Lord of the Vocations Part II

Great news! My previous post, Lord of the Vocations Part I, has been granted the prestigious Golden Aardvark Award!!! (Well, prestigious amongst Lutheran bloggers, anyway.) I was so moved that I decided that I'd better get a move on and continue my threads of thought on how the subject of vocation plays out in The Lord of the Rings.

Eowyn's vocational dilemma versus the hobbits' take on vocation

A vocation is a "calling"-- a job that each one of us has been given to do in service to our neighbors. Tolkien emphasizes the fact that vocations are not chosen; rather, they are given to us. In my previous post, I looked at how Eowyn ultimately forsakes her vocation due to the frustration of unrequited love and subsequent despair, along with a long-term feeling of lack of personal fulfillment coupled with more subsequent despair. Her job is to take care of her people, and in her reckless boredom and desire for renown and glory, she comes perilously close to letting down all of Rohan. Yet Eru providentially works even this sin into something good-- the downfall of the Witch-king.

The hobbits are my favorite characters in the stories to discuss. What is their take on vocation? They are easily content; they aren't proud; they know their place. This will come to make them excellent candidates for service to neighbor. The Prologue gives a bit of background: "The Shire at this time had hardly any 'government.' Families for the most part managed their own affairs. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. In other matters they were, as a rule, generous and not greedy, but contented and moderate..." Hobbits, unlike the people of Gondor or Rohan, are largely ignorant of past deeds of renown and glory in battle. This is not wholly commendable, but one thing that clearly results is that if hobbits are motivated by duty, it's not the kind of duty that soldiers have for captains.

It becomes clear that in the War of the Ring, our main character hobbits are motivated in their callings by strong bonds of friendship. Their friendship and companionship simply is their calling. Merry says to Frodo in "A Conspiracy Unmasked": 'You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin-- to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours-- closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the Ring. We are horribly afraid-- but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.' Merry's character is consistent in the movies: "[What do you mean, 'don't be] hasty'?? Our friends are out there! They need our help!" Gandalf understands this hobbity motivation, too, and doesn't underestimate its power: 'It is true that if these hobbits understood the danger, they would not dare to go. But they would still wish to go, or wish that they dared, and be shamed and unhappy. I think Elrond, that in this matter it would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom' (from "The Ring Goes South").

There is a brilliant scene in the bonus material of "The Return of the King" that I really wish had made it into the movie. It's one of the clearest pictures of the contrast between Eowyn and the hobbits on this subject. The scene opens with the Riders of Rohan making their way to the aid of Minas Tirith, Eowyn and Merry secretly in tow. Bad news has just reached their ears about how the city has already been besieged. Eowyn, who had ridden out in order to find death in battle, is in despair. (This is from memory, so excuse a missing word or some such.)

Eowyn: Take heart, Merry. It will soon be over.
Merry: My lady, you are fair and brave, and have much to live for, and many who love you. I know that I can't turn back. I know that there's isn't much point now in hoping. Now, if I were a Rider of Rohan..... but I'm not. I'm a hobbit, and I know that I can't save Middle Earth. I just want to help my friends.

Throughout this scene, something comes over Eowyn. She is taken out of herself and sees through the eyes of a hobbit. It's not about her; it's about the people she needs to help. It's about her real calling. Merry does a great job here at pointing out that there are people in the world who would be upset and injured if Eowyn recklessly threw her life away. For the past few days, she had forgotten this in her self-pity. Remember the scene when they finally come to Minas Tirith, and are shocked to find it burning? Eowyn whispers, "Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends." It was Merry who gave her this outlook in the first place. She is merely returning the words of hope to him. This is why I feel that the earlier scene was such a critical one, and am surprised that it was omitted.

There are loads of other examples of hobbit vocation spurred on simply by the bond of friendship. When Merry first offers his services to King Theoden and takes on this new vocation, it is because he is deeply moved by the king's kindly interest in hobbit-lore; the king has become a friend. A contrast between Pippin and Boromir and Denethor would be an interesting discussion as well. Boromir redeems himself in Fellowship by giving his life defending the hobbits; Pippin offers his services to Denethor in payment of a debt. It is not out of affection for the Steward, but in memory of Boromir-- greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Boromir was a friend, and Pippin binds himself to that sacrifice.

Coming soon... Frodo, Sam, and the call to save Middle Earth. Frodo especially has a calling and a motivation that differs significantly from his hobbit companions as described above. More later!