LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 06 – The Old Forest

[Estelyn Telcontar]

This chapter begins with darkness; though the hobbits are still in Crickhollow, their brief refuge, they are on the verge of leaving. The ominous Old Forest lies ahead of them, and Fatty Bolger’s words

I only hope you will not need rescuing before the day is out.

are a premonition of the events to come.

The darkness of the forest pervades the chapter, with only Merry’s cheerfulness and a bit of light in the clearings brightening it up. The hobbits have only just left the Shire and already encounter danger not from the Ring or the Riders, but from a hostile environment that has nothing to do with Sauron’s influence, at least not directly so. I find it interesting that the trees can apparently understand human language, since they react to the words of the hobbits, especially those about the woods failing.

In this situation, where the hobbits have no choice but to take the path chosen for them by the trees, Sam’s bit of heroism saves the day, tiding them over until Tom Bombadil is introduced as their rescuer. (Insert nonsensical poetry here ) At the end of the chapter, an open door and light await them, with Goldberry’s welcoming song. I find the last sentence wonderfully evocative:

And with that song the hobbits stood upon the threshold, and a golden light was all about them.