📖👀 Chapter 3 (📔Book VI): Mount Doom

[Rivendell_librarian]

I took a metaphorical deep breath before diving into this crucial chapter. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is a climax but surely this chapter is the climax of the story. This intense three character Beckett style drama has been playing out since early in book IV. Much has been written about this chapter, of course, but I will leave discussion until after summarising the chapter itself.

It would be a peculiarly dedicated trekker who would go on a trekking holiday in Mordor. The landscape is not at all beautiful and the terrain being pockmarked with what may be volcanic vents makes the going hard though it does afford hiding places. It's about 50 miles from Isenmouthe to Mount Doom and given their lack of food and water Sam decides they ought to travel on the road going east first which seems a lot quieter now. Sam has taken charge now though he still refers to Frodo as "master". Sam realises this is going to be a one way trek and thinks about Rosie Cotton in Bywater. One might ask who Marigold is but she is his sister so he isn't a two-timing Lothario. But though his hope of return dies he becomes stern and grim in his determination to see the task done. As they approach Mount Doom and Barad-dur Frodo is becoming more affected: more like Gollum. Frodo cannot see The Shire or sense anything other than the wheel of fire. Sam even gets rid of his precious cooking pans so that they can travel light. They now leave the road to go to Mount Doom across country. Sauron's attention has been diverted to the north.

Sam debates with himself about the hopelessness of their situation thinking they will die whether they achieve it or not. Frodo is reduced to crawling so Sam carries Frodo to the foot of the mountain. There is a reasonably well maintained road between Barad-dur and Mount Doom that helps their progress which snakes around the south to the NE of the mountain with hairpins - a good place for an ambush!

And ambush there is as the third member of the cast, looking the worse for wear as well, makes his move. Gollum has worked out that he needs to knock Sam out first before wrestling with Frodo for the Ring.. He has also worked out their plan: "musstn't hurt Preciouss" or was that three essses?. Frodo overcomes Gollum and seems now transformed: "Down, you creeping thing, and out of my path! Your time is at an end. You cannot betray me or slay me now" and "Begone, and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom" Sam sees a vision of Gollum as a crouching ruined and defeated creature and Frodo as a stern figure robed in white. A hobbit Sauron or "like a glass filled with a clear light for eyes to see that can." as Gandalf said at Rivendell? The vision passes and Sam urges Frodo to go on while he deals with Gollum. But faced with the whimpering Gollum, Sam too finds that feelings of pity prevent him from killing Gollum.

Gollum feigns to go away and Sam turns to find Frodo. There's a helpful plan of Mount Doom in Fonstad's map. The door to the crack of doom and Sammath-Naur (the chambers of fire) faces east so that Sauron can see it from his bedroom window. Sam sees Frodo standing at the brink of the chasm and as foreshadowed Frodo says "But I do not choose now to do what I came to do. I will not do this deed. The Ring is mine!" and Frodo puts on the Ring and disappears. Rather like Philip Marlowe in Farewell My Lovely things go black for Sam again "Time passed again. I don't know how long. I had no watch. They don't make that kind of time in watches anyway." That's Chandler not Tolkien - another fine wordsmith.

The fourth member of the cast also gets involved now, redirecting the Nazgul from the Black Gate to Mount Doom: he is suddenly confronted by his own mistake and folly. The best laid plans sometimes go astray even for Sauron. Sam revives and sees Gollum wrestling with an invisible Frodo - does he see his footsteps in the dust, his shadow or does Gollum sense the Ring? Gollum bites Frodo's ring finger off so that Frodo becomes visible (cf Sauron and Isildur!) cries "Precious, precious, precious, my Precious, O my Precious" and then, whoops-a-daisy, steps too far and topples into the fires below with one last wail "Precious". It certainly improved his spelling in those brief moments of triumph.

The destruction of the Ring has a catastrophic effect on Mount Doom and Mordor generally: towers fall, the Nazgul are wiped out by the flames of an erupting Orodruin but Superman Sam has the strength to carry his now more normal master to relative safety. "Well that is the end, Sam Gamgee" says Frodo. Sam senses that Frodo is himself again, set free from his burden. "Even Gollum may have something yet to do" Gandalf had prophesied. "I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam". The focus turns back to Frodo now and trust Tolkien to give us another cliff-hanger.

Questions for discussion to follow!

 

[Rivendell_librarian]

According to Hammond and Scull, Tolkien received a severe letter stating that Frodo should have been executed as a traitor, not honoured, for his "failure" to destroy the Ring! Frodo is a remarkable hobbit but Sauron had poured all his power and malice into the Ring and at the edge of the crack of doom the Ring is at its most powerful. Frodo simply could not resist its power. But it was the fact that Bilbo, Frodo and Sam had all shown mercy to Gollum that enabled its destruction.

