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| Map Credit: Encyclopedia of Arda (which you can download on iPhone or iPad to access Tolkien encyclopedia offline!) Hobbits path painted in by myself. |
Tolkien opens this chapter discussing Hobbit lineage and the founding of Buckland. Seperated from the rest of the Shire by the Brandywine River, Buckland was founded by Gorhendad Oldbuck, who crossed the river to found his own independent colony of sorts. Over the years, this colony grew and spread, becoming several villages, with the Oldbuck family (now called the Brandybucks) ruling as Masters of Buckland from Brandy Hall.
The Bucklanders are not like Hobbits we've encountered before. These Hobbits are frontiersmen. At the far eastern edge of the Shire, they are separated from kin by a wide river with few crossings and pressed closely by the Old Forest on the other side, an ominous place even for the families who've spent centuries there. They swim in the river, are skilled in the use of boats and even *gasp* lock their doors at night (which is very unusual in the Shire).
They are the symbolic crossroads between the Shire and the outside world and it's important to remember that Frodo grew up here. His identity as half-Brandbuck and half-Baggins gives him a lineage of adventure and is a combination that only further illustrates how odd proper Hobbits must have thought him. He was cast from a different mold than other Hobbits explicitly to play a role in this story.
But Frodo isn't the only member of the Brandybuck family we are meeting. Chapter 5 is the first time we really get to meet Meriadoc Brandybuck and see who he is, and, boy, is it sure different than the movie.
Merry Brandybuck
In the films, Merry and Pippen are comedic relief with spurts of courage (Merry probably moreso than Pippen). The books aren't real keen on the "comedic relief" aspect of this, but I understand that it makes the film more, well, like a film should be. Regardless, it requires us to take a thorough examination of Merry and toss away any notion we have about his character.
Merry is, in my mind, the smartest of Frodo's friends, and likely his closest one as well. Whenever there is internal conflict throughout the series, it's Merry who knows Frodo's thoughts and Merry who is the one trying to bring things together. And he should be! He is the heir to Buckland and the closest thing to nobility that Hobbits have (except for, you know, his friend Pippen who is heir to the most prominent military title, and Frodo who is the wealthiest of Hobbits)
Not only is Merry intelligent and a natural leader, he is much bolder than portrayed cinematically. When Frodo, Pippen, and Sam arrive at Crickhollow, Merry says "I guess that you have been having adventures which was not quite fair without me".
A Hobbit jealous of adventure? DOES ANYONE EVEN REMEMBER ANYTHING WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT HOBBITS SO FAR? This is really an important line and worth remembering about Merry.
But Why?
That's probably true, to a small extent. However, once at Crickhollow, we are let in on a little secret, one which further defines these Hobbits as something exceptional.
Merry, Pippen, and Sam (and Fredegar and Folco!) have known about the Ring and the plans to leave the whole time!
Truth-Bombs!
The night before Frodo and Sam are supposed to leave, while eating at his new home in Crickhollow, Frodo is waxing on about not knowing how to say something and seems very distracted by his imminent departure from the world he knows. Merry drops some truth bombs on Frodo. He bluntly announces that they know he meant to leave and just doesn't know how to do it. Additionally, he explains that they have made preparations of their own to join him. This is not a spur of the moment decision, having been very carefully planned by all group members prior to this.
They are very close friends and although Frodo seemed to do a good job keeping it secret, they knew. It's what friends do.
But How?
Before Frodo can protest about how dangerous it could be, Merry explains that they know all about the Ring, and that they will be facing the Enemy. Merry had KNOWN something was up very early on, and with Pippen, enlisted Sam as their chief spy on the plans of Frodo. The Hobbits know how grim and terrible the trip will be (as much as they can know, I suppose) because they know everything that Gandalf has shared with Frodo. This, of course, begs the question of did Gandalf know that they were spying on Frodo's plans? My bet is on of course he did and it was probably part of his plan but that's conjecture and we should discuss that in the comments!
Frodo is a bit peeved at Sam (understandably) but Merry jumps in to defend him, "Sam is an excellent fellow and would jump down a dragon's throat to save you". Or, you know, run into a tower of orcs or a gigantic spiders cave, or into an erupting volcano, etc. This is pretty high praise to someone who was no more than Frodo's gardener a few months back.
Frodo protests a bit more, lamenting that he cannot trust anyone, and once again, Merry has a response and its one of my favorite passages in the entire series so I'm block quoting it.
"You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face your troubles alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends Frodo. "
Boom. Truth bombs on Frodo.
The group saddles up the next morning on a group of ponies well stocked with provisions by, you guessed it, Merry and Fredegar, and set out into the Old Forest to avoid the main road and the Riders. Everyone really has an ominous sense of the Old Forest, even the brave Tooks and the wild frontiersman Brandybucks. Guess who already has a plan formulated and mapped out and leads the way into the dark?
Merry Brandybuck.
Pt 1 of 2
This part of the book I picked up a lot on the regret/remorse the characters were feeling leaving the Shire. Sam had never been across the river before, and Frodo his new "home" to be very home-like indeed ("he found himself wishing that he was really coming here to settle down in quiet retirement.")
ReplyDeleteIn note to the "conspiracy" of his friends, one part I found humorous is the returning use of the Sackville-Bagginses. They were the ones who started all the suspicion of the magic ring. For all of the misgivings about the S.-B.s it is quite funny to note what a seemingly important role they play in this first part of the book, without even really being characters at all.
And spot on coverage of Merry, he is quite different from his portrayal in the movies. He seems very mature and well-balanced in the book, which differs from the Merry/Pippin buffoonery in the films. (As an aside, I loathe the people who unfairly criticize the films based on the strict content of the book. As you mention, it seems much more fair to consider that the movies are a different medium and as such, warrant a different approach; adding two lighthearted characters makes the treacherous journey of Frodo and Sam much more enjoyable for movie goers. What's more, the criticism of The Hobbit film feels much more pointed, despite the fact that it now includes much more of the original content than the LOTR movies could/did. More on this when we get to Mr. Bombadil.) I want to read more about Merry--and Pippin--as emerging characters in the novel. They perfectly played Frodo and figured out every last detail; it was "a very efficient conspiracy" indeed.
Looking forward to Part 2!