Two Towers Blogging (Part Deux)
Jan. 5th, 2025 02:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
between_time_and_42I feel like it's about time I continued my blogging of The Two Towers, because I've read seven chapters since I last made a post about it. There's no guarantee that I'll be able to remember everything that I wanted to say about it, but I'm going to try my best.
I didn't have many thoughts about the "Riders of Rohan" chapter, so I'll skip ahead to "The Uruk-Hai," wherein we find out what's been going on with Merry & Pippin since the end of The Fellowship:
"He pushed the dead Orc to one side, then hardly daring to breathe, he drew the knot of the wrist-cord up and down against the blade of the knife. It was sharp and the dead hand held it fast. The cord was cut!"
&
"'No hope of escape!' thought Pippin. 'But there is a hope that I have left some of my own marks unspoilt on the wet ground.' He groped with his two tied hands at his throat, and unclasped the brooch of his cloak. Just as two long arms and hard claws seized him, he let it fall."
Both made me go: ATTABOY, PIPPIN!! I told y'all that Gandalf needed to stop bullying him, because while he may have made a dumb decision back in Moria, look at him now! He's being proactive even when he can't free himself from the unfortunate situation in which he's forced to be. And his actions end up paying off! I'm so proud of Pippin. You go, you funky lil hobbit.
"'Hullo, Pippin! So you've come on this little expedition, too? Where do we get bed and breakfast?'"
Oh my god, Merry is the best. The way he downplays the horrific danger they're in and displays a brave face for Pippin (and in front of the Orcs) gives me older brother vibes. I love him SO MUCH for doing that.
I really like how the Orcs that Sauron sent and the Orcs under Saruman's control are fighting for overall control of the troops. It makes them less of a monolith, and shows that Saruman may have less power in this war than he thinks he does.
Oh my god, the way that Pippin & Merry tricked Grishnakh is SO clever and a great display of quick thinking on their part. And of course, it was Pippin's idea :') It's beautiful to see these hobbits coming into their own in a situation in which they are so far out of their depth.
It's too long to quote, but the conversation between Pippin & Merry at the end of the chapter, where they're walking through the woods and Merry is praising "Master Took" for the aforementioned display of quick thinking, is SO cute. I love them so much, y'all. (This certainly came on suddenly- I loved Pippin in The Fellowship, but Merry hadn't yet distinguished himself enough for me to feel particularly strongly towards him. Yet this one chapter made me love Merry, and it made me love Pippin even more than I already did.)
When I read The Fellowship, I had been mentally bracing myself for the "In the House of Tom Bombadil" chapter, because I had heard from multiple sources that many readers find it a slog to get through, since it doesn't seem to advance the story very much (or at least, what it does add to the story isn't enough to justify its length). I ended up not feeling that way about "In the House of Tom Bombadil" at all- I actually really loved that chapter, and the character of Tom Bombadil. However, when reading The Two Towers, I started to feel that same tedium that I had avoided with Tom Bombadil when it came to "Treebeard." Which I feel is the point, because Treebeard is a member of a very patient, ponderous species, who take ages to speak and discuss things in their own language. I respect that, and I ended up feeling fond of Treebeard. But I'd be lying if I said that after a while, I wasn't the least bit bored with his introductory chapter. (I feel like I had more to say about Treebeard, but nothing is coming to mind... it's possible that I'll come back to this.)
"'It is old, very old," said the Elf. "So old that almost I feel young again, as I have not felt since I journeyed with you children.'"
Oh my god, Legolas is just like me when I went to a New Year's party a few days ago and ended up making conversation with a bunch of 20-year-olds. :P (Real talk: this was a jarring line for me to read, because I hadn't really thought before of how old Legolas must be, and how he's probably the oldest member of the Fellowship. He seemed like such a youthful lil lad, but he's clearly lived a lot longer than the others, and has seen things that they've only heard about in stories.) (I feel like I should also mention that I like Legolas a LOT more in the books than in the movies, and I now feel bad for having called him a "nothing character" after watching the movies.)
"'It was not in vain that the young hobbits came with us, if only for Boromir's sake.'"
Interesting how Gandalf claimed that it was good that Merry & Pippin were there for Boromir, instead of the other way around (considering that Boromir is the one who protected them against the Uruk-Hai, even though he ultimately failed). Is this supposed to imply that protecting/caring for Pippin & Merry helped save Boromir's soul in the end, and helped redeem him from the choice he had made in trying to take the Ring from Frodo? If so, oh man... I am still very much in my feelings about Boromir, apparently. (#BoromirDidNothingWrong #WellOkayHeDidOneThingWrongButItWasn'tHisFault)
"'Then she sent me no message?' said Gimli and bent his head."
