A Dear Old Friend

" Above all shadows rides the Sun" -Samwise Gamgee

Some stories are like old friends. You read them over and over again throughout the years and they only get more dear as time goes on. They are the stories that stick with you through thick and thin and the ones you always know you can turn to when you're in a rough spot. The Lord Of The Rings might be one of the dearest bookish friends I have.

I’ll confess that for the longest time I didn’t even try to read it because of its length. When I first read it I felt impatient through the descriptions. But it finally struck me. The Lord of the Rings is a massive nature walk through middle earth. 

From tiny brooks and ancient woods to terrible chasms and lofty mountains, Tolkien never fails to bring out the beauty and wonder of Middle Earth. I spend hours wandering through woods and over hills; why couldn’t I just enjoy Middle Earth in the same way? 

So instead of impatiently waiting for the long descriptions to end, I tried to soak them in. Suddenly the wonderful world of middle earth opened up to me. I also could add, that listening to Rob Inglis read through the trilogy is amazing. His rich, rolling, bookish voice adds another level to the writing. He even sings the songs.

But I’d say that the hobbits are the true heart of the matter.

and hungry as hunters, the Hobbit children,

the laughing-folk, the little people

-Treebeard

 Amid high kings and lofty cities the hobbits are quite small and ordinary. They are not particularly great. But it is precisely because of these things that they are the heroes of the story. The dark lord Sauron plays on despair, fear and lust for power. Hobbits do not easily give into these things.

When Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee end up trapped in the Dark Tower and Frodo is captured by orcs. Alone in a stinking, gloomy room in the tower, Sam sinks down in a dark corner, just about ready to give up. But all of a sudden, he starts singing a simple song. 

In western lands beneath the Sun

The flowers may rise in Spring,

The trees may bud, the waters run,

The merry finches sing.

Or there maybe ‘tis cloudless night

And swaying beeches bear

The Elven-stars as jewels white

Amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey’s end I lie

In darkness buried deep,

Beyond all towers strong and high,

Beyond all mountains steep,

Above all shadows rides the Sun

And Stars for ever dwell:

I will not say the Day is done,

Nor bid the Stars farewell

And here Frodo sings back. Sam's determination is rekindled and beyond all hope, he finds his master.

This past readthrough this scene stuck out to me for some reason. Perhaps, it’s because of the courage Sam has or his stubborn hope. The hobbits show a remarkable foolish cheerfulness when they should be downright terrified. They love the simple things. 

This is something often missing in stories.  So many books drown you in the depths of despair before dragging you up for a tiny gasp of a vague hope at the very end (if there is any hope at the end). I'll confess there is a place for such books. But I would also argue they are best kept as distant acquaintances rather than close friends.

The Lord of the Rings pulls you into deep dark shadows, but there, in the midst of it, gives you laughter. This is so needed. It reminds us of the timeless tale of light battling darkness and gaining victory over it. Often times through the most unlikely means.

"You do not know your danger, Théoden," interrupted Gandalf. "These hobbits will sit on the edge of ruin and discuss the pleasures of the table, or the small doings of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, and remoter cousins to the ninth degree, if you encourage them with undue patience."

When you combine the poetic descriptions and the awesome victories of light over darkness, you get one of most epic tales ever written.

Out of doubt, out of dark, to the day’s rising

He rode singing in the sun, sword unsheathing.

Hope he rekindled, and in hope ended;

Over death, over dread, over doom lifted

Out of loss, out of life, unto long glory.

 Théoden King

But I find myself rereading it because of the lighthearted, down-to-earth hobbits whose bright spirits refuse to be cowed. They are the reason The Lord Of The Rings is such a dear old friend.