Past Trauma Influencing Characters - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Finwe · 09-23-2003, 08:34 PM

Pressure can change people a lot. A person that we think is calm, collected, and ready to take on anything can become the wildest and most uncontrolled person that we know, just because of pressure. Believe me, being in high school, it really gives you a few insights on how the rest of your life is going to be. I'm not saying that I know everything, I know that college is going to be worse, but pressure can really change a person (grades, family. etc.)

I think the reason Boromir seemed to "lose it" to a much greater degree was that he felt everything was being pinned upon him. From childhood, his father had favored him, and made him think that he would one day inherit the Stewardship and take care of Gondor. He wanted Gondor to stay strong. He wanted Gondor to hold against Sauron's forces. During that time, when Sauron's forces started harassing Gondor, I think that Boromir, subconsciously, could have been really bewildered. I mean, he was brought up to think that Gondor was the best and the greatest, and now, it was under attack. Along with his own expectations, his father's hopes were being pinned upon him, and that was a very heavy burden to bear for him.

The Ring played a major part in his breakdown because its main "strength" is finding out other people's weaknesses, and exploiting them. Boromir's weakness was his love for his country. He would do anything to make sure that Gondor would be victorious, even if it meant breaking a thousand rules. The Ring acted on that, and sort of "convinced" him to believe that taking it from Frodo, and bringing it to Gondor would make it serve as a weapon. He forgot that it had done the exact same thing to Isildur, his ancestor, an age before.
The Isildur's Heir problem also put pressure on Boromir. I think subconsciously, he wanted to believe that Aragorn was the Heir, and that he would become King. But with his father's expectations, hopes, and opinions being so ingrained in him, he immediately burst out against Aragorn, and resented him. I think, though, that once the Fellowship reached Lothlorien, and after talking to Aragorn about Minas Tirith, Boromir grew to accept him a little. He even tried to convince Aragorn to lead the Fellowship to Minas Tirith, since he was the true King. Of course, Aragorn knew what Denethor's reaction to the proximity of the One Ring would have been, and wisely decided not to. That drove a wedge between him and Boromir for a while, and unfortunately, it took a bunch of Uruk-hai arrows for Boromir to truly accept Aragorn as his "brother... captain...king."

[ September 24, 2003: Message edited by: Finwe ]

09-23-2003, 08:34 PM	#20
Finwe Deathless Sun Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Royal Suite in the Halls of Mandos Posts: 2,609	Pressure can change people a lot. A person that we think is calm, collected, and ready to take on anything can become the wildest and most uncontrolled person that we know, just because of pressure. Believe me, being in high school, it really gives you a few insights on how the rest of your life is going to be. I'm not saying that I know everything, I know that college is going to be worse, but pressure can really change a person (grades, family. etc.) I think the reason Boromir seemed to "lose it" to a much greater degree was that he felt everything was being pinned upon him. From childhood, his father had favored him, and made him think that he would one day inherit the Stewardship and take care of Gondor. He wanted Gondor to stay strong. He wanted Gondor to hold against Sauron's forces. During that time, when Sauron's forces started harassing Gondor, I think that Boromir, subconsciously, could have been really bewildered. I mean, he was brought up to think that Gondor was the best and the greatest, and now, it was under attack. Along with his own expectations, his father's hopes were being pinned upon him, and that was a very heavy burden to bear for him. The Ring played a major part in his breakdown because its main "strength" is finding out other people's weaknesses, and exploiting them. Boromir's weakness was his love for his country. He would do anything to make sure that Gondor would be victorious, even if it meant breaking a thousand rules. The Ring acted on that, and sort of "convinced" him to believe that taking it from Frodo, and bringing it to Gondor would make it serve as a weapon. He forgot that it had done the exact same thing to Isildur, his ancestor, an age before. The Isildur's Heir problem also put pressure on Boromir. I think subconsciously, he wanted to believe that Aragorn was the Heir, and that he would become King. But with his father's expectations, hopes, and opinions being so ingrained in him, he immediately burst out against Aragorn, and resented him. I think, though, that once the Fellowship reached Lothlorien, and after talking to Aragorn about Minas Tirith, Boromir grew to accept him a little. He even tried to convince Aragorn to lead the Fellowship to Minas Tirith, since he was the true King. Of course, Aragorn knew what Denethor's reaction to the proximity of the One Ring would have been, and wisely decided not to. That drove a wedge between him and Boromir for a while, and unfortunately, it took a bunch of Uruk-hai arrows for Boromir to truly accept Aragorn as his "brother... captain...king." [ September 24, 2003: Message edited by: Finwe ] __________________ But Melkor also was there, and he came to the house of Fëanor, and there he slew Finwë King of the Noldor before his doors, and spilled the first blood in the Blessed Realm; for Finwë alone had not fled from the horror of the Dark.