Now, I absolutely loathe this word and its connotations, so please note that I am only using it in a COMPLETELY non-serious way. That being said: damn, Gimli, stop being such a simp. It's hilarious to me how his entire demeanor changes once he learns that Galadriel did in fact send him a message. (Also, I'm not sure if it's because I've already experienced this story via the films and already have a little knowledge of the lore, but I find it interesting that both Aragorn and Legolas were confused by Galadriel's messages to them, because the meaning of them both seemed pretty obvious to me- Aragorn's message is about him reclaiming the throne and rounding up what's left of the Dunedain to help him (...I think?), and Legolas' message is about the inevitable fate of all Elves, how they're all going to leave and sail across the sea to the West to make way for the next age of Middle-earth.)
"As [Eowyn] stood before Aragorn she paused suddenly and looked upon him, and her eyes were shining. And he looked down upon her fair face and smiled; but as he took the cup, his hand met hers, and he knew that she trembled at the touch."
Oh shit. Eowyn's got a crush... and she just met the guy, too. Then again, it's Aragorn, so I completely understand her.
"'There is Eowyn, daughter of Eomund, his sister. She is fearless and high-hearted. All love her. Let her be as lord to the Eorlingas, while we are gone.'"
FUCK YEAH!! I honestly wasn't expecting anything like that- I thought that Eowyn's whole "I am no man" scene and her riding into battle was supposed to be the moment when she first proves her worth as something more than a proper Lady. But here her uncle is, appointing her in a position of power, and everyone in Rohan has accepted it. I love that so much.
"But you comfort me, Gimli, and I am glad to have you standing nigh with your stout legs and your hard axe."
Oh shit... LEGOLAS has got a crush. :') I honestly never saw why fans shipped them before, but this line may have just convinced me.
"'Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!'"
Haha, Gimli's eagerness to fight is reminding me of one of the recent chapters of One Piece where Zoro says "Looks like it's cuttin' time." I'm not saying those two would get along well, but they'd both love to fight in a battle together.
"'Two!' said Gimli, patting his axe. He had returned to his place on the wall.
"'Two?' said Legolas. "I have done better, though now I must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone. Yet I make my tale twenty at the least.'"
Wait, so the whole "tallying up our kill counts in a competition" thing wasn't just comic relief inserted into the movies, but it was ACTUALLY FROM THE BOOKS? God, this is hilarious. I love Tolkien's sense of humor and how it appears at unexpected moments.
So... the Battle of Helm's Deep played out very differently than it did in the movie. All the tension between Rohan and Gondor seems to have been made up for the movies (unless that comes into play later), and in the book, it's another faction from Rohan and not an Elf army who shows up to provide aid. I have to say, I never really felt the tension and the excitement of the battle while reading this chapter, so I feel a little disappointed (and I also had an extremely difficult time envisioning the setting and the placement of the armies). However, the ending of the chapter, where the armies discover that the Ents have arrived and created a forest beyond the walls of Helm's Deep, was so beautiful and epic. Why wasn't THAT in the movie? (Or was it, and I'm forgetting?)
Gimli waxing poetic about the caves of Helm's Deep was an unexpectedly beautiful moment. I love how Legolas promises to travel back with him to explore the caves at some point, as long as he promises to accompany Legolas into Fangorn Forest. They really admire each other. <3 (I also have to say, I love what their friendship does for the narrative, how it shows that these two people from historically opposing sides can learn to see past their differences and get along with each other. Ugh, I feel like I'm not eloquent enough to express my thoughts/feelings about this... basically, I just REALLY love Legolas & Gimli's relationship, okay?)
"But before the king could speak, the small smoke-breathing figure became suddenly aware of them... He sprang to his feet... [and] bowed very low, putting his hand upon his breast. Then, seeming not to observe the wizard and his friends, he turned to Eomer and the king.
"'Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!' he said. 'We are the doorwardens. Meriadoc, son of Saradoc, is my name, and my companion, who, alas! is overcome with weariness'- here he gave the other a dig with his foot- 'is Peregrin, son of Paladin, of the house of Took...'"
AHAHAHAHA I WAS WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT AND IT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. Merry & Pippin are such little shits, I LOVE THEM. Even better is Gimli's reaction:
"'A fine hunt you have led us! Two hundred leagues through fen and forest, battle and death, to rescuse you! And here we find you feasting and idling- and smoking! Smoking! Where did you come by the weed, you villains?'"
Now, I know that the "weed" that Pippin & Merry are smoking is "pipeweed," or tobacco (at least, I assumed it was something close to tobacco)... but this line is unintentionally hilarious now that cannabis is widely referred to as "weed." Gimli's just angry that the boys got high without him. :') And then the way Merry goes on an infodump with very little prompting about the history of pipeweed and how it was introduced to the Shire... My god, I love these characters so much, and I love Tolkien's writing so much for the expert inclusion of such light-hearted scenes after big, dramatic moments like the battle of Helm's Deep.
