Frodo In Lord Of The Flies

There is a distinct sadness to the end of Frodo’s tale. Frodo is increasingly alienated as he no longer fits into the world he once knew. Frodo is kind and grateful to those who endured the journey with him; however, he no longer has a true place among them. He withdraws from life in the Shire. Throughout The Lord of the Rings, Frodo undergoes a transformation, but it is not wholly positive. Frodo shows great courage in taking on the task of bringing the Ring to Mordor, though he is but a Hobbit. Frodo often longs for home and wishes that the responsibility had not fell on him. Frodo is surrounded by the remarkable friendship and fidelity of Pippin, Merry, and especially Sam. However, the ultimate burden of bearing the One Ring falls

Frodo is profoundly damaged by the time he returns to the Shire. When Frodo encounters the Ring Wraiths at Weathertop, he feels the stroke of the Morgul-knife “like a dart of poisoned ice pierce his left shoulder” (196). Frodo’s companions fear that the wound may be deadly, but with the help of Elrond and Frodo’s own fortitude, Frodo is able to recover and does not become a Ring Wraith himself. Nonetheless, the wound will continue to plague him. Frodo confides in Gandalf that, “The wound aches, and the memory of darkness is heavy on me. It was a year ago today” (989). Frodo’s inability to reintegrate himself into his former life is telling. Frodo is beset with the same troubles that many war veterans face when they return home. Some are comfortable discussing their heroics and reveling in them, like Merry and Pippin, but Frodo is much more reserved. Not only is Frodo unable to shake off the burden that came with being the ring bearer, he also must live with the awareness that, in a moment of weakness, he could have failed and all may have been lost. On Mount Doom, Frodo tells Sam, “But I do not choose now to do what I came to do. I will not do this deed. The Ring is mine!” (945). Frodo’s actions made Sauron aware of the

However, Frodo returns from his journey transformed and damaged. Through Frodo, Sam, and Gollum, all of the pieces were able to come into place to make the destruction of the Ring possible, but Frodo must live with the internal consequence of his quest. Frodo, like many war veterans (particularly World War I veterans) returned from war unable to reclaim his place in society. Afflicted war veterans may agonize over what they have done, have not done, might have done, and what has been done to them. Frodo lives with physical and emotional scars that will endure for the rest of his life. Without Frodo playing his role, the Ring would have never been destroyed and may perhaps have corrupted others, but such accomplishments sometimes come with a hefty price. Frodo is our reluctant and flawed hero. He does not ask for this responsibility, but takes it on because it is the right thing to do. Frodo is undoubtedly transformed by all he has done and seen, but this is a tainted transformation that will estrange Frodo from the Hobbit he was