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Elsewhere, I've likened the Merry-Pippin relationship/pairing to the Frodo-Sam relationship/pairing. I think that we can look at them, not so much in gender terms, but in terms of awareness and intuition. That is, Merry and Frodo 'do good' consciously, whereas the 'good' that comes from Pippin's and Sam's actions is unconscious, insofar as they aren't trying to accomplish the Good (i.e. bring about Gandalf's transformation, destroy the Ring) but are just 'being' good (i.e. true friends, loyal, perhaps a bit foolish).
Merry and Frodo are players in a larger plan who are aware that they are players in a larger plan -- they have roles to perform which they can identify and pursue. Pippin and Sam aren't aware of their roles, but perform them anyway for the sake of the other people they love.
This, incidentally, brings me back to the Gollum-Gandalf association I was thinking about above: they dramatize in the most extreme way this conscious/unconscious accomplishment of good. Nobody knows more about the situation and what needs to be done than Gandalf, and nobody knows less about the situation than Gollum (who is wholly concerned with himself). It is interesting that the consciously good character falls to his death with the Balrog, while the unconsciously 'good' character falls to his death with the Ring. Both falls are necessary for the accomplishment of the Good, but it would seem that Tolkien is in some way privileging the unconscious or unknowing/intuitive characters in this respect. Frodo depends upon Sam; Pippin gets Gandalf to Minas Tirith; Gollum destroys the Ring.
Herm. . .hoom. . .baroom-boom -- mustn't be hasty with this idea. . .will wait for later chapters to see how it plays out. . .
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Scribbling scrabbling.
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