Most people don't tend to spend too much time enjoying a light breeze on a hot day, the smell of running water nearer to the turn of the season, or stop to notice that while the leaves on the trees may still be green, they are thinner, less flexible, and have begun the process of withering away. Less still do we notice how few bushes there may be as we walk further along a path, or how many stumps are about (until of course there are only stumps left). Do we distinguish between the sound of a fresh and clean water source, or the sound of a stale and filthy water source (is there really a difference)?
In the eleventh chapter of The Hobbit, Tolkien consistently provides details about the world surrounding the company. How light or dark is it? How many stumps are around now compared to before, or further, what is the condition of the stumps themselves? Is there grass, dirt, clean or dirty water? What does this water sound like compared to other water? Is the air really fresh, or is it putrid? Was this all the desolation caused by the dragon fire, or is this land ill?
Due to the fact that most of us don't pay enough attention to nature, it is generally an insignificant piece of our lives. However, Tolkien's descriptions forces us to be just as attentive to nature as the characters in the story. We gain a deeper appreciation for the detail in Tolkien's world, and we are required to feel, or at least acknowledge, the despair and depression that everyone in the company is experiencing. We can sense how bad things are, how lacking in hope, and we are made to also wonder at how the mission is going to be accomplished. Nature represents so much more in Tolkien's work than just the condition of the land; it reflects the emotional condition of the characters and the readers.
2 comments:
Yavanna,
I've found through reading Tolkien that I have harvested an increased appreciation for the outside world. I'll admit, there are times (especially during Fellowship of the Ring) that I can get frustrated by the endless description. There are even times that I find the detail to detract from the story.
However, other pieces of Tolkien's world are so immersive and fascinating that it more than compensates. The deep darkness of Moria was so wonderful to read that in my room I closed the blinds and shut my eyes: just pretending I was experiencing the same darkness as the Fellowship. The world of the Ents, too, and their fantastical world was something I could read an entire book on alone.
I think that each person who reads Tolkien's work finds a part of his description most fascinating to them. Because of this, I'm more than willing to sit through the parts that seem dull to me.
Vána
I agree, Tolkien does a wonderful job using the surrounding scenery to complement what is happening inside the characters. Also the two are tied together; the scenery affects the characters emotionally. The Hobbit contains a wonderful mix of fantasy scenery that is interesting to explore and that affects and reflects the characters. The Desolation around the mountain is a great example. Additionally, I think the place that made the deepest impression on me when I first read it was Mirkwood. It really immerses the reader in not only the world but also the feelings of the characters as they are endlessly traveling with less and less food and no end in sight. It uses the fun of mysterious and fantastic settings to help the reader see what is happening to the characters, and conversely these places provide challenges for the characters as the story arc advances. Moria is also one of the best examples from The Lord of the Rings, but more subtle is the scenery of the wild wastelands before Rivendell growing ever fainter and more desolate as Frodo slowly succumbs to his wound. It’s also fascinating to see how the dynamics between Frodo, Sam and Gollum vary as they travel between the regions of Emyn Muil, the Dead Marshes, Dagorlad, Ithilien, and Mordor, and how these locations influence Frodo especially. It makes for an enjoyable story that is much more immersive and visible to the reader.
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