“Pippin had liked [Boromir] from the first, admiring the great man’s lordly but kindly manner.”
My contribution towards @boromir-week Day 5, for the prompts “The People’s Prince” and “Member of the Fellowship”. I just wanted to highlight some moments that show Boromir’s kindness, because I love him and his kind heart so, so much.
He overpowered Frodo at Amon Hen, claimed the Ring, and returned to Minas Tirith to raise an army against Mordor
He’s so full of hubris he doesn’t even draw his sword before he’s killed and the Ring retaken by the enemy, WOMP WOMP
“Beautiful and terrible as the dawn;” on his return to Minas Tirith, here’s how he appears to Faramir, who pieces together what his older brother has done with growing horror
Last bit of sanity before being totally consumed! NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, mwah! :-*
the lack of compassion that a good portion of lotr fans show for frodo (“why can’t he fight or do simple tasks” “why is he so weak” “why does he always need help / to be rescued”) mirrors the lack of compassion of people for those who bear the burden of invisible disabilities. he’s struggling against an immense weight at every step! something that actively tries to destroy him, worsening at every moment! his heroism is in just continuing to walk his path, step by step. his bravery is in just existing as himself under the debilitating weight of the ring. but because the influence of the ring is invisible, it is forgotten, and frodo is written off as a weak, cowardly, and/or useless character, much like disabled people irl. in this household we do not stand for frodo slander!!!
actually i am still thinking about this. in the movies especially the frodo & sam scenes are hard to watch, especially when contrasted to the quippy, active, external heroism of the three hunters. the road to mordor feels like a heavy, depressing slog; even the colours reflect this. frodo’s feebleness setting in the longer we spend with the ring hurts to watch; it makes us cringe away from it. we don’t want to look because frodo’s sort of internal heroism is not glamorous. we don’t like to fantasize ourselves as the protagonists of it. and it can hit quite close to home. but that’s precisely why they are such good scenes! and why we must not look away, or shrink from the discomfort, or misunderstand frodo as a character. that would be a disservice to the narrative.
Yes. YES. YES!!!!!!!!! I will scream this from the housetops. Frodo is not glamorous! He is not meant to be glamorous!!
Every day I take the Ring (Invisible Disabilities, Chronic Pain, Mental Illness) to Mordor (School, Work, Daily Life)
