Female characters in The Fellowship

[This is the fourth and final analysis in a series that examines the portrayal of female characters in The Fellowship of the Ring.]

Female characters in The Fellowship of the Ring are largely shown in a positive light. However, they are far less relatable to the general reader than the book’s more prominent male characters.

In this series, we examined the minor characters of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, Goldberry, and Arwen.

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins is a rude and jealous hobbit who is generally disliked in the Shire.

While Lobelia is portrayed negatively, there are real people who, like Lobelia, act in a mean-spirited and petty way.

Lobelia is a well-developed and memorable character who adds value to the story in its early chapters.

Other female characters in The Fellowship are portrayed far more favorably.

Goldberry is a joyful woman, full of love for the natural world, who lives happily with her husband in the wilderness. Goldberry and her husband Tom have an understanding and loving relationship, and they are very hospitable to their hobbit guests.

Arwen, King Elrond’s daughter, is briefly discussed during Frodo’s visit to Rivendell. Arwen is mentioned largely for her striking physical beauty.

Lady Galadriel, a major character who we examined last year, is shown to be a wise and powerful ruler who is well respected by her elven subjects. Her monologue regarding whether to accept the Ruling Ring is one of my favorite passages in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Overall, female characters in The Fellowship of the Ring are portrayed positively.

But none of the members of the Fellowship itself are female.

All of the proactive and daring adventurers who go on an exciting and dangerous journey to destroy the Ring of Power are male.  

I believe the female characters, while fascinating and well-developed, are not as relatable to the general reader. To be clear, I find this to be an interesting observation, rather than a criticism of the book.

Few people would relate to the ill-tempered and envious Lobelia.

Goldberry lives in a secluded world, along with her husband, far from the rest of society. They show a deep understanding of each other that developed over a long time.

Most readers live in daily contact with the lots of other people, whereas both Tom and Goldberry are distant from almost all of the other people of Middle Earth.

I enjoy the idea of living alone with someone you have a deep connection with, away from the rest of the world, which doesn’t understand you nearly as well.

As such, I find both Tom and Goldberry highly relatable characters.

But I imagine that is likely not the case for most readers, who are probably more socially inclined than I am. 

Very few readers have ruled a kingdom, as Galadriel does. Galadriel’s high social status and immense power are also far beyond those of most readers. 

Arwen makes such a brief appearance that she isn’t particularly relatable, at least when the reader only considers her background as described in The Fellowship. 

 

Expanding Arwen’s role

The lack of relatable female characters in The Fellowship of the Ring is likely one of the reasons why the story of Arwen was expanded in the movie.

Frodo was stabbed and seriously wounded by one of the horsebound Ring Wraiths who pursued him.

In the film, Arwen saves Frodo’s life by transporting him on horseback to Rivendell, where he could receive the medical care he needed.

With the Ring Wraiths close behind, she risked her own safety to protect Frodo.

Arwen isn’t involved in these events in the book.  

Arwen’s love story with Aragorn, and her decision to give up immortality to be with him, are also part of the movie.

Arwen’s role in the film was likely expanded to give the film a more central love story.

Foregrounding Arwen and Aragorn’s commitment to each other also heightens the stakes for Aragorn, who could easily die during his dangerous journey.

Neither Lobelia nor Goldberry (nor Tom for that matter) appear in the movie, which had to omit many of the side stories that appear in the book. 

 

In my next blog post, I will discuss two passages from Tolkien’s works that reminded me of another story set in a fantasy world, Hello from the Magic Tavern.