Tolkien considered alternatives to the whoops-a-daisy solution such as Sam throwing Gollum and the Ring into the fire - but wished to preserve the hobbits' goodness. Was there a better resolution?

Why did Gandalf give Frodo this impossible task? Well Gandalf couldn't see in advance how the fellowship would break up and had a "fool's hope" that Frodo was the best choice. Was there a better plan?

Given this single point failure why didn't Sauron keep a permanent garrison of orcs guarding the entrance to the Cracks of Doom?

Is the message here that evil cannot be overcome by a direct confrontation but by showing love and compassion to others: not as an isolated individual but in community with others who also wish to resist evil?

 

[TrackerOrc]

According to Hammond and Scull, Tolkien received a severe letter stating that Frodo should have been executed as a traitor, not honoured, for his "failure" to destroy the Ring! Frodo is a remarkable hobbit but Sauron had poured all his power and malice into the Ring and at the edge of the crack of doom the Ring is at its most powerful. Frodo simply could not resist its power. But it was the fact that Bilbo, Frodo and Sam had all shown mercy to Gollum that enabled its destruction.

Tolkien considered alternatives to the whoops-a-daisy solution such as Sam throwing Gollum and the Ring into the fire - but wished to preserve the hobbits' goodness. Was there a better resolution?

Why did Gandalf give Frodo this impossible task? Well Gandalf couldn't see in advance how the fellowship would break up and had a "fool's hope" that Frodo was the best choice. Was there a better plan?

Given this single point failure why didn't Sauron keep a permanent garrison of orcs guarding the entrance to the Cracks of Doom?

Is the message here that evil cannot be overcome by a direct confrontation but by showing love and compassion to others: not as an isolated individual but in community with others who also wish to resist evil?

Good Lord! Even I think it would be a tad harsh to execute Frodo, and I'm not exactly a paid-up member of the hobbit appreciation society.

I've always thought that Frodo's failure was crucial to both the book itself and to its success. It makes the ring front and centre (as it always should be) and forgoes the type of easy ending that a lesser author may have given it. Frodo being able to destroy the ring simply wouldn't have made sense.

(And how glad I am that Tolkien gave up on the idea of having Gamgee be the hero in the end instead of Gollum - worse than the Trotter nonsense!)

 

[Eljorahir]

Samwise, already having earned his title Great-heart of the Shire, (as if he hadn't already reached his full character potential) once again undergoes a character growth spurt and becomes a creature of stone and steel...

'But even as hope died in Sam, or seemed to die, it was turned to a new strength. Sam's plain hobbit-face grew stern, almost grim, as the will hardened in him, and he felt through all his limbs a thrill, as if he was turning into some creature of stone and steel that neither despair nor weariness nor endless barren miles could subdue.'

 

[TokingTolkien]

Why did Gandalf give Frodo this impossible task? Well Gandalf couldn't see in advance how the fellowship would break up and had a "fool's hope" that Frodo was the best choice. Was there a better plan?

Given this single point failure why didn't Sauron keep a permanent garrison of orcs guarding the entrance to the Cracks of Doom?

The idea that anyone would seek to destroy the ring rather than possess and wield it did not enter Sauron's mind. The thought-process was foreign to him, much like Morgoth's deceitfulness was foreign to Manwe when Morgoth was released from Mandos. They can't comprehend the mindset because they themselves would never even consider such behavior. The paragraph when Sauron finally realizes what's going on is probably my favorite in the entire book.

I don't think Gandalf really gave Frodo the task, but rather realized that fate had ordained this task on Frodo and thus Gandalf steered events as best he could in order to keep to ring in Frodo's possession, at least to Rivendell, but ultimately accepting that Frodo's fate would take him all the way to Mount Doom.

There was no better plan, because this was the plan, this was fate. As Elrond said, if Frodo cannot do it, nobody could. Gandalf recognized it, even if he couldn't fully explain or identify it. He knew Gollum had a part yet to play, he knew that Sam going with Frodo (at first from The Shire, and then learning that they had gone together after the breaking of the Fellowship) was a good thing, even if he didn't know exactly why.

I don't believe Frodo ultimately "failed". He was never actually charged with destroying the ring. I do not have a copy of the book in front of me right now but I believe the charges laid on Frodo at the outset of the Fellowship were specifically keeping and guarding the ring, not destroying it. Everybody knew that was really the purpose of the journey, but it was never explicitly made Frodo's goal.

