The Choices Of Master Samwise

* Waiting For Frodo has been updated. *

This was definitely one emotional rollercoaster of a chapter. I CAN'T BELIEVE Tolkien ended Book IV on an agonizing cliffhanger like that. Can you imagine the frustration of those who were reading the books as they came out? And geez, can you imagine the frustration of those seeing the movies and haven't read the books??!?

I felt for poor, loyal Sam in this chapter. Early in the chapter, I was absolutely certain that he was going to get killed by Shelob.

When he cried out those words "in a language which he did not know", what did they mean?

Admired Sam's ferocity and fervent desire to protect Frodo. I can just picture that small hobbit battling that slathering monster-thing, a creature feared by Orcs.

I was horrified during the scene where Sam begged his master to wake up:


'Frodo, Mr. Frodo!' he called. 'Don't leave me here alone! It's your Sam calling. Don't go where I can't follow! Wake up, Mr. Frodo! O wake up, Frodo, me dear, me dear. Wake up!'


Okay, so I was more than horrified. I was all teary-eyed in the coffeeshop where I read this chapter, and was vowing to kill Allison next time I saw her about not warning me about this. Tho I supposed I would have killed her if she HAD warned me about this.

So Sam did take the Ring after all. Argh, yes, I am reminded of my sneering earlier in the journal, saying that the Ring should have been given to Sam instead of Frodo. I'll bet you were all sniggering at me back then, knowing how GUILTY I WOULD FEEL AT THIS POINT.

Close call with the Orcs! Was amused by the Orcs concluding that a large Elvish warrior had attacked Shelob. Ha, if only they knew.

And YAY! FRODO WASN'T DEAD AFTER ALL!! I had honestly begun to half-think that the rest of the Books would be about Sam, though I did think it was odd that all the fuss was made about Frodo, with hardly a mention of Sam, when people discussed the trilogy. I am so gullible.

Must say that I'm enjoying the books tremendously, and can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the story. Since my book fell apart, I've been carrying around the rather battered-looking second half of the volume sans cover:

Don't worry, I'm not going to throw it out when I'm finished the book...you've all convinced me to hang onto it for sentimental reasons, at least for now. :-) Jeff is gloating. I was going on about the cliffhanger ending to The Two Towers and how I hoped to god nothing had happened to Frodo and what was Sam going to do when he quietly commented, "So you're enjoying the books after all?"

Hmph. He's too smug for his own good. I'd tell him so, too, if I wasn't having so much fun.

:-)

[Previous entry: "Two Towers: BOOK IV - Chapter 9"] [Next entry: "The Return of the King: BOOK V - Chapter 1"]

Posted by Rob Wynne @ 2001 May 29 03:21 PM EST

Ack! -This- is the chapter with my favorite Sam moment! That's what I get for commenting without the book in front of me! His fight with Shelob is so intense, its amazing. Can't wait to see it on the screen. Especially where the Phial starts burning away at Shelob, bringing the whole light-of-the-Trees things full circle. Great stuff. (I'm trying to imagine the kind of grin Allison must have at your reaction to not being warned of the cliffhanger)

Its amazing to think of what a huge journey they Fellowship has already undertaken, and to think of how much farther they have to go! Keep truckin'!

Posted by Nathan Mead @ 2001 May 29 03:42 PM EST

As for the cliffhanger - I'm betting that, if the movies get off the ground, its after the 2nd movie that sales of the books will skyrocket. Who'd be able to wait a whole year to find out what happens after an ending like that when you know that you'd be able to pick up a book and find out? Not me!

Posted by Nathan @ 2001 May 29 03:50 PM EST

When I first read The Lord of the Rings around age 12, I checked out volumes 1 and 2 from the public library and devoured them in about three days flat. Then I had to wait an ENTIRE WEEK before someone brought The Return of the King back to the library. What a week that was! "The Choices of Master Samwise" ought to be in the dictionary under "cliffhanger."

Can you imagine the mass hysteria after the Two Towers movie is released?

Posted by Fred @ 2001 May 29 03:58 PM EST

You can definitely see where Lucas got the idea for the ending of Empire Strikes Back here.

Hey, and what -was- the text of what Sam shouted out. I seem to remember it as being part of the poem they heard back in Rivendell "A Elbereth Gilthoniel, silivren penna miriel, o menel aglar elenath, na-chaered palantiriel"

Or was it something else?

Posted by Nathan @ 2001 May 29 04:02 PM EST

I still remember finishing The Two Towers - I threw the book down, ran out the door to the local bookstore, bought Return of the King, went home and started reading it.

These chapters you've just finished are one intense read. They show so clearly the incredible talent of the Professor! And yes, I'm sure Shelob will be absolutely everything Peter Jackson can make her...

I have so enjoyed your journey (not to mention the wonderful cartoons!). Can't wait for you to get into RotK - my personal favorite!

