[The Saucepan Man]

Tsk. Look at us all discussing Boromir when there is so much more in this Chapter. Then again, to my mind, he is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in the book.

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Ahh, then wouldn't joining the Fellowship be morally wrong?

No, because at that stage he had no inclination to seize the Ring by force, and because he vowed to protect the Ringbearer as long as he stayed with the Company (and that's all he agreed to do). It was only once the Ring started to take a hold over him to the extent that he could contemplate seizing it by force that it might be described as morally wrong for him to remain with the Fellowship.

Originally Posted by davem

My own sense is that Boromir’s growing desperation is due less to a desire for the Ring - which is merely the catalyst - & more to an awakening into maturity. He’s fighting against all the values & beliefs he’s been brought up with - power, control, the superiority of Gondor - I think this is what the Ring comes to symbolise for him. Its this inner conflict which explodes in his confrontation with Frodo. Basically, he’s ‘torn in two’, fighting on two fronts.

While I take your point concerning Boromir's transformation, I do not see this as occuring during the exchange with Frodo in Lothlorien. For me, it simply doesn't fit with the dialogue. Boromir is 'torn in two', yes. But his inner conflict is between his duty to return to Minas Tirith and the desire for the Ring which has awoken within him. Frodo guesses Boromir's unspoken words - that it would be folly to throw the Ring into the Fire. In Rivendell, Boromir took this position on a rational basis believing that it could be put to better use to defend Gondor and challenge Sauron. But now it is based on an "irrational" desire for the Ring.

To my mind, Boromir's transformation from pride to humility does not occur until after he attempts to seize the Ring from Frodo. As I said, I like to think that he does truly repent at that point and find redemption, and the quote supplied by HI would support this view.

Originally Posted by davem

I’m not sure I agree that his desire for the Ring would have re-asserted itself if he’d survived. A ‘madness’ took him, but it passed, & as Aragorn told him, in the end he had conquered.

I never said that it would have. My point is that the desire remained latent within him from this point (Lothlorien) on until the point at which Frodo escapes from his assault. At that stage he was 'released', although I will reserve judgment on whether he truly conquered his desire or whether the Ring simply had no further use for him (Frodo having escaped) until we reach the relevant Chapter.

Originally Posted by drigel

Galadriel did not wake a sleeping monster in him, his monster resides in every human.

I agree that the 'monster', namely the potential for corruption, resides within every human. Indeed, I think that every member of the Fellowship was vulnerable to it (although I have always held that the Hobbits were best equipped to resist it). And, in a sense, Galadriel did wake the 'sleeping monster' within him, since she confronted him with his heart's desire. Why him and not the others? Well, I would certainly say that he was the most vulnerable to the Ring's wiles. And I would suggest that this was because he was, mentally, the weakest, and because he already thought that it would be folly to destroy it and saw an alternative solution in wielding it against Sauron. Boromir's desire was not caused by Galadriel - she simply confronted him with what was already there. And it was already there because the Ring had identified him as a point of vulnerability and was seeking to use him to find its way back to its Master.

As I have said previously, I believe that Boromir would have made a play for the Ring eventually, even without Galadriel revealing this desire to him - it just would have taken longer (and could, potentially, have been more dangerous).