Re-reading the Lord of the Rings, Chapter 46
Éowyn und Merry find themselves in the same spot, or do they?
Merry has rather shallow reasons for wanting to join the Big Battle, he doesn't like the appearance of things, if he stayed behind, and he probably underestimates what's to come. He sees no hope in Éowyn's eyes, but what exactly is his own condition?
Some kind of indifference, is it not? A certain humility, accepting one's role in society even if it means that one will likely fail. Stoicism, I think, it's called. Merry thinks that he has no right to object being pushed into this fight, because it is just the thing to do in these times, and he feels little pain at the thought that it might be his end, because it just as well might be the end of his best friends.
Éowyn on the other hand fears that she's losing any chance of being recognized that she might have in her life.
It's slightly funny that she would project her own feelings into Meriadoc, but it's not inappropriate to take him with her, whatever one may think about Merry, his reasons for wanting to go are just as good as any other's, ultimately because nobody chooses war for his life's sake, although I'm quite sure that Éowyn would have treated Merry just like her uncle, if she'd been in any other state of mind.
But even though Éowyn is far more driven than Merry, her decision is for appearance's and not life's sake too - she's just panicking. I think, Tolkien is teaching us a lesson again: Beginnings might be stupid, outcomes might be good, the reason for which being that we'll never find out what our lives are about, if we calculate every step on our way.
Merry has rather shallow reasons for wanting to join the Big Battle, he doesn't like the appearance of things, if he stayed behind, and he probably underestimates what's to come. He sees no hope in Éowyn's eyes, but what exactly is his own condition?
Some kind of indifference, is it not? A certain humility, accepting one's role in society even if it means that one will likely fail. Stoicism, I think, it's called. Merry thinks that he has no right to object being pushed into this fight, because it is just the thing to do in these times, and he feels little pain at the thought that it might be his end, because it just as well might be the end of his best friends.
Éowyn on the other hand fears that she's losing any chance of being recognized that she might have in her life.
It's slightly funny that she would project her own feelings into Meriadoc, but it's not inappropriate to take him with her, whatever one may think about Merry, his reasons for wanting to go are just as good as any other's, ultimately because nobody chooses war for his life's sake, although I'm quite sure that Éowyn would have treated Merry just like her uncle, if she'd been in any other state of mind.
But even though Éowyn is far more driven than Merry, her decision is for appearance's and not life's sake too - she's just panicking. I think, Tolkien is teaching us a lesson again: Beginnings might be stupid, outcomes might be good, the reason for which being that we'll never find out what our lives are about, if we calculate every step on our way.
Eingetragen Am/um
11:03
