LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 05 - The Window on the West

[davem]

Two quotes strike me as significant in the light of what we've been discussing re: Faramir & his attitude to the past. First is his words to Frodo about his desire to see a reestablshment of the Gondor of the past:

"For myself," said Faramir, "I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace: Minas Anor again as of old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens

Second is Denethor's speech to Gandalf:

'What then would you have,' said Gandalf, 'if your will could have its way?'
'I would have things as they were in all the days of my life,' answered Denethor, 'and in the days of my longfathers before me: to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard's pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honour abated.'

Both father & son have a desire to see things revert to the way they were in the past once the war is over. Both are conservative (note small 'c') & neither of them desires novelty. Of course, while Denethor wishes the status quo he (& his Longfathers) had known - ie the Rule of the Stewards - to continue, his son wishes to return to an earlier time, when there was a High King of Numenorean descent on the throne. But both share the Numenorean trait of valuing the past above the present, & certainly above the future - which only offers any possibility of hope to the degree that it can be made as much like the past as possible.

It makes me wonder how alike Denethor & Faramir really were - though I seem to remember Gandalf remarking that both men had inherited more of the blood of Numenor than Boromir had. In fact, as an aside, it does seem that Boromir was more 'forward looking than his father or his brother - didn't Boromir ask Denethor why the family remained 'merely' Stewards, & had not claimed the Kingship?

[Lathriel]

Maybe because Faramir and Denethor are so alike it is a reason why Denethor doesn't like his younger son. He might have seen too much of himself in Faramir.

A favourite part of this chapter is the description of the rangers hideout. It is the perfect place to stay when you don't want to be seen.

I would also like to add that I wouldn't mind living in Ithilien.(I peaceful times) It seems like such a wonderful place.