I didn't have many thoughts about the "Riders of Rohan" chapter, so I'll skip ahead to "The Uruk-Hai," wherein we find out what's been going on with Merry & Pippin since the end of The Fellowship:
"He pushed the dead Orc to one side, then hardly daring to breathe, he drew the knot of the wrist-cord up and down against the blade of the knife. It was sharp and the dead hand held it fast. The cord was cut!"
&
"'No hope of escape!' thought Pippin. 'But there is a hope that I have left some of my own marks unspoilt on the wet ground.' He groped with his two tied hands at his throat, and unclasped the brooch of his cloak. Just as two long arms and hard claws seized him, he let it fall."
Both made me go: ATTABOY, PIPPIN!! I told y'all that Gandalf needed to stop bullying him, because while he may have made a dumb decision back in Moria, look at him now! He's being proactive even when he can't free himself from the unfortunate situation in which he's forced to be. And his actions end up paying off! I'm so proud of Pippin. You go, you funky lil hobbit.
"'Hullo, Pippin! So you've come on this little expedition, too? Where do we get bed and breakfast?'"
Oh my god, Merry is the best. The way he downplays the horrific danger they're in and displays a brave face for Pippin (and in front of the Orcs) gives me older brother vibes. I love him SO MUCH for doing that.
I really like how the Orcs that Sauron sent and the Orcs under Saruman's control are fighting for overall control of the troops. It makes them less of a monolith, and shows that Saruman may have less power in this war than he thinks he does.
Oh my god, the way that Pippin & Merry tricked Grishnakh is SO clever and a great display of quick thinking on their part. And of course, it was Pippin's idea :') It's beautiful to see these hobbits coming into their own in a situation in which they are so far out of their depth.
It's too long to quote, but the conversation between Pippin & Merry at the end of the chapter, where they're walking through the woods and Merry is praising "Master Took" for the aforementioned display of quick thinking, is SO cute. I love them so much, y'all. (This certainly came on suddenly- I loved Pippin in The Fellowship, but Merry hadn't yet distinguished himself enough for me to feel particularly strongly towards him. Yet this one chapter made me love Merry, and it made me love Pippin even more than I already did.)
When I read The Fellowship, I had been mentally bracing myself for the "In the House of Tom Bombadil" chapter, because I had heard from multiple sources that many readers find it a slog to get through, since it doesn't seem to advance the story very much (or at least, what it does add to the story isn't enough to justify its length). I ended up not feeling that way about "In the House of Tom Bombadil" at all- I actually really loved that chapter, and the character of Tom Bombadil. However, when reading The Two Towers, I started to feel that same tedium that I had avoided with Tom Bombadil when it came to "Treebeard." Which I feel is the point, because Treebeard is a member of a very patient, ponderous species, who take ages to speak and discuss things in their own language. I respect that, and I ended up feeling fond of Treebeard. But I'd be lying if I said that after a while, I wasn't the least bit bored with his introductory chapter. (I feel like I had more to say about Treebeard, but nothing is coming to mind... it's possible that I'll come back to this.)
"'It is old, very old," said the Elf. "So old that almost I feel young again, as I have not felt since I journeyed with you children.'"
Oh my god, Legolas is just like me when I went to a New Year's party a few days ago and ended up making conversation with a bunch of 20-year-olds. :P (Real talk: this was a jarring line for me to read, because I hadn't really thought before of how old Legolas must be, and how he's probably the oldest member of the Fellowship. He seemed like such a youthful lil lad, but he's clearly lived a lot longer than the others, and has seen things that they've only heard about in stories.) (I feel like I should also mention that I like Legolas a LOT more in the books than in the movies, and I now feel bad for having called him a "nothing character" after watching the movies.)
"'It was not in vain that the young hobbits came with us, if only for Boromir's sake.'"
Interesting how Gandalf claimed that it was good that Merry & Pippin were there for Boromir, instead of the other way around (considering that Boromir is the one who protected them against the Uruk-Hai, even though he ultimately failed). Is this supposed to imply that protecting/caring for Pippin & Merry helped save Boromir's soul in the end, and helped redeem him from the choice he had made in trying to take the Ring from Frodo? If so, oh man... I am still very much in my feelings about Boromir, apparently. (#BoromirDidNothingWrong #WellOkayHeDidOneThingWrongButItWasn'tHisFault)
"'Then she sent me no message?' said Gimli and bent his head."
