Posted: October 10, 1998 at 11:10:00: by Oberon
: : Sorry Martinez, but i must disagree with you...Tolkien did not
: : mean for Frodo to be a nondescript character and just blend in
: : among the other Hobbits...he specifically said that Frodo was
: : taller that most other Hobbits...therefore making him easy to
: : distinguish in a crowd.: I suggest you go back and reread the book (and be more polite -- this is my board and I do not tolerate rudeness here). : Here is Frodo's description from "Strider": :
: "'A stout little fellow with red cheeks,' said Mr
: Butturbur solemnly. Pippin chuckled, but Sam looked indignant.
: 'That won't help you much; it goes for most hobbits, Barley,
: he says to me,' continued Mr Butturbur with a glance at
: Pippin. 'But this one is taller than some and fairer
: than most, and he has a cleft in his chin: perky chap with
: a bright eye....'"
:
: Of course, Butturbur had also been told to look for a hobbit travelling as Mr. Underhill, and leaving the Shire. So Frodo would not have stood from other hobbits physically as much as you believe if Gandalf needed to give Butturbur that much information.This is a good point. If Frodo had been of exceptional stature for a Hobbit, one might have expected Gandalf to give Frodo's alias, Mr. Underhill, and this piece of information, and little or nothing else. The passage does not suggest that Frodo's height was all that notable. His "fairness," at least as the term must have been understood in Middle-Earth, was another matter, it seems. Of course, as it was, Butterbur's distracted memory was only triggered by the mention of his name. :-) Oberon
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