My Essay: "A Defense of Character: Boromir"

[Boromir88]

Impressive, very impressive. There are a few things I want to touch on, but very well done.

First, I'd like to note that I don't think Tolkien was so anti-Boromir as it seems. Sure, he compares him to Saruman and Denethor, but it's in the sense that there is no black and white, good and evil. There is a bunch of gray areas, it's not "all these guys are good and they're going to fight all these evil guys," as some critics said. There are people who struggle between good and evil, they have a flawed reasoning so to say.

But, he doesn't compare them in the sense of being a "bad person." Which I think is what you are trying to argue, I agree, and I think Tolkien would agree. Boromir has his flaws, his struggles, but he is not an "evil/bad person."

What I mean, by he was comparing them to their outlook on Good and Evil to...
In Saruman's case, he wasn't allied with Sauron. He lets us into his mind and he plans to betray Sauron:

"As the Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to directs its courses, to control it. We can bid our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, and Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be, any change in our designs, only in our means."~The Council of Elrond

Saruman wants to buddy up to Sauron and eventually perhaps they can control it (the ring). But, we see Saruman has one skewed interpretation of the Istari's purpose. Saruman has turned from "the path," and he's not sided with Sauron, but it goes along with does "the ends fit the means." Yes, Saruman is planning to betray Sauron, but in Saruman's case the ends don't fit the means. Basically he's saying, doesn't matter what evil we commit, let's forget the Elves and Men, they're weak, our goal will be achieved...Sauron will be beaten.

With Denethor you're just opening up one complicated case of worms. He is an effective Steward that cared deeply for Gondor, but he became obsessed with power. He needed to be in control and no one else...

"I am Steward of the House of Anarion. I will not step down to be the dotard chamberlain of an upstart. Even were his claim proved to me, still he comes but of the line of Isildur. I will not bow to such a one, the last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship and dignity."~The Pyre of Denethor

Again Denethor is against Sauron, but the good vs. evil thing is gray again. Denethor is against Sauron, but will not relinquish his power to the rightful king. He is "Steward and Lord of Gondor," it is his command and no one elses. With Denethor comes a bunch of tangles, was he a "good person," or not? Well we know he becomes obsessed with power, and he wasn't the best of fathers, but he still loved Gondor, wanted Sauron dead, and we do see a glimpse of Denethor's former self:

'When Denethor became Steward (2984) he proved a masterful lord, holding the rule of all things in his own hand. He said little. He listened to counsel, and then followed his own mind. He had married late (2976), taking as his wife, Finduilas, daughter of Adrahil of Dol Amroth. She was a lady of great beauty and gentle heart, but before twelve years had passed she died. Denethor loved her, in his fashion, more dearly than any other, unless it were the elder of the sons that she bore him...'
After her death Denethor became more grim and silent that before, and would sit long alone in his tower deep in thought, foreseeing that the assaul of Mordor would come in his time.~Appendix A: The Stewards

Denethor was always a grim man, but he was opened to counsel, he loved Finduilas and we get to see a little glimpseo f the man he once was. After his wife's death a change occurs, then he goes further down hill after Boromir and Faramir:

'Thus pride increased in Denethor together with despair, until he saw in all the deeds of that time only a single combat between the Lord of the White Tower and the Lord of Barad-dur, and mistrusted all others who resisted Sauron, unless they served himself alone.~ibid

So, it was Denethor vs. Sauron, no one else. And he didn't trust anyone else unless they served him. So, like Saruman, the area of good vs. evil isn't necessarily clear. He's against Sauron, but he himself is the one who has to be in control.

With Boromir he wants more than anything Sauron's downfall and Gondor's victory. But, he doesn't agree with the Council's decision. He feels its folly to send the Ring into Mordor in the hands of a hobbit. It should be used as a weapon against Sauron, seeing only the short-term solution and not what will come aftewards.

The letter you point out where Tolkien compares Boromir to Denethor and Saruman I think are more in these regards. The good vs. evil battle is not black and white it's filled with gray areas. There are characters in the story that are against Sauron (evil) but their way of defeating him are either entirely bad and evil itself (Saruman) or see their way as being the best.

