BOOK 6
We rejoin Sam outside the Tower of Cirith Ungol.
Inside is the paralyzed Frodo. Typical of Orcs, they have argued over the prize they have found, and this enables Sam to enter the Tower using the Ring of Invisibility. He manages to rescue Frodo and they continue their trek towards the Mountain of Fire. They disguise themselves in Orc uniforms and their journey is long and hard, as they are suffering from exhaustion and hunger.
The closer they get to Mount Doom, the more oppressive the Ring becomes to
Frodo. Towards the end of their journey, Sam is forced to carry Frodo on his back.
Suddenly they are attacked by Gollum, and Sam fights Gollum while Frodo
reaches the top of the Mountain into which he must cast the Ring. However, he cannot bring himself to do this, and he puts the Ring on. Suddenly, Sauron is aware of him, and the imminent loss of the Ring.
Gollum breaks free of Sam and leaps at the now invisible Frodo, biting off
the Ring finger and falling into the fire of Mount Doom, being finally reunited with his Precious. This causes Sauron to loose all his power; his armies are suddenly left without direction and they retreat in
terror.
Gwaihir, Chief of the Eagles, and two other Eagles rescue Frodo and Sam from
the mountainside.
Back in Minas Tirith, the patients in the House of Healing are returned to
health, but they have new customers in Frodo and Sam.
Faramir yields up his Stewardship, although only briefly held, to the true
King, Aragorn. Aragorn marries Arwen Evenstar, who has arrived from Rivendell. In doing so, she gives up her immunity from natural death.
Gandalf and the Hobbits begin their trek homeward.
On the way, the meet Saruman and Wormtongue, and Gandalf offer them one last chance of redemption, which they refuse. They stop off at Rivendell and Bilbo passes over to Frodo all his notes and papers on the history of times, telling Frodo to make an account of all the recent events. They then travel on to the Prancing Pony at Bree, and hear disturbing news from the Shire, that it has been made into a police state.
Gandalf tells the Hobbits that they will soon be able to return things to
normal in the Shire. He leaves them in order to visit Tom Bombadil.
When the Hobbits return to the Shire, they find that Saruman has taken over,
using the Hobbits as slaves, and Men to administer discipline. The Hobbits organize a Counter-Revolution, and there is a brief battle, and the Men are overthrown and expelled from the Shire.
Saruman has treated Wormtongue harshly, to the point of breaking, and
Wormtongue cuts Saruman’s throat. As Wormtongue makes his escape, he is cut down by Hobbit arrows.
Over the body of Saruman, a mist gathers in the form of a figure. It faces west towards Valinor and then dissipates.
The Shire has been ravaged; many of the big trees have been chopped
down. Saplings are used to replace these, and Sam spreads the fine dust that he received as a gift from Galadriel, which causes a miraculous growth of vegetation the following Spring.
Sam marries Rosie Cotton and they live with Frodo at Bag End. Rosie
has the first of many children, named Elanor.
Some years later, Frodo tells Sam that they have another journey to make,
but it is not to Rivendell. They travel west, and meet with Elrond, Galadriel and Bilbo.
They are bound for the Grey Havens where they will take a boat across the sea to the Blessed Realm. Sam is joined by Merry and Pippin, and they make a tearful farewell to Frodo. Frodo will be borne towards the beauty and peace of the Blessed Realm.
Sam returns to the Shire and he is elected Mayor.
COMMENTS
We have discussed Humor, Tension and Descriptive Writing at the end of Parts
I and II of The Lord of the Rings.
Write down examples of all three, which can be found in Part III.
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