LotR -- Book 5 - Chapter 01 - Minas Tirith

[Encaitare]

Just a few thoughts while I skim the chapter...

I love how humble Pippin is here; and we even get to see a bit of "hobbit pride":

'Man?' cried Pippin, now thoroughly roused. 'Man! Indeed not! I am a hobbit and no more valiant than I am a man, save perhaps now and again by necessity. Do not let Gandalf deceive you!'

It's great when contrasted with his joking threat to Bergil:

'Though you may have taken me for a soft stranger-lad and easy prey, let me warn you: I am not, I am a halfling, hard, bold, and wicked!'

This is interesting:

'He [Denethor] loved him [Boromir] greatly: too much perhaps; and the more so because they were unlike.'

I suppose Denethor was one of those parents who sees his children as the ones who can live out the dreams he never fulfilled, who can do better than he did, except expects a bit too much.

The contrast between the citadel of Minas Tirith and the Great Hall at Meduseld is very markedly given. Pippin notes how there are "no hangings nor storied webs, nor any things of woven stuff or of wood" like there are in Meduseld. Everything here in Minas Tirith is completely carven in stone -- and this seems to be Denethor's mindset, too. He'll maintain the status quo because the course in which the world seems to be going is, to him, inevitable.

Denethor looked indeed much more like a great wizard that Gandalf did, more kingly, beautiful, and powerful; and older. Yet by a sense other than sight Pippin perceived that Gandalf had the greater power and the deeper wisdom, and a majesty that was veiled. And he was older, far older.

I like this quote because it proves that appearances aren't everything. As Boromir88 mentioned above, Gandalf's purpose is not to come to Middle-earth in glory and flaunted power and majesty. It's to do the exact opposite: to keep a "low profile" of sorts while helping everyone out. Denethor does not seem to see that -- neither did Saruman.

It's been mentioned in many discussions before, but I just have to say that I adore the line: "For I also am a steward. Did you not know?" This is one of those scenes that I can see perfectly clearly in my mind, and it's a very clever line. It's not quite defiant, but there's a hint of a warning in it, as if Gandalf wants to say that he's going to be working to save Gondor whether Denethor likes it or not.

Pippin's description of Aragorn as "a man who went about with us" strikes me as oddly funny. Obviously he doesn't want to give away any information about Aragorn, but the way he describes him makes the man sound like he just traipses about after the Fellowship, and everyone just humors him even though he's not supposed to be there -- a Fellowship groupie, perhaps.

The closing of the chapter is very grim: "The Darkness has begun. There will be no dawn." Light seems to be one of the simplest human desires; all Sam wants in Mordor is light and water. Now even the hope brought by the sunshine is being taken away -- talk about psychological warfare!

I like seeing things through Pippin's eyes here; it's a sort of Everyman approach that we wouldn't get through, say, Gandalf's eyes, or even from a neutral-voiced narrator. Pippin's reactions seem to be close to how our own (meaning the average person's) would be.

That's all for now... I'm glad to be on RotK now. It's my favorite of the trilogy.