Dave,

I reread parts from that chapter before I went to bed last night. I formed a response in my head, so here's hoping I can remember it and recreate it here.

You are the Tolkein Master if you can direct me to specific chapters and page numbers like that, but you should remember that the chances that we have the same edition of the book are slim. Pages 937 to 944 do not exist in my copy of The Return of the King. Nevertheless, I found what you wanted me to read. It is a nice little bit of story telling. After going over that part again, I have a better appreciation of your point of view, and I do feel more sympathy for Faramir. The meaning that you take from the scene is right there in the text. As I recall, you are not a big believer in alternative interpretations that are not intended by the author. I contend that we cannot always know what meaning the author was trying to convey. In this case, it seems pretty straightforward what Tolkein wants his readers to take away with them, but that does not mean that a reader cannot find some other interpretation.
It must come down to perspective. Male vs. Female. Australian vs. American. Die-hard Tolkein fan vs. someone who has read the books once and finds Tolkein's writing style hard to grasp at times. These things and others make us see the scene through different eyes and find different meanings. I think your point is valid because the evidence is in the text; I just feel something different. I find it very hard to explain why I feel how I do about this scene. Hopefully, you can accept that this is the way I see things and not begrudge me that. Thanks for the good discussion fodder.

~Meghan


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