I don't think Tolkien ever thought Boromir was a "bad person", though. He does give Boromir justice. As we see Boromir indeed was saved and redeemed for his actions. Boromir's death most closely mimics the Anglo-Saxon Laws of Compensation. Where a sin/crime is committed, in order to be saved you must not only feel sorry for what you did, but "compensate" - either with gold or your life- and then a holy man must declare you saved.

1) Commite the crime- Boromir trying to take the ring from Frodo.
2) Forgiveness- "I tried to take the ring from Frodo. I am sorry. I have paid."~The Departure of Boromir
3) Compensate- I doubt Boromir had the money for his compensation, but he does the other thing and he sacrifices his life to attempt a good deed by helping save Merry and Pippin.
4) Holy man, both Aragorn and Gandalf who could be considered "holy figures" in the story declare Boromir was saved as you pointed out in the essay.

So, I doubt if Tolkien thought that Boromir was a "bad/evil person" he would have given Boromir this kind of redemption. Tolkien probably would have stuck with his earliest draft thoughts on Boromir, if he felt like he was an "evil person."

Evil has now hold of Boromir who is jealous of Aragorn. The Lord of Minas Tirith is slain (9) and they choose Aragorn. Boromir deserts and sneaks off to Saruman, to get his help in becoming Lord of Minas Tirith.~The Story Foreseen from Moria, The Treason of Isengard

In the earliest drafts he has Boromir and Saruman allied! Now that would make Boromir a 'bad person,' but Tolkien's last thoughts and what's final in LOTR I don't see that same idea about Boromir.

Boromir no doubt is a flawed individual and suffers from excess pride, something Tolkien shows distaste for quite a bit. Pride can be a good trait, but it's the excess prid, or ofer-mod as Tolkien terms, that can get people into trouble. There is no doubt that Boromir is full of pride, but I don't think this condemns him as a 'bad person,' it's what causes his pull and downfall towards the Ring.

I like how you mention the deeds that Boromir does along the way, because without his strength the Fellowship wouldn't have gotten far. But, you may also want to add a bit more about him resisting the Ring. Boromir ultimately falls to the Ring's corruption, but it's not like he has some big grand conspiracy from the start of the quest to take the Ring from Frodo. He is resistant to it's temptation up to the very point where he falls to it. As you mention Galadriel awoke something in Boromir and after Lorien his temptation to the Ring dramatically increases and becomes more apparent. Also, I like how you point out the Ring got control over Boromir. Boromir was not in control of his own actions:

What have I done? Frodo, Frodo!" he called. "Come back! A madness took me, but it has passed. Come back!"~The Breaking of the Fellowship.

The Ring got control over Boromir, and when the Ring is out of his presense the madness passes. I like how you bring up this, also it wasn't Boromir's character do something like this. It was his mindset, and his personality that caused his pull to the Ring, and for that he is a flawed character. But this act here of taking the Ring from Frodo, was not Boromir as the person we see in LOTR, it was the Ring's control over him. He, most of all, realizes what he did what wrong, and he goes to try and make up for it.

In fact I think this event changed Boromir even more and made him grow to be a better person than he was before. An interesting point is after the attempt to take the Ring, he goes back. Though he doesn't admit to it here, he does something Boromir usally doesn't do, WILLINGLY TAKE ORDERS!

"Boromir! I do not know what part you have played in this mischief, but help now! Go after those two young hobbits, and guard them at the least, even if you cannot find Frodo. Come back to this spot, if you find him, or any traces of him. I shall return soon."~ibid

The thing with Boromir is he is the High Captain/Warden of the White Tower. Kid of like the Commander in Chief today, he is the commander/leader of Gondor's army. He is the one used to giving orders and having those orders followed out. Which, is why when he joins in the Fellowship, he seems always the one to try to force his opinion, and what he would do. He will not go into Moria...he will not go into Lorien, he will not take this path...etc. Which it wasn't his nature to accept order, he was always the one giving them. But, he's in greater company now and has to learn a bit of humility. And here, without any objections, goes out and carries out Aragorn's orders.

So, I don't necessarily agree with the fact that Tolkien thought Boromir was a 'bad person.' He was flawed, and like Saruman and Denethor the "good vs. evil" idea wasn't so clear-cut. He didn't agree with the Council and he wanted to use the Ring against Sauron, but I don't know if Tolkien ever said that Boromir was evil as a person. Overall though, a very well done essay and a cogently argued defense of Boromir.