So I got done reading this chapter last night, and left thinking without a doubt on this reread this is my favorite chapter so far. It will probably end up being my favorite chapter from Book I too. The inn atmosphere that Tolkien describes is just wonderful. We got a small taste at the
Ivy Bush and
Green Dragon in the first couple chapters, but here is basically an entire chapter the hobbits spend inside an inn.
I didn't care for the Prancing Pony's depiction in the movie. Bree-hill and the town captured the right look and feel with the hobbits arriving at night and being rather gloomy. But the inn itself is a place described being abundant with light, song, and merriment. The place is hopping busy and the innkeeper is swamped busy. Did I mention Butterbur is really busy?
I think I loved this chapter so much this time, because I see a bit of myself and my job in Butterbur. I have quite a large man-bag that I'm able to keep all the papers, laptop, folders, calendar, and all sorts of stuff that I need for work in it. Without it I'd be lost and a complete mess. It keeps my days organized and basically anything important stays in my man-bag. The problem is I tend to get so busy throughout the day I'm leaving something everywhere, inside a different store, sometimes outside. Employees lovingly joke "that's our training director's he would forget his head if it wasn't attached to the neck." There are days I can definitely relate to Butterbur, being busy to the point where one new thing makes you forget something you definitely should not have forgotten!
The atmosphere of the Prancing Pony is simply lovely. There's hobbits, dwarves, and men, locals and foreigners. Who is trustworthy? Is anyone trustworthy? There's even rooms that are designed to cater to hobbits, and the food is just good plain hobbit food. It lulls them into a sense that they're back in the Shire, in the Green Dragon. To the point that they forget their own warnings before entering Bree, that they're now indeed outside the Shire. The hobbits aren't very good at keeping their secret purpose hidden for very long. Anytime you get too much food and drink in public, you'll probably end up regretting it.
Merry perhaps makes the best decision, at least when it come to not risking their secret coming out, but he makes the mistake of wandering outside at night. This time the foreshadowing comes from Pippin:
Quote:
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'All right!' said Pippin. 'Mind yourself! Don't get lost, and don't forget that it is safer indoors!'
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Merry just warned all of them to "mind their Ps and Qs" don't forget they're supposed to be escaping in secret. It makes you think if Merry had gone in, that he could have stopped the catastrophe. But all the hobbits make a mistake in this chapter.