Chapter Two: The Shadow of the Past part 1 - The Hobbits

Chapter Two is one of my favorite chapters in the entirety of the Lord of the Rings saga because it really is where the story kicks off. Chapter 1 has some nice exposition and a pleasant party, but Chapter Two is where we dig into the character of Frodo and start to see him, and his friends, as a contrast to the older, stodgier Hobbits of the first chapter.

Hobbiton by Ted Nasmith

 

I think I'm going to spend this chapter looking at the two biggest Hobbit characters in the book, Frodo and Sam, followed by a second post looking at one of the most mysterious, yet powerful characters, the One Ring, which will be posted tomorrow!

Frodo 

Frodo is the young nephew of Bilbo introduced in the first chapter. Frodo is an orphan and we've discussed the interested position he has as the eldest of Bilbo's cousins and the role of the "elder" in a group. Chapter Two really fleshes out what Frodo is before the journey and highlights just how different he was compared to his neighbors and even his friends. As an aside about Frodo's friends, he is introduced with his circle of friends who are Meriadoc and Peregrin (who are well known characters) and the less known Folco Boffin and Fredegar (Fatty) Bolger. Fredegar gets a good amount of attention in the next few chapters and is one of the least heralded heroes of the saga but one who played an absolutely crucial part. Samwise Gamgee is NOT mentioned as a friend of Frodo's despite being of a similar age as Pippin and living in the same hill as Frodo. Sam, after all, is Frodo's employee and NOT his friend. The clear language in this chapter establishes that they were on good terms with each other, but not oft drinking buddies or old comrades.

It's important to note that Frodo is aggressively pushed as an atypical Hobbit, much the opposite way Bilbo was presented in The Hobbit. Bilbo is a very reluctant adventurer and relishes casual days smoking pipe weed and walking through the gardens. Frodo, having grown up on Bilbo's tales, has a sense of wonder that is matched by his companions, atypical Hobbits themselves!

Tolkien writes that Frodo is oft seen wandering the Shire by night, alone, staring up at the stars and lost in thoughts. He surrounded himself with odd characters as well. The respectable Hobbits of the Ivy Bush Inn whispered about queer Mr. Frodo as he was "Often he was seen walking and talking with the strange wayfarers that began at this time to appear in the Shire". I would think they mean Men in this instance as Elves and Dwarves are mentioned individually elsewhere in the section (and Frodo speaks frequently with them as well!) and new men in the Shire likely mean early scouts of Saruman, although this is nothing more than a personal hunch.

Sam 

As I mentioned before, its significant that Sam is not mentioned as a specific friend of Frodo. He is of a lower social class, his father being Bilbo's longtime gardener, and drinks with the fellow laborers of town like Ted Sandyman the miller while Frodo carouses with Merry Brandybuck, the heir to Buckland, and Pippin Took, the heir of Great Smials and the title of Thane of the Shire. Frodo is hanging out with Shire nobility (and as a Baggins with a Took for a mother and a Baggins/Brandybuck father, a noble himself)while their workers gossip about them in pubs.

When we are properly introduced to Sam, he is telling his drinking mates about tales he's heard from the northernmost reaches of the Shire - giants have been seen and there are Elves going through the woods again! He frequently references the tales of Mr. Bilbo and laments how Bilbo left so he can no longer hear the stories. Sam is a simple man, enchanted by the unknown and mystery that Bilbo presented. When Gandalf insists that Sam accompany Frodo at the end of the chapter, Sam is overjoyed. HE GETS TO SEE THE ELVES! He literally jumps for joy at the chance to live out one of Mr. Bilbo's stories and is anxious to leave the Shire behind.

************************

I think the most significant of the Hobbit's characteristics is that these Hobbits represent a new generation very different than the previous ones. These Hobbits grew up on Bilbo's tales of adventure and have a deeply ingrained sense of curiosity, wondering what else there is besides gentle rolling hills and fine pipe-weed to the world. Sam is the most wide-eyed child-like over this (probably because he, and Pippen, are essentially kids when this starts) but all of the main Hobbits are different in that they are intrigued by adventure and do not shy away from the possibility of it. This is a REMARKABLE difference than 50 years prior when Bilbo ran out of town without his handkerchief.