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Old 01-24-2005, 07:48 PM   #21
Lyta_Underhill
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Frodo on Top of Things

Quote:
Quote:
Movie Frodo was primarily portrayed as a victim.
But, to me, that's exactly what Book Frodo WAS. To me, he left for the West not because of Guilt or Sin, but because of Pain and the need to heal. He was a Victim of the Ring and of certain people's desire to use him to help save Middle-earth.
This may just be a personal prejudice, but I have a problem with seeing either Frodo as a victim. It makes him passive, and, even if Elijah's Frodo fell down and rolled his eyes a lot, he DID persevere and he DID NOT give up the quest for any reason whatsoever. He passed many important tests, although many were glossed over and there was inevitably characterization lost. Sure, he was pushed onto the road quickly in the movie, but it was just a slower process in the books. I think there is a look in Elijah's eyes when he asks "what must I do?" that seems to speak to his acceptance of his duty, rather than the simple man-on-the-run he would be if he were pure victim. He was in an unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your point of view) position, and he bore the pains of a difficult quest, but I prefer to think he was chosen, that the Ring was meant to come to him, not for the purpose of victimizing him, but because he had the extraordinary strength necessary to deal with this impossible task. I didn't mean to even type this much, but I wanted to address this one point that always bothers me when people talk about the Frodo or Elijah's Frodo! Thanks for listening, er, reading!

Cheers!
Lyta
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“…she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea.”
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