Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
How do you explain the differences between Denethor and his younger son, except by painting Faramir as the wiser and clearer-hearted?
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One explanation for the difference between Faramir and his father, as well as his elder brother, can only be conjectured - Finduilas. We know too little about her to guess at her influence on her husband and sons, especially since she died while the latter were fairly young, but it is possible that Tolkien unconsciously thought of his own mother while writing about the characters. She died while he was young too, yet her influence on him was lasting and powerful. Tolkien once said that Faramir was the character closest to himself, so parallels, while speculative, are possible.
We know that Denethor changed in character after the death of his wife. It would be interesting to speculate on the course his life might have taken had she yet lived. Could there be parallels with Finwë/Míriel/Fëanor hidden in there?
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth..
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