[Peregrin Took]

Hey everybody, I'm glad to be joining this discussion! This is MatthewM, by the way. This is my new username.

To the book!

Three is Company is without a doubt one of my favorite chapters in the whole story. Three of the main hobbits, Frodo, Pippin, and Sam leaving their comfortable homes and beginning on their long journey through the Shire, and then beyond. I can picture the story extraordinarily well during this chapter, and simply put, it touches my soul.

This passage in particular always pulls at me:

"Well, now we're off at last!" said Frodo. They shouldered their packs and took up their sticks, and walked round the corner to the west side of Bag End. "Good-bye!" said Frodo, looking at the dark blank windows. He waved his hand, and then turned and (following Bilbo, if he had known it) hurried after Peregrin down the garden-path. They jumped over the low place in the hedge at the bottom and took to the fields, passing into the darkness like a rustle in the grasses.

Amazing.

I was definitely freightened when the Black Rider appears for the first time! That is another power of Tolkien's...to actually scare you. There aren't many writers that can do that. The second time he appears is equally as scary...you can relate especially if you've been in a sort of situation like that before (minus the Rider in Black)!

The meeting with the Elves is truly magical. I find it interesting, like has been noted, that the Elves treat the hobbits almost as fools. Their tune does change though when they are told of the Riders and the danger the hobbits are in. So, although the Elves seem to misunderstand hobbits (like Men), after they were informed of their crisis they did treat them with respect. I noticed the same thing as Ibrîniðilpathânezel - there are so many memorable quotes in Gildor and Frodo's speech together.

To end, this chapter will always be close to my heart and I am glad to have discovered this thread at this time!