LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 04 - A Journey in the Dark

[The Saucepan Man]

And I have finally caught up with the current chapter, although I still have a lot of catching up to do on the other chapter discussions.

This is quite an eventful chapter. Two hostile encounters, much conversation which helps build up the characters (particularly those to whom we have only recently been introduced) and a whole new realm to discover.

Originally Posted by davem

These 'wargs' are neither wolves nor hounds. they are supernatural beings, which seem at first to be real creatures, not illusions - we could expect Gandalf at least to know an illusion, yet he seems as convinced as the others that they are facing a real physical threat. But his words are interesting - 'Hound of Sauron'. Are these creatures that Sauron has sent, magically created to attack the Fellowship & then disappear when their task is done?

In this chapter and the last, I am not quite sure which foes are sent by whom (and the films have probably contributed to my confusion here). It seems likely that Saruman has sent the Crebain, since they hail from Fangorn and Dunland, near to Isengard. So it logically follows that, his spies having spotted them, he would be the one to bring on the hostile weather which besets and diverts them. Yet the weather on Caradhras and the falling boulders are described in terms of a hostile yet neutral force (apologies if this has already been discussed, but I haven't read the discussion on the previous chapter yet). And Saruman would have a motive in wishing to prevent the Fellowship using the Redhorn Pass, since that might lead them to the Gap of Rohan (given the apprehension of terrible danger in Moria). Then again, Sauron would quite possibly have a motive in pushing the Ring towards Moria, assuming that he knew what lay in wait for the Fellowship there. And he would be aware of the Ringbearer's general location, even assuming that the Crebain were not sent by him. As for the Wolves, as davem notes, Gandalf certainly seems to believe that they are creatures of Sauron.

So what exactly are the Wolves? Aragorn refers to them as Wargs and I have to admit that I had assumed that this is what they were, having not previously paid much attention to the disappearance of the bodies of those that fell in the attack. But this certainly stood out to me this time round and it made me wonder as to their nature too. My first reaction was to still regard them as creatures of the physical world, since they are harmed by (non-magical) weapons and driven off by fire. Yet the Ringwraiths, who are most definately not creatures of the physical world, are driven off by fire too. And the Witch-King's doom is brought about by normal weapons (albeit one with an appropriate history in the case of Merry's Barrow Blade). So I suppose it is quite possible that these beasts were not of the physical realm.

Having said that, I am quite taken by Aiwendil's suggestion that they may have been Werewolves. After all, Werewolves were identified by Gandalf only three chapters before (in Many Meetings) as numbering among the servants of Sauron. Not all Werewolves would necessarily have been as powerful as Carcharoth and Draugluin. And if they were spirits housed in Wolf form, they need not necessaily have been Maiarin spirits.

I like the way in which Tolkien foreshadows both of the attacks in this chapter. With the Wolves this occurs in the paragraphs immediately preceding that in which they are first encountered. We are led into thinking that it is the wind that is howling and the suddeness of the realisation (prompted by Aragorn's realisation) that it is not the wind but Wolf-voices is striking. The Wolves appear practically out of nowhere (again lending a superstitious aura to them).

With the Watcher, the initial clue as to its presence is provided further in adavnce of its attack. The moment we hear the "swish, followed by a plop" and see the ripples on the dark lake (through the ears and eyes of the Fellowship), we know that there is something nasty lurking in the water. This heightens the sense of danger (for the reader) as the Fellowship tarries outside the West Door of Moria. Frustratingly, the Fellowship seems all but oblivious to the danger that the lake holds (and which has been hinted at to us). When Boromir throws a stone into the lake it is the sort of thing which might provoke an involuntary groan from the reader, even if he or she is reading the book for the first time.

So, with the Wolves, the attack occurs suddenly, almost out of nowhere. With the Watcher, we have a slow lead up to the attack in which the victims (but not the reader) seem oblivious to the danger. Both of these devices have been used many times in horror films and have become somewhat cliched. Yet Tolkien pulls them off wonderfully here, even reading it afresh now.

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telontar

Another much-discussed enigma is presented in this chapter – the Watcher in the Water. Is it a single or multiple entity?

Well before the films, I had settled on the idea of a single kraken-like creature (although, unlike a squid, its tentacles are referred to as being fingered). But what really interests me about the Watcher is that (as Gandalf silently notes) it makes straight for the Ringbearer. Is it acting on Sauron's will, or is it drawn by the Ring? Also, is there intent in its barring of the West Door or does this occur by chance?

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telontar

I find it significant that we are shown that Gandalf is not omniscient – he is uncertain of the way to the Gates of Moria, does not know the password, and later falters when he must choose the way through the caverns.

I think it is important that we get this sense of fallibility in Gandalf. It lends credibility to him as a character and brings with it the realisation that he may not always be able to protect his companions. It is essential that we truly believe that they are in very real danger and not simply "under the wing" of an all-powerful being. The same applies, to an extent, with Aragorn, when he acknowledges that he led the Company "almost to disaster in the snow". Again, it lends an air of fallibility to a character who, until now, has been portrayed as pretty darn perfect. (The same feeling is conveyed by his feelings of doubt following Gandalf's fall in Moria.)

Frodo's apprehension of soft footfalls and the two pale points of light like luminous eyes hint to us that Gollum is on the trail of the Fellowship. It's subtle, but its there nonetheless. Given the Watcher's demolition of the Western Door, I had always wondered how Gollum had entered Moria, thinking it unlikely that he would have been able to slip in at the same time as them without being seen. It was only when I read Unfinished Tales (The Hunt for the Ring) that I realised that he had been travelling west through Moria when they arrived and that he picked up their trail there.

Two questions concerning Pippin and the well. First, why is he so "curiously attracted" by it? We all know that he is an inquisitive fellow (parallels with Smeagol?), but it seems to be a stronger attraction than simple curiosity. What is it that draws him to it in such dangerous surroundings?

And what exactly is it that he wakens when he tosses the stone in? Is it the Balrog? If so, if the soft splosh of a stone falling into water can awaken it, then it hardly seems as if it was sleeping too soundly. In these circumstances, Pippin can hardly be blamed for its appearance. Surely it would have apprehended the Fellowship in any event. Or does the stone simply alert the Orcs to their presence? And what does the hammer signify? Why a hammer? Is it an Orcish signal?

Finally, as one who found his way to LotR via The Hobbit and loves the allusion to events and characters in that book, I have always found the end to this chapter profoundly saddening. Of Thorin's company, Balin was the one who always showed Bilbo the most kindness and, ultimately, became the closest to him.