Let's Read Tolkien 71: The Last Debate

The morning came after the day of battle, and it was fair with light clouds and the wind turning westward.

Legolas and Gimli go strolling around Minas Tirith, where they find Merry and Pippin and discuss stonework and seagulls. Legolas tells the hobbits how they passed through the Paths of the Dead and recruited a bunch of ghosts to drive the enemy from Pelargir and set up their dramatic arrival at the battle of Pelennor.

The rest of the chapter is dedicated to a staff meeting in Aragorn's command tent, presided over by Gandalf. He explains to Éomer and Prince Imrahil about the Ring, and they agree on a strategy: lead an army to the gates of Mordor to draw out Sauron's forces and clear the way for Frodo to make it to the volcano.

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Again, this is a fairly short and simple chapter: it's the second part of the breathing space between the battle at Minas Tirith and the Black Gate, and wraps things up before the climax of this book and the entire story.

The spirits of the oathbreakers Aragorn summons to do his bidding seem more like the classic ghosts with "unfinished business" than Tolkien's wraiths. I somehow really like Legolas's thoroughly matter-of-fact statement that he's not afraid of the ghosts of men, full stop.

A couple of things are worth pointing out in Aragorn's staff meeting. First, there's the simple fact stated by Gandalf that there is no way they can defeat Sauron at war, and that was never the point. This ties in to the theological point of the whole story, but I'll get to that when we get to it! But the point being made quite strongly here is that all the military heroics of the last few chapters are at best a distraction in terms of the real battle.

Aragorn makes a point of saying that he doesn't want to order anyone to march on Mordor, and reiterates that everyone who goes should be a volunteer. It's kind of hard to take this seriously, though, when they move straight on to discussing how many thousands of men they can muster in what time. It'd be one thing to claim that oh, sure, everyone volunteered, but they're not really even trying. It almost feels like Éomer and Imrahil are humoring him.

Anyway that's it: the armies of the Free Peoples are going to march to Mordor and certain defeat, to buy time for a hobbit and his manservant.

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Next time: Peregrin stabs a troll.