Now, I absolutely loathe this word and its connotations, so please note that I am only using it in a COMPLETELY non-serious way. That being said: damn, Gimli, stop being such a simp. It's hilarious to me how his entire demeanor changes once he learns that Galadriel did in fact send him a message. (Also, I'm not sure if it's because I've already experienced this story via the films and already have a little knowledge of the lore, but I find it interesting that both Aragorn and Legolas were confused by Galadriel's messages to them, because the meaning of them both seemed pretty obvious to me- Aragorn's message is about him reclaiming the throne and rounding up what's left of the Dunedain to help him (...I think?), and Legolas' message is about the inevitable fate of all Elves, how they're all going to leave and sail across the sea to the West to make way for the next age of Middle-earth.)
"As [Eowyn] stood before Aragorn she paused suddenly and looked upon him, and her eyes were shining. And he looked down upon her fair face and smiled; but as he took the cup, his hand met hers, and he knew that she trembled at the touch."
Oh shit. Eowyn's got a crush... and she just met the guy, too. Then again, it's Aragorn, so I completely understand her.
"'There is Eowyn, daughter of Eomund, his sister. She is fearless and high-hearted. All love her. Let her be as lord to the Eorlingas, while we are gone.'"
FUCK YEAH!! I honestly wasn't expecting anything like that- I thought that Eowyn's whole "I am no man" scene and her riding into battle was supposed to be the moment when she first proves her worth as something more than a proper Lady. But here her uncle is, appointing her in a position of power, and everyone in Rohan has accepted it. I love that so much.
"But you comfort me, Gimli, and I am glad to have you standing nigh with your stout legs and your hard axe."
Oh shit... LEGOLAS has got a crush. :') I honestly never saw why fans shipped them before, but this line may have just convinced me.
"'Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!'"
Haha, Gimli's eagerness to fight is reminding me of one of the recent chapters of One Piece where Zoro says "Looks like it's cuttin' time." I'm not saying those two would get along well, but they'd both love to fight in a battle together.
"'Two!' said Gimli, patting his axe. He had returned to his place on the wall.
"'Two?' said Legolas. "I have done better, though now I must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone. Yet I make my tale twenty at the least.'"
Wait, so the whole "tallying up our kill counts in a competition" thing wasn't just comic relief inserted into the movies, but it was ACTUALLY FROM THE BOOKS? God, this is hilarious. I love Tolkien's sense of humor and how it appears at unexpected moments.
So... the Battle of Helm's Deep played out very differently than it did in the movie. All the tension between Rohan and Gondor seems to have been made up for the movies (unless that comes into play later), and in the book, it's another faction from Rohan and not an Elf army who shows up to provide aid. I have to say, I never really felt the tension and the excitement of the battle while reading this chapter, so I feel a little disappointed (and I also had an extremely difficult time envisioning the setting and the placement of the armies). However, the ending of the chapter, where the armies discover that the Ents have arrived and created a forest beyond the walls of Helm's Deep, was so beautiful and epic. Why wasn't THAT in the movie? (Or was it, and I'm forgetting?)
Gimli waxing poetic about the caves of Helm's Deep was an unexpectedly beautiful moment. I love how Legolas promises to travel back with him to explore the caves at some point, as long as he promises to accompany Legolas into Fangorn Forest. They really admire each other. <3 (I also have to say, I love what their friendship does for the narrative, how it shows that these two people from historically opposing sides can learn to see past their differences and get along with each other. Ugh, I feel like I'm not eloquent enough to express my thoughts/feelings about this... basically, I just REALLY love Legolas & Gimli's relationship, okay?)
"But before the king could speak, the small smoke-breathing figure became suddenly aware of them... He sprang to his feet... [and] bowed very low, putting his hand upon his breast. Then, seeming not to observe the wizard and his friends, he turned to Eomer and the king.
"'Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!' he said. 'We are the doorwardens. Meriadoc, son of Saradoc, is my name, and my companion, who, alas! is overcome with weariness'- here he gave the other a dig with his foot- 'is Peregrin, son of Paladin, of the house of Took...'"
AHAHAHAHA I WAS WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT AND IT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. Merry & Pippin are such little shits, I LOVE THEM. Even better is Gimli's reaction:
"'A fine hunt you have led us! Two hundred leagues through fen and forest, battle and death, to rescuse you! And here we find you feasting and idling- and smoking! Smoking! Where did you come by the weed, you villains?'"
Now, I know that the "weed" that Pippin & Merry are smoking is "pipeweed," or tobacco (at least, I assumed it was something close to tobacco)... but this line is unintentionally hilarious now that cannabis is widely referred to as "weed." Gimli's just angry that the boys got high without him. :') And then the way Merry goes on an infodump with very little prompting about the history of pipeweed and how it was introduced to the Shire... My god, I love these characters so much, and I love Tolkien's writing so much for the expert inclusion of such light-hearted scenes after big, dramatic moments like the battle of Helm's Deep.
