LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 08 - The Stairs of Cirith Ungol

[littlemanpoet]

I found the descriptions very evocative – how did they affect you? What do you make of the statement that the road glowed faintly?

They made it feel real. The glow of the road, the flowers, the tower, put me in mind (this time) of the poisoned gas of WW1. Too much Tolkien research for my own good, because it kind of killed the enchantment this time. I think that what is being evoked is the negative wraith-world of the Witch King, which is very strong in the vale of Minas Morgul. Thus it pervades all things there.

Having read the Letters, we know that the Battle of the Pelennor fields is about to take place; so we know that this army is marching towards Osgiliath and Minas Tirith. Here we see Gandalf's "folly" come to fruition, for the Eye has been distracted, barely, from Frodo, looking to the marshalling forces of the Free Peoples; this is also because Aragorn has sacrificially looked into the palantir, which Saruman lost through the folly of Wormtongue, which occurred because the Hobbits had roused the Ents, which happened because Saruman's orcs hunted for the Fellowship. The seeds of the downfall of Sauron and Saruman was in themselves all along; the Fellowship only had to take courage and do what was theirs to do; no small task!

I don't think "sneak", as a word, is the real issue. It's what lies beneath the words: Sam's suspicion that Gollum has been up to no good; which at the moment Sam said it, was entirely wrong; yet it wrankles Gollum because, for days now, except for this one rare moment of almost redemption, Gollum has indeed been up to the most traitorious of no good.

If Gollum had left them at the point suggested, Frodo and Sam would not have made it into Mordor, I think. They did not know the way.

That's all I have time for tonight. Maybe I can take a stab at more of these queries later.