LotR Discussion Project: Book III, Chapter IV

[Bombadillo]

Treebeard

New Characters:
Treebeard / Fangorn
Quickbeam / Bregalad
Entwives (spoken of)
huorns (spoken of, not by name)

Summary
At the beginning of this chapter Merry and Pippin are running into Fangorn Forest, away from a battle between the Uruk-hai and Rohirrim. They stop once for some sips of the Entwash and then make for a hill where the rising sun is shining. One to three days ago Merry was deeply cut across his forehead, and both hobbits had cruel injuries from the orcs, but all that seems to have suddenly healed and they are re-energized.

For the descriptions of this forest Tolkien uses a lot of personification. He makes the trees seem like soldiers that “stood silently about them, rank upon rank,” or “marched down the slopes.”

The more detailed descriptions are told in dialogue as the hobbits’ own perceptions. Pippin describes it as “shabby,” and relates it to a room back in Tuckborough where the Old Took would spend most of his indoor hours, which has been untouched since his death. Merry calls it “frightfully tree-ish” although favorable to Mirkwook because there are apparently no creatures at all in the forest.

When the reach the top of the hill, they discuss the forest, and agree that it’s almost likeable. And suddenly, Treebeard! They had been leaning against his legs during their conversation without knowing it, and he reveals himself after hearing their nice words about his lands. Something Tolkien doesn’t stress but I find notable is that the hobbits show no signs of surprise. One moment they’re in the deadest part of the world they’ve ever seen, and then a huge, “woodwind” voice erupts out of nowhere, they’re being held up in the air by a tree, the tree introduces itself as the oldest sentient being ever and guardian of the trees. To be so at ease was hasty of them indeed, or so I think at least. In his defense, Pippin was deeply intrigued by Treebeard’s eyes, and Tolkien tells us that he was never satisfied with any description he gave of them (and in doing so, Tolkien admits that he in the English language just can’t express how cool this is). But still, they didn’t flinch, and didn’t even hesitate when he asked them their names.

That dialogue clarifies a few things. First, Merry and Pippin aren’t orcs. That’s good for them, because Treebeard thought they were at first and he was planning on crushing them. Second, Treebeard is an Ent, a humongous creature that’s pretty much a mutated tree, who was in the world before the Elves, were taught speech by the Elves, love and protect trees, have their own unspeakably drawn-out language peppered with hums and rumbles, and are not easily excited. Thus the first thing we know about Treebeard’s character is that he loves trees and hates orcs, but also hates being hasty. This slowness to anger is important later, when he debates with other Ents whether or not to attack Saruman in Isengard.

He also mentions Entwives. From his description, they’d look the same as Ents to layman’s eyes. He tells the story of how they were lost long ago. When Sauron was first in power (and before Isildur met him) he burned their gardens and they ran away scattered. Since that happened while the Ents were out wandering, they were lost, and they haven’t yet been found. Treebeard says they can’t reproduce without them, and many old Ents are becoming essentially useless huorns (tree-ish Ents or Entish trees). Their race is dwindling as a result. (not enough active mooters )

Some ent-strides later, they’re all inside one of Treebeard’s ent-houses. Merry and Pippin tell them the action-packed side of their story, but leave out the Ring because to talk of that would be hasty. But before they start talking, he holds his hands over two bowls, and they glow with green and golden light. That also makes the trees that line his walls glow. He also serves the hobbits some drink that looks and for the most part tastes like water, but it has some essence to it they can’t describe. The next morning they have some more drink, and then it has a different essence.

During the telling of their tale, he is immensely interested in Saruman, and thinks out loud that perhaps he was turning to evil even before he was elected to the White Council. Now he reveals how long Saruman’s history of cruelty is, and Treebeard actually becomes infuriated about his increasing reckless abuse of trees. With much Entish modesty, he says he’s been “roused.” The next day he organizes an entmoot in hopes of rousing other ents, because he believes they must seek vengeance on Saruman, and now is the right time with war and devastation on its way to the forests anyway, what with Sauron coming back to power again. The moot takes three days to decide, a record for speediness. An ent named Quickbeam, “the nearest thing… to a hasty ent,” is the first to decide that an attack is necessary, and so he takes the hobbits with him for a while so they don’t get bored. Once the rest have decided, ra-hoom-rah! A week after fleeing from the Uruk-hai into Fangorn Forest, Merry and Pippin are leaving it, to see those abominations and their dwelling place torn apart!

Some Topics for Discussion
1. Was there some 'magic' power within the forest? How would you explain the hobbits healing so fast and (as it’s revealed later) growing so much?
2. What exactly did Treebeard do when he made things glow inside his house? Was he the source of that weird power within the forest (if there is any)?
3. Do you think that Merry and Pippin have started to mature? What makes you think that specifically?
4. Purely for speculation purposes, what do you think happened to the Entwives? Treebeard seemed to think they would like the Shire, and he heard reports that they had run off in all directions.
5. Treebeard did not go into great detail about the huorns, but how do you think they happen?
6. Was this post long enough? I could have shortened it but I couldn't decide what to cut out. Sorry but of course I'd pick the chapter I have the most to say about.