This is fantastic analysis. As a little addendum, Illuvatar makes it clear that though the journey of the creation may be altered, ultimately nothing can come to pass that was not intended in the original song. It’s a definite ‘God has a plan’ take on life and death.
I CONSTANTLY think about this “Frodo Didn’t Fail” essay mapsburgh.tumblr.com/post/1516872...
The climactic scene of The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo and Sam reach the Cracks of Doom, is one of my favorite scenes in all of literature. So I was very interested a little while back when noted Tolkien scholar Stephen Colbert laid out a neat little analysis of the scene. Frodo seems to fail at his appointed task – rather than throwing the ring into the fire, he claims it for himself, and the ring is only destroyed by the coincidental intervention of Gollum. Colbert then notes that Gandalf should have known that Frodo would fail. Back in the second chapter, Frodo demonstrated to Gandalf his inability to throw the ring into the much cooler fires of his own hearth, after having only possessed the ring for a few hours. Therefore, one may assume, Gandalf must have intended for one of the other members of the Fellowship to intervene and ensure the ring’s destruction.
What a wonderful essay
Ooh that is good
Unfortunately the essay misses the critical scene where Frodo "untouchable now by pity" wields the ring and curses Gollum to "cast yourself into the Fire of Doom.'" But, yes even Frodo's fall was part of the plan.