LotR -- Book 6 - Chapter 7 - Homeward Bound - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Fordim Hedgethistle · 11-10-2005, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Excellent thoughts, Fordim! You're right - "transitional" is the wrong word for the events of this chapter.

The quote you mentioned is spoken by Pippin to Merry in "The Houses of Healing": I'd say that applies not only to those families and not only to Hobbits!

Thanks for locating that quote for me...and how interesting that it's Pippin who comes to such a sage and important recognition. We've spent so much time remarking on Merry's remarkable growth into wisdom by way of contrast to Pippin's more 'organic' maturation (that is, he grows in experience rather than apprehension) but perhaps here he shows that he too is able to learn and, more importantly, express a piece of real Wisdom.

Fordim Hedgethistle · 11-10-2005, 03:14 PM

I apologise for serial posting but just as I finished the last post I noticed the chapter title and something in there tweaked for me:

"Homeward Bound" as in heading home, but could it not also be: bound to one's home? Not just going there, but bound to it, tied to it irrevocably? In both these chapters all the hobbits have moments in which they articulate the ways in which they are bound to/tied to the Shire...

And perhaps there's even another facet to the title, insofar as the journey to the Shire is but a stage on the longer journey that Frodo is on into the West. He is "homeward bound" via the Shire, but no longer "bound to his home" (i.e. the Shire) as are the other hobbits...

Estelyn Telcontar · 11-10-2005, 03:17 PM

No apology necessary - what fascinating thoughts on the meaning(s) of "bound"!

Formendacil · 03-21-2019, 11:27 AM

"Homeward Bound" is quite short--even by the standards of denouement RotK (is it the shortest? I'm typing on my phone in the car, so I'm not sure). It's not quite the farewell tour of "Many Partings," but it does extend the trend of working our way backward: this time all the way through Book I to the edge of the Shire, focussing mostly on Bree and sliding right past Tom Bombadil.

The chapter does two things structurally, each of which prepares us for the coming chapters. First, it prepares us for "The Scouring od the Shire" by showing us Bree, whose troubles prefigure what they'll find across the Brandywine. Second, it shows us Frodo's PTSD, preparing us for "The Grey Havens" and his final decision. In both these respects, it's a bittersweet chapter, the first that has a dominant non-joyful note since before the Ring was destroyed. In this respect, it marks a return to normalcy, though the Hobbits carry with them the marks of change. They return to the Shire, but they are not the same.

11-10-2005, 03:14 PM	#2
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	I apologise for serial posting but just as I finished the last post I noticed the chapter title and something in there tweaked for me: "Homeward Bound" as in heading home, but could it not also be: bound to one's home? Not just going there, but bound to it, tied to it irrevocably? In both these chapters all the hobbits have moments in which they articulate the ways in which they are bound to/tied to the Shire... And perhaps there's even another facet to the title, insofar as the journey to the Shire is but a stage on the longer journey that Frodo is on into the West. He is "homeward bound" via the Shire, but no longer "bound to his home" (i.e. the Shire) as are the other hobbits... __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

11-10-2005, 03:17 PM	#3
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	No apology necessary - what fascinating thoughts on the meaning(s) of "bound"! __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

03-21-2019, 11:27 AM	#4
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,328	"Homeward Bound" is quite short--even by the standards of denouement RotK (is it the shortest? I'm typing on my phone in the car, so I'm not sure). It's not quite the farewell tour of "Many Partings," but it does extend the trend of working our way backward: this time all the way through Book I to the edge of the Shire, focussing mostly on Bree and sliding right past Tom Bombadil. The chapter does two things structurally, each of which prepares us for the coming chapters. First, it prepares us for "The Scouring od the Shire" by showing us Bree, whose troubles prefigure what they'll find across the Brandywine. Second, it shows us Frodo's PTSD, preparing us for "The Grey Havens" and his final decision. In both these respects, it's a bittersweet chapter, the first that has a dominant non-joyful note since before the Ring was destroyed. In this respect, it marks a return to normalcy, though the Hobbits carry with them the marks of change. They return to the Shire, but they are not the same. __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.