Lord of the rings forest creatures3/20/2024 Compare the use of song by the Old Man Willow and Tom Bombadil. Can Bombadil's sudden appearance be said to exemplify deus ex machina? How does it compare to Tolkien's (other) uses of the device (and of eucatastrophe)?ġ1. If you remember the first time you read the book, do you recall who you thought Bombadil was when he first appeared in "The Old Forest"? How has your perception of him changed over time?ġ0. What do you think would have happened hadn't Tom Bombadil come to the hobbits' rescue?ĩ. Who or what is the Old Man Willow? How typical/atypical villain does it make? Can you think of any examples of similar beings in other literary texts?Ĩ. Enormous it looked, its sprawling branches going up like reaching arms with many long-fingered hands, its knotted and twisted trunk gaping in wide fissures that creaked faintly as the boughs moved.ħ. He lifted his heavy eyes and saw leaning over him a huge willow-tree, old and hoary. Only a gentle noise on the edge of hearing, a soft fluttering as of a song half whispered, seemed to stir in the boughs above. There now seemed hardly a sound in the air. Suddenly Frodo himself felt sleep overwhelming him. Does this chapter shine any new light on the characters of the four hobbits or on hobbit folk in general? When did you realize that something was "off"? Later, Tom Bombadil tells the hobbits that "all paths lead " and that "it's hard for the little folk to escape cunning mazes" - were the hobbits doomed to end in the Willow's trap from the moment they stepped into the woods or is it possible to track down a moment when they take a "wrong turn" (as in "Fog on the Barrow-downs")?Ħ. They were being headed off, and were simply following a course chosen for them - eastwards and southwards, into the heart of the Forest and not out of it.ĥ. How would you describe the atmosphere/mood of the chapter (namely, that of the titular forest)? How has it been created? Do any patterns emerge?Īfter an hour or two had lost all clear sense of direction, though they knew well enough that they had long ceased to go northward at all. What are the key features of the setting, notably the Old Forest? How does it compare to other forests of Middle-earth (Mirkwood, Fangorn, Lothlórien etc.)? Does it bear a resemblance to any other fictional or non-fictional forest?Ĥ. How (well) does it fit in with the rest of the narrative, the "big picture"?ģ. "The Old Forest" presents the reader with a rather self-contained story (reminiscent of the more episodic nature of The Hobbit). First of all, why the "detour" (which encompasses not only the chapter currently in question, but also Chapters Seven and Eight, "In the House of Tom Bombadil" and "Fog on the Barrow-downs")? Is it merely a relic from the time LOTR was only to become a sequel to The Hobbit? How vital is it to the story? What "purpose" does it serve (other than functioning as a manifestation of the joy of storytelling)?Ģ. Here are some questions for you to consider - feel free to answer as many or as few (if any) as you like.ġ. With that out of the way, I invite you to make yourselves comfortable, grab the book and off we go! I'd like to begin by apologizing in advance for the lack of references to previous installments - I've sadly been unable to follow much of the previous discussion. Greetings, one and all! We continue our discussion of The Fellowship of the Ring with Chapter Six of Book One, "The Old Forest". **'The Fellowship of the Ring' Discussion, Chapter Six: "The Old Forest"**
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