Posted by Jan @ 2001 May 29 04:04 PM EST

What a cliffhanger ending eh? It's better than the first cliffhanger ending to Fellowship, when Boromir dies and the Fellowship is broken. Peter Jackson's movies will have the best cliffhanger endings in movie history and he did not have to change a single part of the endings.

After finishing this chapter and taking a small break.....you may find yourself tearing through the next book just to get through it to book six and find out what's happening with Frodo & Sam.

Don't go too fast though....book five is fantastic.

Posted by Big Mike @ 2001 May 29 04:05 PM EST

I was -wondering- why Debbie was only reading one chapter a day...

The first time I read the trilogy (age 13), it took a month to get through the first book, a week to get through the second one, and the last one got polished off in 24 hours. Not that I recommend that rate, but the story does pull you in.

Umptween re-reads later, I decided to really take my time, and offered to read it out loud to my 12-year-old. This was good for him and me: no skipping the poetry or botanical bits, and much discussion of the back history as we went along.

We tried to read one chapter a night, but got bogged down in the usual places (the council, the marshes, etc.), and sped up around the action. The character's voices, however, really came out all by themselves, each one with a different rhythm, timbre, pattern of speech. The experience is highly recommended.

Posted by Eric D @ 2001 May 29 04:46 PM EST

Hurrah!! On to Book V! Way to go Debbie!

I couldn't wait for you to finish these chapters, especially after your comments. I remember the first time I read this chapter. I was so angry! I immediately warmed to Frodo in FOTR and couldn't believe he would die. I also think it was at this point that I really started to fully appreciate Sam's devotion to Frodo.

I can't wait for you to finish LOTR, but don't go too fast through ROTK. I usually race through these chapters like lightning. Tolkien weaves his story so intricately here and I think ROTK is becoming my favorite of the three because of this. Funny, first it was TT, then FOTR. Bah! I just love it all!

ps. I definitely agree wrt to the mass hysteria after the two towers is released

pps. Nathan, nice point about the light of the trees coming full circle. I didn't catch that - thanks! Ungoliant's actions in the Silmarillion are some of the moments in middle earth that I most despise.

Posted by Phil @ 2001 May 29 05:02 PM EST

Yes, the words Sam speaks at the moment Shelob impales herself on Sting were from the chant about Elbereth he had heard in Rivendell. My elvish is horribly rusty but as I recall Elbereth is the name of the chief of the Valar and Gilthoniel is a title. I think it means "star-kindler". This is just one of the subtle "divine interventions" that Tolkien masterfully weaves into the story at points of crisis.

Posted by Steve B @ 2001 May 29 05:03 PM EST

Manwe is the chief the Valar, Elbereth is his 'wife.' And yes Gilthoniel means 'Star-kindler.'

Posted by J'nae Rae Campbell @ 2001 May 29 05:09 PM EST

Geek mode ON! 8-)>

Elbereth is, as you say, the name of one of the Valar, specifically Varda, the Vala whom the elves most revered (since she lit the stars to their current brightness). Always really liked the name Gilthoniel as well, and keep trying to set it to music.

Posted by Nathan @ 2001 May 29 05:12 PM EST

I wonder if in the films, Peter Jackson will end The Two Towers without showing that Frodo is still alive, and save it for ROTK.
..that ending would just casue heart attacks... ;-)
He's already pushed Boromir's redemption into FOTR...

Posted by Aranha @ 2001 May 29 05:41 PM EST

So that is who Elbereth was! I thought she was some ancient elven queen...
Anyway, Debbie, I don't know that much about elven languages, but I know that Sam's verse is in Sindarin, the more commonly used language of the grey-elves. I looked around a bit and found a translation on the site Ardalambion (www.uib.no/People/hnohf/), a very comprehensive site about Tolkien's invented languages, made by a norwegian student of nordic languages.
According to this site, Sam's outcry in Cirith Ungol is NOT a part of the old lament about Elbereth. Sam's words: "A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palan-diriel, le nallon sí di-nguruthos! A tiro nin, Fanuilos!" means something like: "O Elbereth Star-kindler, from heaven gazing afar, to thee I cry now in the shadow of death. O look towards me, Everwhite!"
The previous verse is sung in homage of Elbereth, in Book 2:chapter 1. Frodo hears it in The Halls of Fire in Rivendell: "A Elbereth Gilthoniel / silivren penna míriel / o menel aglar elenath! / Na-chaered palan-díriel / o galadhremmin ennorath, / Fanuilos, le linnathon / nef aear, sí nef aearon."
According to the same site, that means roughly, "O Elbereth Star-kindler, white-glittering, sparkling like jewels, the glory of the starry host slants down. Having gazed far away from the tree-woven lands of Middle-earth, to thee, Everwhite, I will sing, on this side of the Sea, here on this side of the Ocean".
Debbie, it's been great to follow your journey through these last heart-breaking chapters! And I really hope that Peter Jackson's movies will do justice to not only the grand and spectacular, but also to the more emotional, intimate and psychologically important moments of these books...

