Half Through What?

[Quercus]

Gandalf moved his chair to the bedside, and took a good look at Frodo. The colour had come back to his face, and his eyes were clear, and fully awake and aware. He was smiling, and there seemed to be little wrong with him. But to the wizard’s eye, there was a faint change, just a hint as it were of transparency, about him, and especially about the left hand that lay outside upon the coverlet.
‘Still that must be expected,’ said Gandalf to himself. ‘He is not half through yet, and to what he will come in the end not even Elrond can foretell. Not to evil, I think. He may become like a glass filled with clear light for eyes to see that can.’

I’ve never quite understood this part of the book. What does Gandalf mean by ‘he is not half through yet’? At this point, Frodo had not yet volunteered to take the Ring into Mordor, so how does Gandalf know that Frodo’s not half through his quest ? Or is Gandalf referring to something else that Frodo is not half through?

And what about the reference to the ‘glass filled with clear light for eyes to see that can’? Is this why a number of people notice a glow or elvish quality about Frodo later on in the story? Or, again, do you think that Gnadalf was referring to something else?

[cassiopeia]

What does Gandalf mean by ‘he is not half through yet’? At this point, Frodo had not yet volunteered to take the Ring into Mordor, so how does Gandalf know that Frodo’s not half through his quest ? Or is Gandalf referring to something else that Frodo is not half through?

Gandalf thinks this just after Frodo wakes up in Rivendell, so perhaps he is referring to him recovering from his wounds recieved from the Nazgul. The paragraph before notes Frodo is slightly tranparent, which was from the Morgul blade, so I think that is correct.

[azalea]

Cassiopeia is right, it refers to his recovery.
And the transparency refers to the wound pulling him toward the wraith world, and I'm sure the effects of the ring were at work there as well. And yes, that is the cause of the light as well. Gandalf means that with time, Frodo will ""fade," kind of like the elves were fading, because of his bond to the "other world."

Someone more knowlegable than I would be able to add more to this.

[markedel]

I would see half as not half way through the quest, at least not in the sense that he must deal with the ring. That has just begun. Gandalf is wondering about the effect of the ring on Frodo as a he goes down to Mordor. Gandalf can foretell after all.

[WallRocker]

Originally posted by markedel
Gandalf can foretell after all.

Can he, as Gandalf the Gray(as he was in Rivendell)? I thought that he couldn't 'foretell' untill he became Gandalf the White.

[Sister Golden Hair]

Even the Elves had forsight.

[Agburanar]

I agree with cassiopeia, I think Gandalf was referring to Frodo's process of healing and whether he would 'come through' in a fit state to continue the mission.

[Sminty_Smeagol]

If gandalf COULD foretell, and your argument is, "Even the Elves had foresight", then you are suggesting that Maiar had foresight? If so, Sauron would be able to foresee, and he would have seen that Frodo was to destroy the ring. Also, if Gandalf had foresight, wouldn't he have known that Saruman was corrupted?

[Falagar]

Not foresight in "I-can-see-exactly-what-happends-in-the-future" but as in "I-have-a-feeling-that-he-will-be-alright" or "I-can-see-small-parts-of-the-future"

[Agburanar]

Sauron and Saruman were both very focused upon their own desires. They could have been too sure of themselves to bother thinking about failure. Also, Gandalf says of Sauron that "it would never cross his mind that we may choose to destroy the ring", his foresight was blocked by his own character.

[WallRocker]

Originally posted by Falagar
Not foresight in "I-can-see-exactly-what-happends-in-the-future" but as in "I-have-a-feeling-that-he-will-be-alright" or "I-can-see-small-parts-of-the-future"

Wouldn't that be called intuation(spl)?