This all ties, at least to me, in a way, to the famous question of why the Fellowship couldn't just fly the Eagles to Mount Doom.... because it's not the Eagle's job. It's not their fate. Middle-earth isn't being left to them, it's being left to Men (and Hobbits), and much like at the end of the First Age when the Noldor got pretty much as far as they could against Morgoth before the Valar came to their aid, men and hobbits had to get the Ring to the very brink of destruction, as far as they could get on their own, before the Eagles would step in to help. Also why Gandalf does not return to The Shire with the Hobbits (oh to be a fly on the wall for his convo with Bombadil), and even specifically states that they have been "trained" for this...

Bit of a tangent at the end there lol, but hope it all makes sense

 

[Rivendell_librarian]

Yes I think you are right about Gandalf not giving Frodo the task. Rather he didn't act to prevent it. I think you are also right about the idea of someone not wanting to keep the Ring and use it was beyond Sauron's imagination. This was Sauron's fatal flaw. Gandalf also rejected possession of the Ring.

 

[Ent]

@TokingTolkien speaks well here. There is so much of Tolkien's purpose in this ending not to be overlooked.
It was some time ago, Gandalf sensed he felt Gollum may have some part to play in this before it was all over.

Gandalf worked on his faith that Eru meant what he said about things - and Providence had a far larger role to play than any singular person.
It was never any of them's role to determine how exactly to "make it happen." It was but theirs to discern the proper paths needing to be taken.

To end the menace of Sauron and the Ring, it needed to be destroyed. There was only one way to do that. The knowing it needed to be done, was provided to the company as they hashed out the issues of what to do with it to begin with. The HOW it was to be done was, by and large, 'not their business.'
"It is just for us to decide what to do with the time that is given us" said Gandalf earlier in the quest. Note: "What to do". Not "How to do it." Tilkien let no word or syntax drop lightly..!

Elrond spoke it well. "None here can do so,' said Elrond gravely. 'At least none can foretell what will come to pass, if we take this road or that. He ended simply with "We must send the Ring to the Fire.'

Frodo's failure? He fully completed the mission he was assigned - to take the ring to Mount Doom, and not to put it into anyone else's hands. That was his charge.

And it is Elrond who says "If I understand aright all that I have heard,'...'I think that this task is appointed to you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will.' (I believe someone above said Gandalf had appointed him. But he was not appointed, merely recognized as the task-bearer - and the wise Elrond was he who spoke it.)

It was Elrond, too, who have him his charge. "On him (Frodo) alone, is any charge laid: neither to cast away the Ring, nor to deliver it to any servant of the Enemy nor indeed to let any handle it, save members of the Company and the Council, and only then in gravest need."

Frodo wasn't even charged to "make it to mount Doom" - only to attempt to find the way.

The Council determined the Ring must go to the Fire. And that the task, it seemed, was appointed to Frodo to make the attempt. The Charge is far less than the accomplishment of the task.

We ASSUME Frodo was charged with actually accomplishing the feat - but Ent finds it is not so. (Absent other text he's missed in his research.)

Frodo far exceeded the dictates of his charge. There was no failure from human perspective.

And if the Maia and grandest Elves feared to possess the ring lest they be corrupted, how could the frail human hope to survive its bearing, to the point where it exerted its strongest power/

We misunderstand the entirety of what is transpiring in all this - Faith and Providence.

 

[Erurávennë]

It was never any of them's role to determine how exactly to "make it happen." It was but theirs to discern the proper paths needing to be taken.

We misunderstand the entirety of what is transpiring in all this - Faith and Providence.

So good @Ent !! The day to day choices were what made the difference and defeated Sauron. Lately, this is how I feel everyday in life. I might not know the full scope of God's purposes but I know the day to day, moment to moment choices and actions to be made. Someone will say how important it is to know what your mission is (what God has for you to do); I used to think this meant I needed to know the full picture of what I was called to do but, I now think I was wrong; it seems that knowing what you must do each day and moment, in your particular season, in Faith, is how you approach it; and having the full picture through your relationship with God/understanding He and His Love is sufficient. Do you know what I mean - Has anyone experienced the same?

 

[Ent]

knowing what you must do each day and moment

Yours above brings us to a most excellent conversation - about many things.
However, it is probably not one to be held in the public forum due to its nature, and inevitable content. There is MUCH to be said about time, why it is, and what we are to do with it. It is, in fact, the only thing the human is given to 'redeem,' being incapable of redeeming anything else.

Should you wish a chat, something can be engineered. Perhaps in an appropriate spot over on the Discord, or in PM or such.