The End of the Fellowship, Revised

[This analysis is the second and final post in a series examining the 2001 film The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson.]

 

The final events in The Fellowship of the Ring play out in similar, but distinct, ways in the movie and the original book.

I prefer how some parts of the ending are described in the book and how other parts are performed in the movie.

I detailed the book’s description of The End of the Fellowship in a blog post in December. 

 

Time to think 

Following their departure in rowboats from Lorien, the Fellowship took a break from their journey and debated how to proceed.

In the movie, Frodo leaves to think on his own without telling anyone. 

In the book, however, Frodo announces that he will leave to think alone about which path he plans to take.

I prefer the book’s version, which makes Frodo’s choice to spend time thinking by himself more deliberate.

It also makes the decision, regarding which path to take, clearly Frodo’s responsibility. 

This builds tension as the book reaches a turning point and shows Frodo’s importance as the ring bearer.

 

Boromir attempts to steal the ring 

One of the biggest differences between the end of the book and the movie concerns the portrayal of Boromir. I strongly prefer the book’s portrayal of Boromir, which makes him out to be a sympathetic, but misguided, figure.

I described the book’s portrayal of Boromir’s interaction with Frodo at length in a blog post in December. 

In the movie, Frodo runs into Boromir, who is collecting firewood. Boromir tells Frodo that Boromir sees Frodo is suffering, and that there is another choice Frodo could make. 

 

Boromir: None of us should wonder alone, you least of all.

So much depends on you.

Frodo?

I know why you seek solitude.

You suffer, I see it day by day. Are you sure you do not suffer needlessly?

There are other ways Frodo. Other paths that we might take. 

 

Frodo: I know what you would say. And it would seem like wisdom, but for the warning in my heart.  

 

Boromir begins to approach Frodo, and Frodo’s body language demonstrates he is uncomfortable with Boromir’s encroachment on his personal space.

This physical interaction makes Boromir’s statements appear threatening, rather than honest advice offered to a troubled friend.

 

Boromir: Warning? (Boromir begins to approach Frodo) Against what? We are all afraid Frodo, but to let that fear drive us is to destroy what hope we have. Don’t you see? That is madness.

Frodo: There is no other way.

Boromir: I ask only for the strength to defend my people. (Boromir forcefully drops firewood in anger) If you would but lend me the ring…

 

Frodo: No.

Boromir: Why do you recoil? I am no thief.

Frodo: You are not yourself.

  

The way Boromir dropped his firewood amplifies his threatening demeanor.

Boromir then shouts what might happen to Frodo if he is captured by Sauron’s forces. Again, this seems more like a threat than a warning from a concerned friend.

 

 

 

Boromir: What chance do you think you have? They will find you. They will take the ring, and you will beg for death before the end!

(Frodo walks away)

Boromir: Fool! It is not yours save by unhappy chance. It could have been mine. It should be mine. Give it to me.

(Boromir Attacks Frodo)

Boromir: Give it to me!

Frodo: No.

Boromir: Give me the ring!

Frodo: No.

(Frodo puts on the ring and turns invisible. Boromir recoils backward as if Frodo has hit him.)

Boromir: I see your mind. You will take the ring to Sauron! You will betray us! You go to your death, and the death of us all! Curse you! Curse you and all halflings!

(Boromir trips and falls)

Frodo, Frodo? What have I done? Please, Frodo.

Frodo, I’m sorry! Frodo!

 

The movie takes out the part of the scene where Boromir actually tries to persuade Frodo that the ring should be used as a weapon of war against Sauron.

Instead, the movie jumps ahead to Boromir’s attempt to take the ring through intimidation and force.

The book allows Boromir to explain why he believes it would be a better idea to use the ring in the war against Sauron, rather than to try to destroy it. The book shows why Boromir believes this would be the best choice to make.

The movie portrays Boromir’s attempt to take the ring as a moment of madness, devoid of reason. This makes Boromir a far less sympathetic, and much less interesting, character.

The movie does portray the temptation of the ring as more powerful than the book does.

