[Child of the 7th Age]

This wasn't the original question asked, but this thread seems to have veered off to Grey Havens so here goes....

All mortals do die in the Blessed Lands, but they are allowed to chose the place and time they will take that step. This is very similar to the scene you have with Aragorn dying in the Appendix while Arwen is at his side weeping. Frodo seems to know that Sam will come later so surely he will wait for him and the two will probably move on together to the circles beyond the earth.

Many, many readers see Frodo's leaving for Elvenhome as an extremely sad thing, born solely out of grief and despair. I guess I view things a bit differently. Certainly, the need for healing, both physical and spiritual, was the immediate catalyst for leaving, but I believe other things were also involved.

Even before the quest, Frodo would roam the Shire at night looking for Elves. And, again, even before his departure, he was identified as an Elf-friend. All through the book, there are indications Frodo is longing for something which goes beyond the life of the Shire. His dream at Tom's house and his later comments in Rivendell about yearning for the Sea are just two examples. I was reading today in Swan's The Road goes EverOn. Tolkien clearly says in his notes that the last two lines of Galadriel's Lament as the Fellowhip leaves Lorien were supposed to be directed specifically at Frodo. (That was news to me.) This is where she says "May you reach Valinor" (not that he makes it all the way there). And this is in the early part of the book, long before any question of healing or grief arises. Even in Tolkien's earliest drafts of the Grey Havens chapters, when Frodo was still called Bingo, the author states that Bingo will withdraw to a small hut on the edge of Hobbiton and soon leave for the West. It's just part of who he is.

I feel that a great deal of the longing for the West is intrinsic in Frodo's character. His eyes shines with elf-glow that Merrygold can see, and Faraamir later states that he looks a bit Elven. Sometimes I think it's that Fallohide strain with its elfish leanings. (I even have suspicions about an Avari ancestor in the Vales of Anduin, but who's to say?) Whatever the case, Frodo has outgrown the Shire.

And,what is more, there is a recognition, that great accomplishments require great sacrifice. Yes, it is sad to see Frodo depart the Shire. But he and Sam have different paths to follow. My bet is that, not only did Frodo find more healing in the West than would have been true in the Shire, but he probably grew and learned in ways we simply can't imagine. And he had Bilbo by his side, at least for a little while. sharon, the 7th age hobbit

[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]