davem:
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that Man's salvation must come from outside, by the direct intervention of Illuvatar into his creation, that 'hope' based on things found within the world will always lead to 'failure' like Frodo's? Frodo (& the others seduced by the Ring) seeks to 'save' himself by means of some worldly object, rather than by placing faith in The Authority (as Tolkien put it) beyond the world.
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Child of the 7th Age:
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This inability to believe or trust is implicit in this scene in LotR, but it is not what the author has chosen to emphasize. Rather, the heart of the message lies in the flawed nature of Man. This same message comes out again and again throughout the entire Legendarium.
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AS you might expect ( [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ), I've been following this thread for a little while, and now must add my thoughts, for what it's worth! I read through the pertinent Letters last night and also engaged in an exercise of focus during my Walk yesterday, trying to get inside the mind of Frodo and what attitude he took towards the Ring and what the Ring means to him. This is what I came up with (so far...):
The Ring is, as all here know, a burden Frodo has taken upon himself, and thus in this sense, he has accepted a stewardship, just as Gandalf or even Denethor has, although of a different basic nature. In this sense, the ultimate responsibility is laid on Frodo himself, and he cannot trust it to anyone else. In the end, he cannot relinquish this stewardship, and I agree with the above quotes and what I saw in the Letters--this is a basic flaw in Man, this tendency not to trust or to consign one's fate to a higher power.
I recall somewhere that Peter Jackson had described this burden to Elijah Wood as like a bomb that must not be dropped or else the entire world will blow up. Now carry it on a long trip...what would you do? You'd be REAL protective of it; a good person would treat the burden responsibly, but a lesser person would compromise smaller values for larger ones, inevitably. It is to Frodo's great credit that he does not compromise his basic ethics for the sake of this world-affecting burden, and that is his great triumph, overshadowing his failure at Sammath Naur.
This 'exercise' also gave me an insight into the description Sam gives of a figure robed in white with a wheel of fire at its breast. Frodo has gone as far as he can go and, as has been described elsewhere, he has been broken down completely, becoming this vessel for clear light to shine through, thus the image of the white robed figure. But at the heart of the matter is the Wheel of Fire, the burden, that must be given up to Eru Iluvatar, or else it will consume even the most pure of heart and intention.
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A crouching shape, scarcely more than the shadow of a living thing, a creature now wholly ruined and defeated, yet filled with a hideous lust and rage; and before it stood stern, untouchable now by pity, a figure robed in white, but at its breast it held a wheel of fire. Out of the fire there spoke a commanding voice. "Begone, and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom." [ROTK: Mount Doom]
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it is interesting that the white robed figure is pitiless and commanding. At this point, it seems that Frodo is over-reaching his calling, taking upon himself the role of Eru Iluvatar, and of course, such a course must fail, for it is beyond Frodo's capability to order the fate of the universe. I can see how he might fall prey to such a delusion at the end, as he has carried for long miles a burden that holds within it such power. The wheel of fire at his breast might represent the inherent fallenness of any who cannot ultimately trust in a higher power, nor resign ultimate control in one's destiny. At its core is self-focus, a clinging to personal responsibility, rather than the focus on the eternal or the universal. I see such a failing as linked inevitably to fear and isolation, an incarnate being's inability to trust ultimately in something beyond itself.
It is also interesting that Gollum is shown as fully stripped down as well--merely a shell for incarnate lust and greed, the selfish motivations with which he began
his stewardship of the Ring. I'm not sure I can come up with anything more at the moment; this post has eaten up much of the last couple of hours (!). But in the course of searching for references online, I did find an interesting article if you're interested:
A Bit of Light--Visions And Transformations Of The Ring Quest
Cheers!
Lyta