OK, Morwen, but when Frodo answers Faramir 'proudly', maybe Tolkien is making a ststement about the effect of the Ring on him.
My feeling is that, as Tolkien stated, every word he wrote in LotR was thought about & considered. I think whenever he used the word pride he was making a point.
The more I think about the story of the family of Hurin, the more I see it as all coming down to pride. The whole family clearly believe they know best in every situation. They refuse advice, from whoever gives it. They refuse to accept their loss of power & prestige. That doesn't make them 'bad', but it does mean they completely mess up the lives of everyone they come into contact with.
Also, as far as the Christian dimension goes. Tolkien was a Christian, his world view was shaped by Christianity, & his value system was shaped & determined by it. For him, pride wasn't wrong just because his church told him it was, so that he could invent a secondary world where it didn't apply. He believed pride was a sin, & always, in whatever world, it would bring pain & death.
The Narn is a tragedy. The whole family suffer terribly, but I think Tolkien is clearly saying that a good part of what they suffered was brought on by themselves.
Look at Hurin, a desolate, lost, bereaved old man, but still swaggering around, demanding respect (which he deserved). I think Tolkien is constantly coming back to the issue of pride, right through the Legendarium. From Feanor down to Boromir & Saruman.
I think its also significant that Hurin's family is destroyed by the two greatest symbols of pride - Morgoth & Glaurung, as if they're confronting their own 'sin' writ large, & being destroyed by it.
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