The Scouring of the Shire: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Alan Lee - Unwelcome Return.jpg|thumb|left|''Unwelcome Return'' by [[Alan Lee]]]]
{{chapter
{{rotkchapters}}
| image=Alan Lee - Homeward Bound.jpg
'''The Scouring of the Shire''' is the eighth chapter of the sixth book in [[The Return of the King]].
| title=The Scouring of the Shire
== Summary ==
| book=The Return of the King
The [[Hobbits]] find the bridge at [[Brandywine]] closed with a large spiked gate. When they demand entrance, a frightened gatekeeper informs them that he is under orders from the Chief at [[Bag End]] to let no one enter between sundown and sunrise. [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] guesses that the Chief must be [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins|Lotho]], his greedy relative. [[Merry]] and [[Pippin]] climb over the gate. The four hobbits set out for [[Hobbiton]] and encounter a large group of Hobbit [[Shirriffs]], who inform them they are under arrest. The four hobbits laugh and move on. One of the Shirriffs quietly warns [[Sam]] that the Chief has many [[Men]] in his service.
| number=18
| event=[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and his companions help the [[Hobbits|hobbits]] overthrow the [[Men|men]]; [[Saruman]] and [[Gríma]] die.
| date=[[30 October]]-[[3 November]] {{TA|3019|n}}
| location=[[The Shire]]
| previous=Homeward Bound
| next=The Grey Havens
}}
'''The Scouring of the Shire''' is the eighth chapter of the second book in ''[[The Return of the King]]''.


Leaving the Shirrifs behind, the four hobbits find a half-dozen Men who claim they do not answer to Lotho, the Hobbit Chief, but to another mysterious boss named [[Sharkey]]. The men threaten Frodo, but the other three hobbits draw swords. The men turn and flee. Sam rides on to find [[Tolman Cotton Senior|Tom Cotton]], the oldest hobbit in the region. Farmer Cotton and his sons gather the entire village to fight. The band of Men return, but surrender after a brief fight.
==Summary==
The [[Hobbits]] found the bridge at [[Brandywine]] closed with a large spiked gate. When they demanded entrance, a frightened gatekeeper informed them that he was under orders from the Chief at [[Bag End]] to let no one enter between sundown and sunrise. [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] guessed that the Chief must be [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins|Lotho]], his greedy relative. [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] climbed over the gate. The four hobbits set out for [[Hobbiton]] and encountered a large group of Hobbit [[Shirriffs]], who informed them they were under arrest. The four hobbits laughed and moved on. One of the Shirriffs quietly warned [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] that the Chief had many [[Men]] in his service.


After the battle, Farmer Cotton explains that shortly after the Hobbits first left, Lotho began to purchase farmland, causing a shortage of food in Hobbiton. Cotton says that a gang of Men from the south took over the town. The next morning, a band of nearly one hundred Men approaches Hobbiton. Pippin arrives with his relatives, and a fierce battle ensues. Seventy of the Men die in the [[Battle of Bywater]], as the conflict is forever remembered.
Leaving the Shirriffs behind, the four hobbits found a half-dozen Men who claimed they did not answer to Lotho, the Hobbit Chief, but to another mysterious boss named [[Sharkey]]. The men threatened Frodo, but the other three hobbits drew swords. The men turned and fled. Sam rode on to find [[Tolman Cotton Senior|Tom Cotton]], the oldest hobbit in the region. Farmer Cotton and his sons gathered the entire village to fight. The band of Men returned, but surrendered after a brief fight.


The three remaining companions lead an envoy to Frodo’s home, Bag End, to deal with the new Chief. To their surprise, the hobbits find [[Saruman]] standing at the gate to Bag End. Saruman—who, it turns out, is the mysterious boss Sharkey—pronounces a curse upon the Shire if any hobbit should harm him. Frodo assures his friends that Saruman has no power, but he forbids them to kill the wizard. As Saruman passes by Frodo, he draws a knife and stabs Frodo, but Frodo’s armor shields him.
After the battle, Farmer Cotton explained that shortly after the Hobbits first left, Lotho had begun to purchase farmland, causing a shortage of food in Hobbiton. Cotton said that a gang of Men from the south had taken over the town. The next morning, a band of nearly one hundred Men approached Hobbiton. Pippin arrived with his [[Took Family|relatives]], and a fierce battle ensued. Seventy of the Men died in the [[Battle of Bywater]], as the conflict was forever remembered.


Frodo again demands that his companions show mercy on the old wizard. Frodo’s clemency, however, enrages Saruman. Frodo asks about his relative Lotho, and Saruman informs Frodo that his servant, [[Wormtongue]], killed Lotho in his sleep. Wormtongue, standing nearby, cries out that Saruman ordered him to do so. Saruman kicks Wormtongue, but Wormtongue stabs the old wizard. Wormtongue flees with a yell, but three Hobbit arrows kill him. From Saruman’s corpse, a gray mist rises and blows away.
The three remaining companions led an envoy to Frodo's home, Bag End, to deal with the new Chief. To their surprise, the hobbits found [[Saruman]] standing at the gate to Bag End. Saruman—who, it turned out, was the mysterious boss Sharkey—pronounced a curse upon the Shire if any hobbit should harm him. Frodo assured his friends that Saruman had no power, but he forbid them to kill the wizard. As Saruman passed by Frodo, he drew a knife and stabbed Frodo, but Frodo's armor shielded him.