See you in The Return of the King!

Posted by Katarina @ 2001 May 29 05:44 PM EST

Geez, that -would- be mean! I think its worse if you know he's alive though. Seems that much more horrible to think of what could be happening. I see the movie crashing to a close with Samwise hammering on the door and the orchestra pounding out three final chords. It'll be interesting to see what endings PJ chooses to use.

Posted by Nathan @ 2001 May 29 05:45 PM EST

Remember old Ufthak?

Since I've read these books multiple times, I find that I discover different things each time I read them. Naturally, the first couple of times I tend to focus on the plot, and the characters. Lately however it's the little things that impress me for some reason. I absolutely love the conversation between Shagrat and Gorbag, especially when one of them mentions how old Ufthak went missing for days, until they found him still alive but webbed in by Shelob. "How we laughed!" Doesn't that give you great insight into the orc psyche? They decided it was better not to interfere with Her, so they just left Ufthak there! This is not something I really noticed at first because I was so focused on what was going on with Sam and Frodo, but it's just great, isn't it? That's why I chose Ufthak as my handle for these comments - I look for the little things now.

Posted by Ufthak @ 2001 May 29 06:12 PM EST

Yah! On to my favorite book in the whole world! Be prepared to cry!

Posted by Talierin @ 2001 May 29 07:27 PM EST

Comments like "be prepared to cry" are not needed! They may not give anything specific away but it is best not to clue to *anything*.

I very much enjoy these chapters you've been reading. At the point you're at now, you're completely submerged in the book, story and characters, and it is just oh-so-enjoyable!

:-)

Posted by Fatty Lumpkin @ 2001 May 29 08:24 PM EST

Fatty Lumpkin–I'm trying real hard not to give anything away! I'll be good from now on.

Posted by talierin @ 2001 May 29 08:52 PM EST

Oh, Debbie... it's so neat to read your comments. Only, after seeing the lovely trailer my husband let me have LOTR -- he's kidnapped it for a pre-film re-read! Keep going.

Posted by Judith @ 2001 May 29 08:59 PM EST

According to Letter #211 (from _The Letters of JRR Tolkien_), Sam's "inspired" cry in this chapter "means, more or less: 'O Elbereth Starkindler, from heaven gazing afar, to thee I cry now in the shadow of (the fear of) death. O look towards me, Everwhite!'"

Like others have said elsewhere, I'm thoroughly enjoying your progress through the book: it's wonderful to be reminded of what it was like to read it for the first time. Thank you very much for letting us share this journey with you!

Oh, and one more thing: I've never actually sneered at any of your comments along the way, but I'll admit that I had a good chuckle at one point. Back around the time of Boromir's death, you said that you had resolved to treat every character with a bit more sympathy, unless they had evil glowing eyes or something of the sort. I thought of the wonderful scene of Gollum's near repentence just before he led Frodo and Sam into Shelob's lair, and I thought to myself, "She just doesn't learn, does she?" :) Anyway, thanks again!

Posted by Steuard @ 2001 May 29 09:12 PM EST

LOL, That's why you chose Ufthak! Poor old Ufthak. I totally agree that this conversation shows insight into orcs. Funny how they'd rather go off alone to some place with lots of plunder and no "Big bosses".

Posted by Phil @ 2001 May 29 09:13 PM EST

Ya know Deb, I've been following your journey since you've started, and I find myself re-living the wonder of when I first read the books as a teenager. I have often lamented over the fact that I could never recapture the magic of that first reading, but I almost can feel it through your comments. Others have said similar things, but I wanted to say ‘thanks’ for taking the time and effort to post your thoughts.

Posted by skylab @ 2001 May 29 09:35 PM EST

And a big "thanks" from me too!

Like others here, ROTK is my favorite of the three books. Everything that has been so meticulously prepared for finally "pays off." In addition, it has some of the most beautifully written passages in the English language, words so haunting and profound that I can't even think of them without tearing-up.
Enjoy, enjoy, Debbie!

Posted by Paul Mendenhall @ 2001 May 30 01:29 AM EST

Quite a couple of chapters, indeed! the first time I read them through I called up my best friend at midnight and read the last chapter to him... but since he didn't have the faintest idea what I was blathering about, he was not amused.

As I recall from some comments by J.R.R., when he got to the point of Sam standing over Frodo he himself really didn't know where to take the story; he'd gotten his characters in such a jam.

