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Originally Posted by Lal, whom I seem to borrow from constantly
The only mistake as far as I'm concerned with what Tolkien did in LOTR is that I'd have liked to have seen more Elves 'die'. Really.  It would make a particularly poignant point. |
But wouldn't that defeat Tolkien's intent on showing that the Elves are
not willing to become involved in warfare and are rather content in staying back and defending their own little parcels of ground while giving advice (and perhaps a couple of useful gifts) to those who
can fight?
Trying to tie it back to the topic of this thread, isn't Tolkien trying to tell us that so many elves have died (actually died, not returned from the death... Glorfindel being an exception
) that they do not want to become directly involved in even more bloodshed? And perhaps their lack of compromise and their lack of strenght to re-generate after being kicked down is what brings about their defeat.
During LoTR we have examples of hobbits being "reborn" (Frodo) of men being "reborn" (Aragorn) and even of Maiar being "reborn" (Gandalf) but do we see any elves being reborn? (during LoTR, so Glorfindel does not count)
We don't. Perhaps this shows that the elves have lost that "fight" that they once had in them. In all the rebirths we see there is that intangible aspect of willingness to survive that helps the character through. Even when Frodo and Sam are at Mt. Doom and rivers of lava stream down the sides of the mountain, them being far away from food, drink or any possible rescuers we see them moving away from the destruction. They could have just sat there and let the fires of Orodurin end their misery, but even then they did a little bit of effort to survive... which ultimately paid off when Gandalf and the Eagles showed up.
Yet do we see that from the elves? They stay in Middle Earth and fight for their little tiny kingdoms, yet when they get tired they "simply" travel on to the West (I know it's not that simple, but what option did Frodo have? He did not know of the gift he'd be granted, he had no easy way out and he toughed it up until the end)
Perhaps their lack of that fire, that desperation that if they do not succeed on middle earth they will perish and die, is what caused the elves to stay rather than rise up again.
Yes, we cannot ignore the fact that if it was not because of Elrond or Galadriel Frodo, Aragorn and the rest would have never triumphed, yet we see no Feanor-like brave elves going to battle on shiny armours and single-handedly defeating companies upon companies of orcs.
And don't tell me that the elven strenght was in their wisdom. Sure, they were wise but can we ignore that they were excelent fighters? I think we cannot -and should not- do so. It is a statement, and an important one, that there were no elven companies on the fields of Pellenor.