LOTR Read-Along: Fellowship {Book II, Chapters VI- X}

This book ends on a bit of a downer. We have a Fellowship broken by loss, lust for the Ring, and diverging paths. The respite in Lorien was all too brief and difficult choices are upon them once again. It is hard to believe that we have already finished The Fellowship of the Ring. I don't know about you but I am racing through The Two Towers already. It is hard not to look ahead while typing this post! In order for the story to be fully felt, however, I believe the pause between books one and two is necessary, even if it is impossible to pause for long.

1. Put yourself in Aragorn's shoes. The book does a wonderful job (almost too wonderful) of fleshing out the burden of leadership. How would you rate his leadership? Would you choose someone else to be Gandalf's successor?

2. Everyone is a bit apprehensive about entering the Golden Wood. Boromir tells the Company that Men tell tells of the Wood and how none come out unscathed. Aragorn counters this by saying that the better word would be unchanged, not unscathed. What distinction is he making? Why is this distinction important? Can the two words be synonymous, to a point?

3. What is the significance of Galadriel's ring? Why will Lorien diminish whether they fail or succeed?

4. Galadriel embodies a number of different things, almost a different thing for each member. What are they? Why do you think that is?

5. Aragorn has a lot of names. What are the significance of them? Why does he have so many?

6. Think on Boromir's arguments on why Frodo should loan him the Ring. They make sense if one is willing to dismiss the wise counsel of Gandalf and Elrond. Do you think we, as a modern society, honor wisdom? Or are we too intent on the here and now, what we know and experience?

Sorry (not sorry) there are so many questions this week. These last five chapters had a lot to unpack. I so wish I could sit down and discuss these with y'all, more so than any of the other discussion posts so far. Congrats on finishing The Fellowship of the Ring! That wasn't so bad, was it?