From the Least to the Greatest
When the Lord of the Rings is discussed, there are two camps: devotees of the books and fans of the movies. The difference between these two camps runs deeper than preferred media. It goes to the heart of the themes of the Lord of the Rings. Fans of the movies love the cinematics, the battles, and the music. They love the display as well as the story. The original trilogy is a fan favorite for good reason. They are epic movies. Devotees of the books love the language, the maps in the back, the literary skill, the almost magical power Tolkien has with words. If you have never read the books, you should. Tolkien’s power to conjure images and emotion through his use of language is Noldorian. To be fair, there is some worthy debate over the media and how the movies changed the books or how the books have seemingly unnecessary characters (Tom Bombadil). These are interesting in themselves but not the purview of this article.
The movies and the books are works of art in their own domains. However, they tell very different stories. And the difference between those stories makes all the difference in how we understand the characters. The movies are Peter Jackson’s interpretation of Tolkien’s world and characters. Jackson does a fine job within the constraints of the media he knows. The books, on the other hand, tell a story that is fuller and more profound than Jackson could have put on the screen. The books are a story about greatness. Not greatness of appearance but greatness of soul. They are a story about the magnanimous, great souls found in all shapes and sizes. The genius of Tolkien is that the hobbits, least in size and odd in shape, are the greatest of all.
The greatness of the hobbits is portrayed as both potential and actual. They are a picture of being and becoming. Tolkien’s pen draws this out in two ways: through their association with the Great and through their great deeds. The narrative capstone of the hobbits’ character arc is in the second to last chapter of the books, “The Scouring of the Shire,” a chapter left out of the original movie trilogy. I do not fault Jackson for leaving this out. He was crafting his own story with Tolkien’s materials. We are concerned here to learn what Tolkien crafted.
The hobbits are first noticed by the noblest of creatures within Middle Earth, Gandalf. Gandalf was a Maia. Within Tolkien’s world, the Maia were a race of lesser gods, archangels you might say. They are described in the Silmarillion. They were older than men and wiser than elves. Sauron was a fallen Maia, servant of the Dark Lord Morgoth. Through Gandalf’s nurture and investment in the hobbits, they begin their journey upward to greatness. Another Maia, Saruman, despises the hobbits and thinks Gandalf a fool befriending them. What Gandalf sees, however, is the potential of the hobbits to be great. Unassuming on the outside, he perceives that they possess greatness within.
Due to Gandalf’s friendship, the hobbits are thrown among the Greats of Middle Earth. They journey with Strider, hear the songs of the elves in Rivendell, march with Gimli, behold the ancient beauty of Galadriel and receive gifts from the same, converse with an Ent, the oldest creature in Middle Earth, drink and feast with Theoden, witness the degradation of the Steward of Gondor.
By associating with the greatest of Middle Earth, they themselves are elevated to greatness. From provincial, odd, little creatures the hobbits are raised to the level of kings. This is aptly displayed in the movies. When Aragorn charges the Black Gate with his battle cry, “For Frodo,” Merry and Pippin are first to follow the king. They have become equal in greatness to even such a one as Aragorn. At his coronation, Aragorn, King of Gondor, bows to them.
Friendship with the great elevated the hobbits. The deeds they participated in drew out their greatness of soul into greatness of action. What they had become was proven in what they did. They charged the Pelennor Fields, held the keep of Minas Tirith, assaulted the Black Gate, slew Shelob, journeyed through Mordor, ascended Mount Doom all because they left the Shire. The events of the age called upon the hobbits to be greater than they had been. Having been befriended by the Great, they were able to be great when the occasion called for it.
If your only exposure to Middle Earth is through the movies, you could be forgiven for thinking that’s the end of the story. It makes for a great film. The Enemy is no more, the King has returned, all is right in Arda. But that is not where Tolkien left things. In Tolkien’s story, the hobbits return to the Shire. And what do they find? Saruman, the tyrant. In the movies, he perishes from the height of Orthanc. In the books he does not. He survives the assault of the Ents to emerge in the Shire.
Here is where the books tell a superior story to the movies, in this author’s opinion. The books complete the character arc of the hobbits with a final occasion for their greatness. They have been made great, through their association with the great, to be the greats of the Shire, their proper place. The ordinary hobbits of the Shire are not able to overthrow Saruman. Our four hobbits, having faced down the hordes of Mordor can. The miles traveled, the conversations had, the enemies slain, the journey there and back again enables our four hobbits to deliver their people from the tyranny of Saruman. They themselves are so noble and their cause so just, that they are able to defeat even a Maia.
After the defeat of Saruman, our four hobbits enjoy their places as the great of the Shire. Samwise finally asks Rosie Cotton out. Merry and Pippin become lords in their own right. Frodo remembers and records the events of his life, like Bilbo before him. In the end, Frodo is granted passage to Valinor, having borne the ring and played a pivotal part in defeating Sauron.
It is here, in the “Scouring of the Shire,” a chapter omitted by Jackson in his movies, that the real message of Tolkien shines through. Jackson’s movies echo the first part of Tolkien’s message: that though small and odd, funny and petty, hobbits can be great too. The second part of that message, however, can only be found in Tolkien’s books: greatness is granted to some for the benefit of their people.
Would you be great? Pursue it. Not for yourself, but for your Shire and all the small, odd, and funny people you call your own.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
