The White Council

Re: Balrog And Tolkien's Use Of The Word "LIKE"

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : This debate is taking place lower down the board, but I thought I'd bring up a point or two up here.

: : First, I noticed that Tolkien uses the word 'like' in the following passages:

: : "What it was could not be seen: it was LIKE (emphasis mine) a great shadow."

: : So, was it a shadow or not? Tolkien says it was "like" a great shadow.

: : Okay, let's get on to the next passage:

: : "His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings."

: : Now the "like" a shadow has become a "shadow" period. Hmmm...

: : Next passage:

: : "...and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall..."

: : And now suddenly the "like" wings have become "wings" period.

: : Next passage:

: : "With a terrible cry the Balrog fell foreward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished."

: : Notice that "its shadow" plunged down. I've puzzled over this passage quite some time - long before this present debate. We know that when the shadow fell, the whole balrog fell, but from the wording one might think that the balrog's shadow detached itself ala Peter Pan.

: : But Tolkien crafted his words with care. And he possibly made a few grammatical errors that have been overlooked. From reviewing the preceeding passages we are left with a problem. Was the shadow merely "like a great shadow"? Were the "like two vast wings" wings in actuality? If the shadow was a shadow (not like a shadow), then we must apply the same rule to the wings. The wings must be wings, based upon the usage that Tolkien provides. Else the whole event, right up to the falling of the balrog makes no sense from a grammatical point of view.

: : It's no use saying that Tolkien said it was shadow and then arguing that the passage about wings refers back several sentences to the 'like wings'. If that is done we have to go back and deal with the "like a great shadow" passage. I can imagine getting into a debate over what is "like" a shadow, but not a shadow.

: : I could conjecture that the "shadow" encompassing the balrog was similar to the unlight of Ungoliant, which seems to be the best explaination (at least to me). But whatever it was we are still left with this odd wording. The piece works just as well if we leave out the word 'like' and just take the scene at face value.

: I find nothing odd about Tolkien's use of the word 'like'. When his protaganists encounter something that they can't identify, they use 'like' to analogize it to something familiar that most closely resembles it.

: Which is another point in favor of the position that it was not known that the creature known as 'Durin's Bane' was in fact a Balrog, prior to the Fellowship's encounter with it.

I don't dispute that the word like is being used to analogize something. My argument is directed toward those who want to use the "like a great shadow" to prove that the wings are metaphorical while ignoring the other passages. I tend to agree with Martin in his post above that Tolkien is leading the reader from an unclear view of the Balrog to a clearer view. Sort of like saying, "Hey, that looks like wings. By golly, they ARE wings."