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Wednesday, November 26, 2003 Strength for the Weak It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace. In some ways, I was disappointed with The Two Towers when it was released in theatres; being a purist, I was upset that Faramir had been morphed into a carbon copy of his brother, that the Elves suddenly coddled Men at Helm's Deep, that Elrond was less the Wise and more the Overprotective. But I finally got a chance to watch the extended edition DVD and was gratified by many of the changes--for example, the above quote, somewhat modified, was given to Faramir (though if you're expecting him to change back into the Faramir of the books, don't). While searching for the quote--laziness, I didn't want to look it up and type it myself--I ran across an intriguing discussion about the nature of masculinity in Lord of the Rings on a messageboard. So rather than launching into a rodomontade of LotR knowledge, I'll touch on some of the posts, which began to ask not just what makes a good man but what makes an honorable person, especially leader. One film reviewer apparently wrote something to the effect of "why do Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas chase after two insignificant characters and then feel bad when they don't find them? It makes no sense." How shallow have we become? To those three, Merry and Pippin are not two mischievous hobbits who are "useless" in battle--they are friends, companions. If our friends or family members were to fall into enemy hands, would we stand back and think, "Well, I have more important things to do," or would we drop everything and search? What Tolkien presents here is a Christian idea. Take the parables of the lost sheep and coin--we are prone to think one sheep out of a hundred, one percent, is nothing, but even the small matter to God, and they should matter to us. And wouldn't it be comforting to have, and know you have, friends who are willing to track orcs for days and fight to rescue you? And sometimes the "insignificant" play a larger role than we could imagine. Perhaps it is fear of weakness we now see? The men of LotR hold honor to be that which is done in aid of others--you don't ride out to death and glory but for your people. A small section of Middle Earth was being protected that the hobbits might live--if those in command showed so little honor to two battling beside them, how much would you expect to be shown those at home? Honor such as Aragorn, Faramir, and Theoden have is misunderstood as weakness by some who do not see it for unwavering strength. Of course, it's not just the Shire that the rest are fighting for; they're fighting for their people, not just their kind, but for all of Middle Earth. Our world may not be so clear-cut, but the principle applies: strength is not fighting merely because one can, for valor or glory or renown, but rather for those one must protect. Strength is doing what is hard, what is necessary--no matter what the cost. Weakness is seizing power, even if that action would come from a desire to do good. Weakness is taking the shortcut that allows evil a tight grip. And from evil, none is immune--not Gandalf, not Galadriel, not us. Word of the Day: Rodomontade, noun: Pretentious boasting or bragging. ^ Top | 10:59 PM | | | 
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