Boromir's purpose

[Gandalf]

I reread FOTR a while again, and noticed something. From the start, Boromir never seems to appeal especially to the reader - instead he seems to stay in the background, whereas all the other members of the Fellowship have moments that look like they are given to them. In fact, the first time we seem to sympathise with Boromir is when he gets killed early in TTT.

In the films, we are almost meant to suspect that at any moment he will steal the ring. From the very moment at the Council of Elrond, where he draws attention to himself by first demanding that he recieve the ring, then saying it would be foolish to even try to destroy it. Then several times there is a reference (Gandalf saying "Evil will be drawn to you... from within", and that spot in Caradras) to Boromir wanting the ring. He does not recieve a gold belt from Galadriel either. In fact he is not sympathised with until he speaks to Aragorn after he has 3 arrows in him, and the flashback in TTT after he was just retaken Osgiliath.

It seems that the main purpose of Boromir is losing a fight to The Ring to prove how powerful it is (like Count Dukoo?), and making the scene with Faramir later on make more sense. Any thoughts?

[Bregalad]

In fact he is not sympathised with until he speaks to Aragorn after he has 3 arrows in him, and the flashback in TTT after he was just retaken Osgiliath.

There is another scene in the film where he is shown as a sympathetic character. That is in Lorien when he speaks to Strider about Gondor and what it is up against. He showed some real emotion there and you could tell how much he loved his homeland and how desperate he was to defend it.

[Varda]

That is a very good point, Gandalf, and it almost seems that Tolkien in the book grooms Boromir for disaster. He is always tempted by the Ring, sometimes to the point of caricature. Tolkien does not elaborate on his character, almost not wanting us to develop sympathy for him, as his purpose is to show the power of the Ring, and to fall, not to be a hero.

The film actually rehabilitates him and makes him more sympathetic. There are many small touches that show his humanity and courage, like the fencing lesson with the hobbits, or where he grabs Frodo on the bridge at Khazad-dum to stop him jumping after Gandalf. The scene outside the Mines where he argues for the hobbits, beginning 'for pity's sake' makes him look more humane and merciful than Aragorn.

None of this is in the book, but it makes Boromir a far more sympathetic, real and likeable, even lovable person that Tolkien gives us. I don't think the story suffers, so I wonder was Tolkien wrong to dehumanise Boromir in order to offer him to the Ring?

Many thanks for the thoughts, Gandalf

Varda

[Gandalf]

In fact he is not sympathised with until he speaks to Aragorn after he has 3 arrows in him, and the flashback in TTT after he was just retaken Osgiliath.

There is another scene in the film where he is shown as a sympathetic character. That is in Lorien when he speaks to Strider about Gondor and what it is up against. He showed some real emotion there and you could tell how much he loved his homeland and how desperate he was to defend it.

I didn't really sympathise with him here- because he is speaking to Aragorn (the one who was to be the King of Gondor) as though he is King himself - and then later has an argument with him about whether to take the Ring into Minas Tirith in which the audience is by far on Aragorn's side.

I don't think that the film tries to make Boromir more sympathetic in my opinion though, Varda - those nice touches are really what any of the characters would do (with the possible exception of the swordfighting). Who wouldn't try to stop someone from falling off a cliff? The "pity's sake" moment I'm not sure about. But none of its really "courage."

The movies add in some points of Boromir's yearning for the Ring which weren't in the book altogether - i.e. the spot on Caradras and Gandalf saying "evil will be drawn from within" just as Boromir walked past. And I found the "What chance do you think you have?? They will find you - they will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end.....I see your mind!!! You will take the Ring to Sauron!! You will betray us!! You will go to your death - and the death of us all!!!!" was scarier on the film then the book equivalent. But that might just be me.

I don't think that Boromir was really being "dehumanised" either - maybe a little less of a hero then Aragorn but still very much human. Its implied in both the books in the novels if not stated that if given more time Aragorn would have fallen to the Ring as well. And I don't think that you can really say that Tokien is "wrong" - because he wrote it, and can do what he wants with his own creations, I suppose.

Thanks, Varda and Bregalad