LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 09 - Flotsam and Jetsam

[Child of the 7th Age]

I was struck by how "Flotsam and Jetsam" foreshadows certain wider events in the story and also sets the stage for specific things that will happen in the very next chapter. Sorry for bringing up future events, but sometimes themes are interconnected, and it's easier to discuss them this way.

Lalwende's earlier quote was a prime example of this:

'Once he [ i.e. Saruman] was as great as his fame made him. His knowledge was deep, his thought was subtle, and his hands marvellously skilled; and he had a power over the minds of others. The wise he could persuade, and the smaller folk he could daunt. That power he certainly still keeps. There are not many in Middle-earth that I should say were safe, if they were left alone to talk with him, even now when he has suffered a defeat. Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel, perhaps, now that his wickedness has been laid bare, but very few others."

This explanation is critical for the next chapter when Gandalf and crew (minus the hobbits) will go to speak with Saruman. Only by having this advance piece of information can the reader understand Theoden's plight when Saruman lures him with tempting words, and the King seems close to succumbing. Theoden's difficulty in responding to Saruman is not due to any personal weakness, but is a confirmation of what we’ve already learned: “The Voice” can be virtually impossible to resist, even by the great and wise.

As Theoden, Eomer, and Gandalf leave to make plans with Treebeard, Legolas remarks that “the great ones have gone to discuss high matters”. Interestingly, that group does not include the heir to the throne of Gondor and Arnor. As if to reinforce the fact that Aragorn wears a “different hat” in this chapter, Pippin gleefully declares that “Strider the Ranger” has returned when he sees his friend smoking pipeweed. Why is this? Why does Aragorn not assert his kingly voice as he does, for example, in the Palantir chapter? The absence of Aragorn's "kingly voice" not only holds true for this chapter but also the next one. Although Aragorn will be physically included in the group that visits Saruman, he says not a single word in Saruman’s presence….indeed he says nothing in the entire chapter.

Why is Aragorn restricted to “official silence” in both these chapters? First, I think he genuinely wanted to stay and talk privately to Merry and Pippin since he and Gimli had chased them over hill and dale, and he genuinely cares about their well being. And I’m certainly glad he did because the conversations with the hobbits were the most delightful parts of the chapter for me.

But I think it’s more than that. This is not the time to be trotting out a future King of Gondor. They all stand within the eye of Sauron’s palantir, which is surely fixed on Isengard. Therefore, anything they can do to downplay Aragorn’s future role is probably wise. There is another reason as well. Theoden and Treebeard have been most hurt by Saruman and are “in charge” of lands that he has threatened. By pulling back, Aragorn shows he respects Rohan and is not trying to impede their legitimate interests and plans. This forebearance will help Theoden and Eomer to trust him as King of Gondor.

Finally, there are two instances of long-term foreshadowing. The most obvious is the discovery of pipeweed. The hobbits gleefully accept their treasure without thinking about what this could really mean. Aragorn smells a possible rat, and notes that “Wormtongue’s may be found in other houses than King Theoden’s”….a clear reference to Lotho.

Second, isn’t it amazing that both Saruman and Sauron owe their defeat to the same basic deficiency: a rigidity in thinking and lack of imagination, a lack of respect for those who oppose them? Sauron can not imagine that anyone would have the audacity to come waltzing in to Mordor under his nose. Saruman strips Isengard of troops because he can’t believe anyone is left who poses a serious threat. Sauron knows a bit about Hobbits, but he does not really respect them as possible enemies. Saruman does exactly the same with the Ents. Pippin talks about Saruman’s shortsightedness. Ironically, many of Pippin's words could also be applied to Sauron in terms of Frodo and Sam:

‘The Ents are safe,’ said Pippin. ‘He seems at one time to have got round them. but never again. And anyways he did not understand them; and he made the great mistake of leaving them out of his calculations. He had no plan for them, and there was no time to make any, once they had set to work….’

I think it’s equally fair to say that Sauron did not “understand” Sam and Frodo; he had not the slightest idea what would motivate two hobbits to creep into Mordor. And he certainly had no plans for such a contingency.