LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 10 - The Breaking of the Fellowship

[Bêthberry]

Much as these thoughts are intriguing, I'm going to weigh in here on the negative side. If Boromir respresent anything in this "not an allegory", he represents the easy way in which the Ring can appeal to human desires.

Against delay. Against the way that seems easiest.

In terms of the story, I think readers should be thankful that Boromir does not know Frodo as well as Sam does. Sam understands Frodo's hesitation or fear of doing what he knows he must. Boromir does not. Boromir believes Frodo does not know what to do.

And so Boromir argues his old case of the Northern warrior.

We shall fall in battle valiantly.

Boromir's is the way of arrogance and self-assurance that men can know absolutely what is the right thing to do. The characters who are arrayed on the side of "the good", Aragorn, Gandalf, Frodo, are known very much for their lack of complete confidence, for their hesitation, for their willingness for reflect upon their ways, for their fear that they might not do the right thing.

Boromir remains the voice of the arrogance of the race of man

It is by our own folly that the Enemy will defeat us," cried Boromir. "How it angers me! Fool! Obstinate fool! Running willfully to death and ruining our cause. If any mortals have claim to the Ring, it is the men of Numenor, and not Halflings. It is not yours save by unhappy chance. It might have been mine.Give it to me!"

It is, however, absolutely essential for readers to have this scene and for that reason I think Boromir is pivotal to the story. Tolkien shows his readers what the effect of the Ring is, not on one of the great elves or wizards, but on the sorry race of mankind, especially in the denigration of the hobbits. I think it is more important to Tolkien's theme to understand what he means by the seductive powers of evil than to argue a Manichean split, which presumbably for him was herisy.

What I don't really understand--and I think someone else on this thread has already mentioned this point--is why Frodo puts the ring backon. Assuredly it is so he can pass by the other members of the Fellowship without being seen, but it appears almost too easy and unexplored a decision. It is ominous to me.