CaffeineOrbital
When I read TTT to my 8 year old he called BS at this exact part. I told him Frodo was super stressed out by the ring and that stressed minds don’t think clearly… I did not tell him that the real reason Frodo forgot about the phial was because Tolkien wanted to ramp up the suspense.
>They walked as it were in a black vapour wrought of veritable darkness itself that, as it was breathed, **brought blindness not only to the eyes but to the mind, so that even the memory of colours and of forms and of any light faded out of thought**. Night always had been, and always would be, and night was all.
Shelob’s Lair is not just dark… it’s an unnatural darkness that affects the mind and senses. It quite literally puts them in a sort of numbed trance.
I mean, it is both. The Ring had mindfucked Frodo enough that he would trust Gollum above Sam at that point. Frodo was clearly not thinking straight.
If I felt lost in a stinky dark tunnel system- I would forget too – panic is a thing lol
As someone who has been lost in a cave and forgot about my flashlight for a few minutes because of how Dark it was, no that’s just how that is. You don’t know dark until you’ve been in a cave like that. And that alone will do things to you so primal and beyond thought that it’s terrifying to look back on. Combine that with the Ring, and it’s no wonder he forgot.
Aside from the panic, I honestly think there is a good reason not to use it. When you’re in a dark place that could be filled with bad things, do you really want to bring attention to yourself by shining a light so they can see you from a distance? I’m not sure I would have used it unless already discovered by some beast.
That’s not the part I’m skeptical of. It’s right after where he goes completely nuts and starts running to Mordor, not a care in the world. Like he’s in a move the plot forward trance ensuring Shelob can sneak up on him.
I’m kinda proud of him for thinking so critically about the story.
I wouldn’t expect an 8 year old to even remember the light of Galadriel, let alone criticize a character for forgetting it.
He’s loving the story, his favorite part was Gandalf’s return.
He got all giddy and like jumped up and down in bed lol
Frodo and Sam were scared that something was in there. It doesn’t make much sense to pull out a blinding light if you’re trying to go unnoticed. Not to mention that they did use it when they couldn’t get out.
I think it’s important to remember, the light is not a flashlight
It’s also because nearly a month had passed, hunger was prevalent, his mind was being corrupted from both the ring and Gollum and the sheer pressure of getting to Mount Doom was reaching the fulcrum. So no, it’s not just because he was stressed or because Tolkien did it for suspense. I mean, why post such a title without thinking of all angles?
As to reading it to an 8 year old, it’s absolutely not written for someone that age.
Also, he may have thought illuminating himself would only make his situation worse. It’s one thing to use the light when it’s dark. It’s another when you know a terrible monstrous spider is looking for you.
Sometimes it’s not immediately intuitive when to use the quest item
I’m still convinced that the light wasn’t actually anything super special, just like a fancy elven flashlight. Fits much better with Galadriel gifting the others survival gear like knives and rope, too.
Similarly, if someone could help me answer my 6 and 8 year old who want to know why the hobbits did not summon (or at least try to summon) Tom B on weathertop, that would be great.
Don’t forget the how drained the are after the endless stair. Plus Frodo just had a staredown with the witch king across the morgul vale.
Maybe the darkness was indeed impenetrable?
That light can probably be seen by someone. You shouldn’t light fires in enemy territories.