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Rembrethil
Tol Eressea
Apr 12 2014, 2:59am
Post #26 of 28
(100 views)
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Also, the choice did not come out-of-the-blue suddenly. There was a progression and development that added complexity to the situation. If faced with suicide, most men and women would reject it, but put them through the wringer a few times and they may begin to consider it. The weight of the evil that was in and around them bent them to their course's end. Not to say that they were totally absolved of any guilt or will, but we have to admit that the deck was pretty well stacked against them.
I'm sure that, in a philosophical/ethical sense, there was a way out, leading to redemption, but in a strictly literary sense, that's how the cookie crumbled. I think the purpose of such stories are to give guidance to the reader, allowing them to learn from the mistake of another.
Call me Rem, and remember, not all who ramble are lost...Uh...where was I?
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HeWhoArisesinMight
Rivendell
Apr 14 2014, 10:13pm
Post #27 of 28
(96 views)
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I wonder if for comparison's sake if we should also consider the suicides of Maglor and Maedhros (Maglor's fate isn't certain, but it's assumed he threw himself in the ocean the way his brother threw himself in a pit of fire). They had the Doom of Mandos on them and were twisted by their own foul Oath. How does that compare to a curse by Morgoth? Were their suicides on the same moral plane of judgment as Hurin, Turin, and Nienor? Would their souls get into Mandos, or be blown away on the wind like Saruman's with nowhere to go?
But I recall he threw his Silmaril in the sea and then wandered down the coastlines singing afterwards... You are correct that it isn't clear about his fate..
Also, what about Denethor? He too committed suicide, though one could argue that it was the madness that drove him to it.
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Calardan
Registered User
Apr 15 2014, 1:59pm
Post #28 of 28
(104 views)
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I am beginning to think that a major factor in their souls being taken in by the vala is their contribution to the progress or safety of Middle-Earth. The sons of Feanor offered little but their own greed and ambition in the world and it ended them even as they achieved their greater goal of capturing the Silmarilli (or two of them at least). Denethor was driven to his own demise by the ring and his use of the Palantir and in that way by Sauron himself- but I think that his was a greed for power also even if his intention was to defend his people from annihilation. I feel that deeds determine one's worth in Middle-Earth and by extension, the value of one's soul. Greed, even intoxicated greed, and blind ambition are rarely rewarded. It really makes sense in the grand scheme of things when you look at Tolkien's works as a whole.
Aiya Eärendil elenion ancalima!
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Meritocracy and lost souls
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