But other characters who are tempted by the ring are shown more sympathetically.

With some effort and encouragement, Bilbo chooses to leave the ring behind.

Galadriel, after grandiose deliberation, decides not to accept the ring.

But Boromir is never given the chance to reason his way into his poor decision, and his moment of madness is shown primarily as a character flaw, rather than as a bad consequence of his otherwise noble intentions.

  

Frodo decides to leave on his own 

After Boromir attacks Frodo, Frodo decides he must travel to Mordor, alone, to destroy the ring.

In the book, Frodo left without telling anyone he was leaving. 

But in the movie, Frodo first runs into Aragorn, and then Merry and Pippin, before he leaves on his own.

 

Aragorn: Frodo?

Frodo: It has taken Boromir. 

Aragorn: Where is the Ring?

Frodo: Stay Away. 

 

Frodo is initially scared of Aragorn, because Frodo worries Aragorn might try to attack him to take the ring, as Boromir had done.

 

Aragorn: Frodo, I swore to protect you.

Frodo: Can you protect me from yourself? 

(Frodo opens his hand as if to offer the ring to Aragorn.)

Would you destroy it? 

 

Aragorn: (Aragorn closes Frodo’s hand) I would have gone with you to the end, to the very fires of Mordor.

Frodo: I know.

  

Aragorn realizes Frodo intends to leave for Mordor on his own.

Aragorn demonstrated he was willing to turn down the ring, something that his ancestor Isildur was unable to do.

In Rivendell, Aragorn told Arwen that he worried he would repeat the mistakes of his ancestor.

After temporarily defeating Sauron, Isildur had decided to keep the ring rather than destroy it, which allowed Sauron to return.

  

Arwen: Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur’s heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate.

Aragorn: The same blood flows in my veins. The same weakness.

Arwen: Your time will come. You will face the same evil and you will defeat it.

(In Elvish) The shadow does not hold sway yet. Not over you, not over me.

 

Frodo concluded his brief interaction with Aragorn by telling him to look after the other members of the Fellowship.

 

Frodo: Look after the others, especially Sam. He will not understand.

  

Aragorn told Frodo to run as orcs arrived to attack.

Frodo then ran into Merry and Pippin.

Even though Frodo didn’t tell them that he plans to leave on his own, Merry realized Frodo’s plan and told Pippin what Frodo plans to do.

Merry and Pippin distracted the attacking orcs to allow Frodo to escape.

In real life, when someone makes an unexpected major life decision that effects people around them, other people don’t just understand and accept the decision without the person having to offer an explanation.

The suspension of disbelief in a fantasy setting almost, but not quite, allows these interactions to feel plausible.

Nonetheless, I prefer the movie’s version, where Frodo communicated to other members of the Fellowship what he planned to do, even if he only did so nonverbally.

  

I hate leaving them, and like this without any explanation. But surely they will understand. Sam will. And what else can I do?' (The Fellowship, Book Two, Chapter 10)

 

In the book, Frodo told himself that Sam would understand why he chose to leave on his own. Frodo was correct.

In the movie, Frodo told Aragorn that Sam wouldn’t understand Frodo’s decision. By this, Frodo meant that Sam wouldn’t agree with Frodo’s decision.

Even though Frodo said the opposite of what he said in the book, Frodo was correct that Sam wouldn’t agree to let Frodo leave on his own.

Sam understood why Frodo chose to leave on his own, but he didn’t agree with Frodo’s decision.

  

Boromir’s death 

During the orc attack, Boromir was wounded while defending Merry and Pippin.

In the movie, Boromir was seriously wounded by three arrows fired by an orc archer. 

The orcs captured Merry and Pippin. Aragorn arrived and killed the orc archer, who was about to kill Boromir with a final shot.

Aragorn began talking to Boromir, who was mortally wounded.

  

Boromir: They took the little ones. Frodo, where is Frodo?

Aragorn: I let Frodo go. 

Boromir: Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the ring from him.

Aragorn: The ring is beyond our reach now. 

Boromir: Forgive me, I did not see. I have failed you all.