Posted by Greg Denby @ 2001 May 30 09:01 AM EST

Greg- Love the idea of you calling up your friend in the middle of the night to read chapter 10 to them :). Pretty much mirrored the feelings I felt as I waited for Debbie to get to the same point in the story. For some reason, I find myself much more relaxed today and I don't mind as much if Deb decides to meander through Books 5 and 6 :). (yeah, I know, I can hear the howls of protest from other Tolkienites who read this board from here :))

Posted by Allison @ 2001 May 30 10:10 AM EST

*howl of protest!*

no rest for the weary! I need my fix of LoTR commentary! personally, i can never put the book down even for an hour after finishing The Two Towers. I always try, wanting to stretch out the reading experience, but just can't seem to stay away.

Posted by Nathan @ 2001 May 30 10:30 AM EST

What?! no book V? Oh well, I can wait for your comments (but I can't wait myself - already on ch 10 again!)

Here's a great pic of the four hobbits (M,P,S,F) for anyone who wants to check it out: http://www.elostirion.com/0017.htm
It was posted on theonering.net today. I really like the casting! I think Elijah Wood is hobbitish, but not too much. Just a touch of something elvish. And I really like Sean Astin as Sam. I can't wait!

I thought I'd follow suit and express my thanks again Debbie, for letting us all join you on your first (and hopefully not the last) journey thought LOTR. :-)

Posted by Phil @ 2001 May 30 07:59 PM EST

I had to wait for two days! when I was reading the books. My Dad was away on a business trip and had taken The Return of the King with him, I was 14 or so, it was agonizing! Then I have to admit I cheated, I couldn't wait to see what happened so I skipped ahead and read the first chapter or so where it pickes up wit hSam and Frodo. (Hey I was a kid! :-))

Heather

Posted by Heather @ 2001 May 31 06:01 PM EST

Oops. *This* is the chapter that upset me as a child, not the previous one. This is a real tough moment for Sam - he's all alone, no-one to tell him what to do...but he does the right thing.

SAM, SAM, HE'S OUR MAN
IF HE CAN'T DO IT...oh, shut up.

Posted by Keith Fraser @ 2001 Jun 01 06:27 AM EST

Dear Debbie,
very heartbreaking chapter, isn't it? I LOVE Sam, he is so cute and loyal and GOOD to the bone! I'm looking forward to read your comments of that chapter where it begins with Sam and Frodo again...

That's great that you enjoy the books even though your started to read it with a critical view. Now I believe you will read it again and again... (after some time) Just like me :o)))))

Posted by Katerina @ 2001 Jun 01 06:40 AM EST

Debbie-

GET MY WIFE TO READ THESE BOOKS!

Posted by Chris H. @ 2001 Jun 01 10:20 AM EST

Ah! The "Wake up/don't leave me" scene was absolutly HORRIBLE for me. I remember crying and living in denial after Gandalf "died", but this time it seemed real. I just put the book down and cried my eyes out. It took me quite a while to pick it back up again. I'm a loser. I still am.
It's the time of year for me when I pull out my Tolkien books and read them through. Just finished up Fellowship for the ?th time. It has been many times. The cover's about to fall off...
I just found Towers in my dresser drawer, these are copies of the first printed paperback edition in America, not worth anything, but that gives some idea of how many loving hands have read them. Tower's still got its covers.
King doesn't have any covers anymore. It's wraped in a peice of blank notebook paper with the two covers stuffed in the middle of the pages like bookmarks. I believe it's made its way into my dirty clothes basket. I need to go fish it out.

Posted by Nemuro @ 2001 Jun 02 02:20 AM EST

Hey Debbie! Another one from theonering.net. I spent about three hours earlier today reading all your comments, and it's been really great! Haven't commented before because everybody else said it all, and it didn't look like too many teens (or any at all) had commented yet! I've read LOTR twice, and my Dad's been reading it to my siblings and I, and we're about to start this chapter (can't belive they could stand to stop reading after the last one!). It's great watching their reactions (and reading yours!) as first-time readers. What an ending!! I was flabbergasted first time through! I've always liked Frodo (and all the hobbits), but I think my favorite characters are good old Sam and. . . nevermind. :) Wow! You get to start book 3! It's the BEST! I couldn't put it down the first time through! Happy reading!! I cannot wait until the movies come out!!!!!!

Posted by Eowyn Gamgee @ 2001 Jun 04 01:07 AM EST

I didn't realize how spoiled I was when I was racing through your "back numbers"! Now I've got to go through this in real time.

Happy reading!

Posted by Nail Paring @ 2001 Jun 05 03:34 AM EST

Now that Deb had finished and I am going through all the comments once more, I will say that this is one of three places in the book that never fails to make me cry (and I NEVER cry in books or movies). The other places are the part when Theoden dies and Eowyn kills the King of Angmar, and at the end of RotK.
I love this book!

Posted by Sarah @ 2001 Jul 01 09:06 PM EST