean these are some of the same ruffians driven off previously? If so, why were they not more wary of these new, heavily armed hobbits?
The leader of the ruffians tries to attack Merry, but "fell dead with four arrows in him." The remainder are tied and locked up under guard. That ends the action for the night, and Sam heads off to see The Gaffer. Merry, Sam, and Frodo return to the Cottons, where they hear a fuller account of the events of the past year.
Apparently Lotho had already bought up a lot of property even before Frodo left, and as soon as Frodo was gone he made his move, bringing in the ruffians and establishing the reign of terror.
3. Lotho was shipping quantities of stuff south, presumably to Saruman. This would be before Gandalf's visit and imprisonment, yes? How did this contact with Saruman get established? What was Saruman's motive at that time?
4. What was Saruman doing with all these wagonloads of leaf and other produce? He couldn't smoke/eat that much. Was he feeding it to the Uruks? Trading with the Dunlendings?
The next morning, Pippin arrives with a hundred Tooks. The ruffians who had been watching Tookland had fled, and the Thain was pursuing them. But shortly Merry arrives with news that almost a hundred ruffians are on their way, grimly determined to stamp out the rebellion. "But however grim they, might be, they seemed to have no leader among them who understood warfare. They came on without any precautions."
5. Tolkien is setting this up as a slam dunk. Why did he not make the ruffians fiercer, to raise the tension more?
The ruffians approach along a narrow road which ran for some way sloping up between high banks with low hedges on top, a fairly common sight in parts of the English countryside. They were halted by a barricade consisting of overturned farm carts. The hobbits moved more carts in behind them, trapping them. The hedges on both sides of the road were lined with armed hobbits. Merry ordered the ruffians to surrender, but they fought back, and battle was joined. By the end, nearly 70 ruffians were dead, but 19 hobbits had been killed and 30 wounded.
So ended the Battle of Bywater, 1419, the last battle fought in the Shire, and the only battle since the Greenfields, 1147, away up in the Northfarthing. In consequence, though it happily cost very few lives, it has a chapter to itself in the Red Book, and the names of all those who took part were made into a Roll, and learned by heart by Shire historians. The very considerable rise in the fame and fortune of the Cottons dates from this time; but at the top of the Roll in all accounts stand the names of Captains Meriadoc and Peregrin.
Frodo had been in the battle, but he had not drawn sword, and his chief part had been to prevent the hobbits in their wrath at their losses, from slaying those of their enemies who threw down their weapons.
6. Compare and contrast this battle wrap-up to the elegy following the Pelennor Fields. What does this tell you about the respective cultures involved?
7. How did Frodo's actions in the battle affect how hobbit society thought of him afterward?
Next (and last): Sharkey
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Elizabeth is the TORnsib formerly known as 'erather'
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PhantomS
Rohan
Oct 9 2011, 3:34am
Post #2 of 5
(763 views)
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1. Why not? Merry & Co. have driven off Bill Ferny and a dozen other ruffians. Surely the word has spread that there are some new hobbits who don't intimidate easily?
Opening the barrier, the hobbits let the ruffians in to the area around the fire, where they meet a very brave and apparently solitary Farmer Cotton. It's a trap: as soon as they confront Cotton, hobbits move in and surround them. Merry springs the trap:
Quote
Merry stepped forward. ‘We have met before,’ he said to the leader, ‘and I warned you not to come back here. I warn you again: you are standing in the light and you are covered by archers. If you lay a finger on this farmer, or on anyone else, you will be shot at once. Lay down any weapons that you have!’
No one can quite believe that there are two Hobbit men-at-arms organizing mini-armies, or that the hobbits have had any military inclinations- or weapons at all!
2. Wait, does this mean these are some of the same ruffians driven off previously? If so, why were they not more wary of these new, heavily armed hobbits?
Maybe it was a brave spurt by a young Hobbit or stubborn old goat that mob warfare will put down- not a knight of Gondor and a knight of Rohan. Like Frodo in Mordor, the story won't get told the same way even moments after it actually happpens. No one here has heard men being defeated by Hobbits, after all.
3. Lotho was shipping quantities of stuff south, presumably to Saruman. This would be before Gandalf's visit and imprisonment, yes? How did this contact with Saruman get established? What was Saruman's motive at that time?
Saruman is still a good traveller at times, evidenced by his walking/running like heck in Fangorn. He would have used his voice and promises of wealth, or some craft product of his to trade. I guess he wanted a piece of the Shire pie, Gandalf's back yard. As for what was in his mind...