Aragorn: No Boromir, you fought bravely. You have kept your honor. (Aragorn moves to begin to remove one of the arrows lodged inside Boromir) 

Boromir: Leave it. It is over. The world of men will fall and all will come to darkness.

Aragorn: I do not know what strength is in my bones. But I swear to you, I will not let the white city fall or our people fall. 

 

Boromir regrets attempting to take the ring from Frodo.

Boromir then laments that his people will be defeated by the forces of Sauron. 

Aragorn, comforting Boromir in his final moments, replies he won’t let that happen.

 

Boromir: Our people? Our people. 

I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king. (Boromir dies)

Aragorn: Be at peace, son of Gondor. (Aragorn cries)

 

The movie attempts to portray Boromir’s death as a tragedy. 

But the movie did little to establish Boromir as a sympathetic character during his life.

Moments before, Boromir had been struck by madness and attacked Frodo to steal the ring. 

In the book, Boromir was able to explain why he wanted to use the ring during moments where his reasoning seemed plausible, but misguided.

I analyzed the book’s depiction of Boromir’s death in December. 

In the movie, Boromir only offers his plan to use the ring at time when he appears crazed or where the movie makes it abundantly clear that his plan would be a bad idea.

During Boromir’s last words, he tells Aragorn, “I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king.” 

Boromir’s description of Aragorn as “my brother” is unnecessarily confusing. The movie does a poor job explaining the relationship between Boromir and Aragorn, who are not, in fact, brothers.

Their relationship is mentioned in the movie, but not in a way that would be clear to first-time viewers who hadn’t read the books the movies are based on. 

Boromir was the heir to the ruling stewards of Gondor, a human kingdom at war with Sauron. The stewards ruled Gondor for generations, after its king left on a perilous quest and never returned.

Aragorn was related to the royal family of Gondor, which had long been absent from the kingdom.

Boromir likely described Aragorn as his brother to describe a close friendship with him. But that could have been conveyed in a way that was less confusing for the audience. 

The line could have been, “my friend, my captain, my king,” which wouldn’t have required the audience to know that Boromir meant the term “brother” in a metaphorical way.

 

The breaking of the fellowship 

Sam attempted to stop Frodo from leaving on his own. Sam, who couldn’t swim, waded into the water after Frodo left in a rowboat.

This led to one of my favorite lines from the movie.

  

Frodo: I’m going to Mordor alone.

Sam: Of course you are, and I’m coming with you.

  

The exchange in the book is slightly different.

 

“’But I am going to Mordor.’

‘I know that well enough, Mr. Frodo. Of course you are. And I’m coming with you.’  (The Fellowship, Book Two, Chapter 10)

 

I prefer the dialog from the movie, which is more comedic. 

Frodo can’t go to Mordor alone if Sam goes with him, despite Sam’s claim to the contrary.

Once Sam entered the river, he began to drown, and Frodo pulled Sam out of the water and into the boat. Frodo agreed to let Sam travel with him to Mordor. 

Aragorn decided to let Frodo and Sam leave without following them, and instead led himself, Legolas, and Gimli to rescue Merry and Pippin.

After announcing his plan, Aragorn proclaimed, “Let’s hunt some orc!” 

This is another great line that isn’t in the original books. 

 

The final difference between the end of the book and the movie is that in the books, Boromir’s death, and Aragorn’s decision to rescue Merry and Pippin, take place in The Two Towers, rather than the end of The Fellowship of the Ring. 

Tolkien’s love for cliffhangers sometimes motivated him to keep dramatic conclusions separate from the events that led to them.

I prefer the movie’s decision to keep these events in The Fellowship of the Ring, because they are more closely related to events that take place in that story than the one that follows it.

  

For the past nine months, in 23 blog posts, I have analyzed J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring and the movie based on the book.

I have connected events in that story to Tolkien’s other works, including the Silmarillion and The Hobbit. 

To conclude my examination of The Fellowship of the Ring, I plan to record a video where I read several passages from the book aloud and discuss them with several of my friends who enjoy Tolkien’s books.