The Fellowship of the Ring Chapters 6 - 10
A mournful group exits the mines of Moria, heavy with the loss of Gandalf. The fellowship of the ring finds its way into the golden woods of Lothlorien, where they are suddenly surrounded by the Elves. They are led by Haldir, who decides to bear the Fellowship to the wisest Elves of Lothlorien, Lord Celeborn, and Lady Galadriel. The Haldir expresses his pity for the poor condition of Middle-Earth, and his regret that all the Elves will soon leave the land. The blindfolded fellowship is then led to see the leaders of the Elves of Lothlorien. They claim to already be aware of their task and are severely saddened to hear of the loss of Gandalf. Lady Galadriel prevents her partner from admonishing the deeds of the dwarves in Moria, which softens Gimli’s enmity for dwarves. Lady Galadriel welcomes them to rest and looks each member of the fellowship in the eye, and none but Aragorn and Legolas find themselves capable of matching her eye. They later discuss how she had spoken to them in their minds, and offered them their deepest desires at the cost of abandoning the quest for the ring.
Lady Galadriel takes Frodo and Sam to look into the Mirror of Galadriel, which showed the lower potential future. Sam looks in the mirror and sees the destruction of the shire, which shakes him very deeply. Frodo looks into the mirror and sees a figure in white that appears to be Gandalf, a ship, and the eye of Sauron. He nearly immerses the ring, which hangs on a chain around his neck, into the water of the Mirror, but he resurfaces at the sound of Lady Galadriel’s voice. His status as a holder of the One ring allows him to see that she possesses one of the Elven rings of power, and he offers her the One ring for safekeeping. Lady Galadriel is momentarily transformed at the sight of the ring and nearly takes it from him. However, she relents that it would work great evil through her, and she agrees with its destruction even if it were to mean that her ring of power would become useless after the One ring is destroyed.
The fellowship sets out from Lothlorien with supplies from the elves, but they are unsure of what road the company is going to take. Boromir wishes to lead them to Gondor to aid his people in fighting the dark lord, while Aragorn is unsure whether he can go to Gondor. He wishes to accompany Frodo into Mordor. Frodo perceives a threat to the ring from Boromir and decides to be wary of him. Gimli and Legolas seem to be much closer to one another after the visit to Lothlorien. The fellowship sails down the river Anduin, towards Gondor and Mordor, while being pursued by archer orcs, and a stealthy Gollum.
Ultimately they dock to decide the course of the fellowship, and Aragorn presents Frodo with their options and asks him to choose. They could either go to Gondor to aid Boromir and his people or to Mordor together. They could also dissolve the fellowship, and each of them could choose to go one way or the other. Frodo asks for a little time, but Boromir attacks him in secret, seeking to wrest the ring from him. Frodo puts on the ring to escape and has a momentary understanding of what the ring is, and the potential danger it brings to his friends. He decides to go to Mordor on his own, without putting his friends in peril. Boromir immediately regrets his actions and tries to find Frodo. He reports Frodo’s disappearance to the group but does not tell them about his attack on Frodo. Aragorn and Sam see the lie in his words and they all begin to search for Frodo. Sam correctly deduces that Frodo is trying to leave on his own, and finds him pushing the boat while he is invisible with the ring. He forces Frodo to rescue him from drowning, and the two Hobbits begin to row toward Mordor without any of their other companions.
Analysis
The closing action of the book focuses on the future of the Fellowship as they begin to consider the next leg of their journey. The companions are hounded by unknown enemies during their boat ride, and though they have been sheltered in Lothlorien, their enemies have continued to grow stronger. The fissures are diminished as Gimli and Legolas begin to trust one another, while Aragorn begins to lead the fellowship in Gandalf’s absence. However, discord brews beneath the surface as Boromir tries to drag the fellowship toward Gondor. Boromir’s intentions for the Fellowship have been unclear from the very beginning of the journey, and his presence has been indicated as a matter of convenience rather than of sacrifice. Gondor happens to be on the way to Mordor, and so Boromir is with the fellowship. Readers discover another motivation for Boromir’s presence, his desire for the one ring of power. He is certainly the antagonist in this section of the book, but the reasons for his behavior and plans are complex. Boromir’s ultimate loyalty is to his people and the warriors of his kingdom who have resisted the designs of Sauron since the Second Age. Ultimately, Sam proves to be the only other companion on Frodo’s journey, not because he is the strongest, cleverest, or the most useful, but because he is Frodo’s true friend.