4. What was Saruman doing with all these wagonloads of leaf and other produce? He couldn't smoke/eat that much. Was he feeding it to the Uruks? Trading with the Dunlendings?
In Flotsam and Jetsam ,Merry and Pippin say that he gave the Men in charge of his gates very good provisions- the salted pork, green vegetables, a sturdy store room and of course, the best leaf to smoke. I cna't imagine him trading it with the Dundelings, given his selfish nature- though he might have used it to get food for himself and the men. Someone delivers 'the green stuff' to Isengard, after all.
The next morning, Pippin arrives with a hundred Tooks. The ruffians who had been watching Tookland had fled, and the Thain was pursuing them. But shortly Merry arrives with news that almost a hundred ruffians are on their way, grimly determined to stamp out the rebellion. "But however grim they, might be, they seemed to have no leader among them who understood warfare. They came on without any precautions."
5. Tolkien is setting this up as a slam dunk. Why did he not make the ruffians fiercer, to raise the tension more?
East of Lune and west of Rivendell the Men are quite crude (Rangers aside). They are simple brutes and thugs, not anything like the Haradrim or Easterlings.
6. Compare and contrast this battle wrap-up to the elegy following the Pelennor Fields. What does this tell you about the respective cultures involved?
The elegy is a sad one to read as all the names there are dead, albeit heroically. The Shire Roll celebrates all the ones who were there; the Hobbits don't seem to elevate the dead the way greater Men do, since it affected everyone regardless of whatever they did. The Shire is more equal, in a sense that being part of an event will raise one to greatness among all, and not a faction or two- we note that no one debates any point of the chronicle, and feelings toward the protagonists is generally the same/
The hobbits also don't seem to sing songs about the dead they lost in Bywater- death is a really sad thing for them, singing only makes it worse; complete contrast to the other Free Peoples, who lament the dead with song- even the Elves.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Oct 12 2011, 12:58am
Post #3 of 5
(679 views)
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Not really, but still exciting.
1. Why not? Merry & Co. have driven off Bill Ferny and a dozen other ruffians. Surely the word has spread that there are some new hobbits who don't intimidate easily?
2. Wait, does this mean these are some of the same ruffians driven off previously? If so, why were they not more wary of these new, heavily armed hobbits?
These guys are dumb and just don't learn.
3. Lotho was shipping quantities of stuff south, presumably to Saruman. This would be before Gandalf's visit and imprisonment, yes? How did this contact with Saruman get established? What was Saruman's motive at that time?
4. What was Saruman doing with all these wagonloads of leaf and other produce? He couldn't smoke/eat that much. Was he feeding it to the Uruks? Trading with the Dunlendings?
I always stare at the map and wonder about this. There doesn't seem to be any organized trade through southern Eriador for centuries, yet this still happens. Well, I guess there were men in Bree who came up from the south, and while unusual, no one thought it impossible. Still, the world is darkening everywhere, nothing seems safe anymore, and even the short journey between the Shire and Bree seems a little dangerous, while the Fellowship doesn't meet a single person between Rivendell and Moria. So I have trouble figuring out how wagon trains laden with goods arrive intact after going from the Shire to Isengard. I suppose it's possible if they were heavily armed.
Saruman's motives: 1) find the Ring, which he suspects the hobbits are hiding, and 2) mess around in Gandalf's back yard out of sheer jealousy. How did it start? Excellent question. I suppose when there were stories in the Shire about queer people crossing the borders, some of them were probably squint-eyed southerners with bags of gold trying to bribe hobbits into Saruman's employ. Did Saruman really need imports from the Shire? It seems he could have bought whatever he needed from Dunland (or Rohan before he attacked it) at less cost and risk, unless he was a total addict of Longbottom Leaf. So I think he was mostly messing with Gandalf, while also stocking up for war.
5. Tolkien is setting this up as a slam dunk. Why did he not make the ruffians fiercer, to raise the tension more?
I suppose you're right. But back to #1 and #2, they are just really stupid bullies.
I'll defer to PhantomS's answers on #6 and #7.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Oct 16 2011, 1:48am
Post #4 of 5
(649 views)
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the Hobbits paying tribute to everyone who took part in this "war", not just those killed in it.
This way brings more of the community into the picture, instead of concentrating on only a few persons. And reminds them that the victory belonged to all. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
"It struck me last night that you might write a fearfully good romantic drama, with as much of the 'supernatural' as you cared to introduce. Have you ever thought of it?"
-Geoffrey B. Smith, letter to JRR Tolkien, 1915
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