== Commentary ==
Frodo again demanded that his companions show mercy on the old wizard. Frodo's clemency, however, enraged Saruman. Frodo asked about his relative Lotho, and Saruman informed Frodo that his servant, [[Gríma|Wormtongue]], had killed Lotho in his sleep. Wormtongue, standing nearby, cried out that Saruman had ordered him to do so. Saruman kicked Wormtongue, but Wormtongue stabbed the old [[Wizards|wizard]]. Wormtongue fled with a yell, but three Hobbit arrows killed him. From Saruman's corpse, a grey mist rose and blew away.
The transformation of the Shire from rural idyll to industrial wasteland heavily parallels Tolkien's own views of the destruction of the English countryside by the steady creep of industrialisation. In particular, the loss of the old Mill in Bywater, only to be replaced by a much larger, grimier version, mimics an event from Tolkien's childhood. Tolkien himself commented that the symbolism lay in the feeling of loss he felt after returning from the [[World War I|First World War]], to discover that many of his close friends had died, and the world he remembered from his youth had largely disappeared.
==Composition==
[[Christopher Tolkien]] considers that already in [[August]] [[1939]], J.R.R. Tolkien had thought that during the [[War of the Ring]], there is also some war in the Shire, caused by the [[Sackville-Bagginses]], and later thought to make Saruman's ruffians responsible. The chapter was being written in summer [[1948]] when finally Tolkien decided that Sharkey was Saruman himself.<ref>{{HM|RS}}, p. 380</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxviii</ref>


When ''[[The Return of the King]]'' was published, the chapter was interpreted as being a commentary on the situation in England, which Tolkien denied in the [[The Lord of the Rings Foreword|Foreword]] to the second edition, stating that the idea had come to him since much earlier.<ref>{{FR|Foreword|50}}, p. xxiv</ref>
{{references}}
[[Category:The Return of the King chapters|Scouring of the Shire]]
[[Category:The Return of the King chapters|Scouring of the Shire]]
[[fi:Konnun puhdistus (TSH)]]

Revision as of 15:42, 19 October 2021

Alan Lee - Homeward Bound.jpg
The Scouring of the Shire
Chapter of The Return of the King
Number18
Synopsis
EventFrodo and his companions help the hobbits overthrow the men; Saruman and Gríma die.
Date30 October-3 November 3019
LocationThe Shire
Navigation
<  Homeward Bound
The Grey Havens  >

The Scouring of the Shire is the eighth chapter of the second book in The Return of the King.

Summary

The Hobbits found the bridge at Brandywine closed with a large spiked gate. When they demanded entrance, a frightened gatekeeper informed them that he was under orders from the Chief at Bag End to let no one enter between sundown and sunrise. Frodo guessed that the Chief must be Lotho, his greedy relative. Merry and Pippin climbed over the gate. The four hobbits set out for Hobbiton and encountered a large group of Hobbit Shirriffs, who informed them they were under arrest. The four hobbits laughed and moved on. One of the Shirriffs quietly warned Sam that the Chief had many Men in his service.

Leaving the Shirriffs behind, the four hobbits found a half-dozen Men who claimed they did not answer to Lotho, the Hobbit Chief, but to another mysterious boss named Sharkey. The men threatened Frodo, but the other three hobbits drew swords. The men turned and fled. Sam rode on to find Tom Cotton, the oldest hobbit in the region. Farmer Cotton and his sons gathered the entire village to fight. The band of Men returned, but surrendered after a brief fight.

After the battle, Farmer Cotton explained that shortly after the Hobbits first left, Lotho had begun to purchase farmland, causing a shortage of food in Hobbiton. Cotton said that a gang of Men from the south had taken over the town. The next morning, a band of nearly one hundred Men approached Hobbiton. Pippin arrived with his relatives, and a fierce battle ensued. Seventy of the Men died in the Battle of Bywater, as the conflict was forever remembered.

The three remaining companions led an envoy to Frodo's home, Bag End, to deal with the new Chief. To their surprise, the hobbits found Saruman standing at the gate to Bag End. Saruman—who, it turned out, was the mysterious boss Sharkey—pronounced a curse upon the Shire if any hobbit should harm him. Frodo assured his friends that Saruman had no power, but he forbid them to kill the wizard. As Saruman passed by Frodo, he drew a knife and stabbed Frodo, but Frodo's armor shielded him.

Frodo again demanded that his companions show mercy on the old wizard. Frodo's clemency, however, enraged Saruman. Frodo asked about his relative Lotho, and Saruman informed Frodo that his servant, Wormtongue, had killed Lotho in his sleep. Wormtongue, standing nearby, cried out that Saruman had ordered him to do so. Saruman kicked Wormtongue, but Wormtongue stabbed the old wizard. Wormtongue fled with a yell, but three Hobbit arrows killed him. From Saruman's corpse, a grey mist rose and blew away.

Composition

Christopher Tolkien considers that already in August 1939, J.R.R. Tolkien had thought that during the War of the Ring, there is also some war in the Shire, caused by the Sackville-Bagginses, and later thought to make Saruman's ruffians responsible. The chapter was being written in summer 1948 when finally Tolkien decided that Sharkey was Saruman himself.[1][2]

When The Return of the King was published, the chapter was interpreted as being a commentary on the situation in England, which Tolkien denied in the Foreword to the second edition, stating that the idea had come to him since much earlier.[3]

References