LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 03 - The Ring goes South

[davem]

'What do you think of your course now, Aragorn?'...

'I think no good of our course from beginning to end, as you know well,Gandalf.'

So, who's in charge? The obvious answer would be Gandalf - he is the leader of the Fellowship as they set out from Rivendell - yet it seems that they are following Aragorn's course. Gandalf has clearly submitted to Aragorn's choice of direction, yet all the time it seems he & Aragorn are arguing over which course to take. Both of them have passed through Moria before, both have evil memories of the place, but Aragorn it seems will take any route to avoid re entering the Mines, while Gandalf is constatnly seeking to disuade him. Why?

Was Aragorn aware of some specific menace, or just of a vague feeling of danger? And how much did Gandalf actually know? Why was he so insistent on passing through Moria - unless he knew of the Balrog, & the need to confront it, why would he even want to pass through? If, as Elrond had said of Gandalf:

..this shall be his great task, & maybe the end of his labours.

what did he mean? Did Elrond know of Gandalf's desire to enter Moria & face Durin's Bane?

What we see, at the very least, is a growing argument between the two leaders of the Fellowship. How much had Gandalf told Aragorn about what he desired to do, & more importantly, why he wanted to do it? Was Gandalf really willing to lead the Ringbearer into Moria, knowing the danger? And was Aragorn trying to protect the Ringbearer, & help to ensure the survival of the Quest by demanding that every alternative route be tried first?

Why was Gandalf so willing to risk everything to enter the Mines? Did he feel that whatever the danger was, confronting it was worth risking the Quest to face & defeat it?

It seems to me, that if Gandalf felt it was so necessary to enter Moria & face whatever was there, he could have left the party & gone in alone - but he didn't seem to consider that, so its not simply the case that he felt he had to go through Moria, but that all of them, including the Ringbearer, had to go through.

Of course, it could be simply that he felt that the way through the Mines would offer the greatest chance of concealment, so maybe all this speculation is wrong, but it seems to me there is a certain desperation on Gandalf's part to actually enter the Mines, which is not accountable for merely by a desire for secrecy.

I think what we also see is a dislike on Gandalf's part over not being in charge. Perhaps a reluctance to surrender authority - as if the 'old' powers of Middle earth were reluctant to let go.