FOTR Book 1 Ch 5: "A Conspiracy Unmasked"
Here we are for thoughts! As always, appreciating reading and/or thoughts. I absolutely adore this chapter, four hobbits dynamics ftw 🥹
Love the history of the Brandybucks and Buckland. They really are their own little principality within the Shire! Hobbiton residents: Oddballs who like boats, and some can even swim...gasp!! 😱. I love the communal home of Brandy Hall, don't think loneliness is a big issue there. But maybe getting some alone time and privacy is...I can imagine it being Gossip Central 😅 There's that home just apart from it where it seems some Brandybucks seek that from time to time, and it becomes Frodo's, who needs secrecy...hmmm!!
Sam who'd never gone this far 🥺 I definitely think of that little moment in the film. You'll go much farther, friend...much, much farther.
Oops, yep they're still being chased. While Merry is trying to get information about and understand *what* is happening 😅 Frodo: "we'll take another supper", of course you will 🤣 Tolkien milking the hobbits loving their meals for all it's worth 😅 And here's Fatty Bolger! RIP film Fatty, we never knew ye. And aww he and Merry did make it feel like home for Frodo 🥲
And then here it is, Frodo's concealing of his sadness over something that'll never happen: having to break the news to his friends about setting off with Sam and leaving them. But first, Pippin singing and making a watery, soapy mess from his bath...Merry: MOP IT UP NOW KIDDO 😅 And their fighting over mushrooms. They're so fun, I love them sm.
They start talking about the Rider, and before Frodo knows it, Pippin to Merry: "it'll come out in a minute", Frodo: huh?!, Merry and Pip: here's what's given you away for quite a while. And Sam has been the informant..."step forward!", Frodo expecting someone "sinister", and it's Sam. I adore Tolkien's sense of humor 🤣
Frodo saying that he has to go alone, Merry and Pip: not on our watch...Sam's great but nah, you need us 🙂↕️ I absolutely treasure this quote from Merry: "You can trust us to stick with you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you can keep yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends." Yep, that's being a true friend, right in a nutshell. 😭
Proof in the pudding: Frodo is so relieved and happy that he'll have their companionship and support along the way. Hey, they WILL make a big difference 🙂↕️👏🏻🥰 "You are a set of deceitful scroundels...but bless you!", lol, he says that kinda thing a lot, I feel like 😅 later when Sam comes swimming after him 🥺
A couple of callbacks to "There and Back Again": this ain't that, Frodo says, and then later sings the dwarf song that first kindled Bilbo's Tookish wanderlust those long years ago (a fortifying before his own journey?). It feels like subtle ties of this story to that one, graceful reminder to the reader of the history in which this story lies.
Fatty staying to help keep up the story that Frodo is keeping private and quiet, still in the Shire, and also to keep Gandalf in the loop when he comes by. "They little thought how dangerous that part might prove."...re-readers will spot that foreshadowing, I do think! 😱
Frodo's dream! Trying to make sense of it...the sea, connecting to his ultimate sailing into the West? And it sounds like that's in his dreams fairly often...wow. The great tower, could be several of the towers // high places in the story? A light in the sky, thunder...Mordor? Hmmm...I wonder if Tolkien meant it to be abstract? I feel like I see some symbolism, at least, lol. I'm also remembering all of Bilbo's dreams in The Hobbit...I wonder if an intentional connection, or just a tool Tolkien kept at his disposal? Humanoids have dreams? 🤷🏼♀️ I'm evidently quite curious here 😅 I'll certainly take any knowledge, theories , thoughts, etc!
