Tolkien themes (1) - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 01-01-2003, 11:29 AM

Could someone explain to me what is meant by Pippin and Merry losing their innocence? I'd agree that they lost their ignorance, but that's different. After the Shire is brought back to its good old ways, Pippin and Merry are admired for their knightly ways, but it seems to me that except for gaining a bunch of inches and a lot of experience, they haven't changed all that much, at least not in terms of innocence.

Another theme is the value of ALL living things, whether trees, free peoples, grass, hillside gardens, whatever; that is, they are more valuable than the physical use to which they can be put. They have essential value in an of themselves. I wish my country (USA) could learn that.

01-01-2003, 11:29 AM	#9
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Could someone explain to me what is meant by Pippin and Merry losing their innocence? I'd agree that they lost their ignorance, but that's different. After the Shire is brought back to its good old ways, Pippin and Merry are admired for their knightly ways, but it seems to me that except for gaining a bunch of inches and a lot of experience, they haven't changed all that much, at least not in terms of innocence. Another theme is the value of ALL living things, whether trees, free peoples, grass, hillside gardens, whatever; that is, they are more valuable than the physical use to which they can be put. They have essential value in an of themselves. I wish my country (USA) could learn that.