Every Fellowship Needs a Pippin
I think, Elrond, that we should trust the vibes instead of our wisdom.
Hey everyone!
Sexyfuncoolandnormal summer is going well (I spent my day off writing 1,690 words about my third favorite Lord of The Rings character).
Here is my analysis of what I believe to be a central claim of The Lord of The Rings trilogy: There is no perfect plan. Or, overplanning is a fools errand. Or, we need to have some dumbasses around to create unpredictable chaos. Or, we must allow friction into our world to let life unfold.
Something along those lines; I’m still workshopping it. I’m just here to practice writing sentences! Anyway, here’s what we can learn about the value of friction, chaos, and unpredictability from Pippin’s antics in The Lord of the Rings.
Here are the premises I’d like to begin with.
Gandalf is wise.
Elrond is wise.
Gandalf is a schemer, a colluder, a strategist.
I think we can all agree that these three points are canon. And if you don’t agree with those three points, I’m expecting an email back from you laying out your case. So, if Gandalf and Elrond are wise, it follows that we can trust the truth of the remarks they make regarding their understanding of Middle Earth and the creatures who reside there. And Elrond, in his wisdom, believes that the destruction of the Ring of Power will be the summative task of Gandalf’s life. In Elrond’s designation of Gandalf as a member of the fellowship, he says, “Gandalf will go; for this shall be his great task, and maybe the end of his labors.”
So now we’ve thrown in a new conclusion with our premises.
Gandalf is wise.
Elrond is wise.
Gandalf is a schemer, a colluder, a strategist.
The destruction of the ring is the most important project of Galdalf’s time in power.
And then one more quick logical jump that I don’t think needs explaining: if Gandalf is wise, if he is a schemer, and if the destruction of the ring is the most important project of Gandalf’s time in power, then surely he would take the formation of the Fellowship seriously. So then let’s also add to our list:
Gandalf took the formation of the Fellowship seriously.
This all follows easily, except for the fact that we’ve now reached a supposed dead-end. If Gandalf took the formation of the Fellowship seriously, then why would he send Merry and Pippin with them? Why wouldn’t he maximize the power and wisdom available to Frodo through the members of the Fellowship?
Well, this is where my argument comes in. I believe that Elrond and Gandalf both understood the importance of bringing the unexpected into the Fellowship to help them further their goals.
In a pretty significant line, Gandalf explicitly states that their only hope against the Enemy is that Sauron would never consider that someone would seek to destroy the Ring of Power:
‘Despair or folly?’ said Gandalf. ‘It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope. Well, let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the enemy! For he is very wise, and weighs all things to a nicety in the scales of his malice. But the only measure that he knows is desire, desire for power; and so he judges all hearts. Into his heart will not enter the thought that any will refuse it, that having the ring we may seek to destroy it. If we seek this, we shall put him out of reckoning.
I added the italics for emphasis. Essentially, Gandalf is saying that the Fellowship only has a chance because they are working towards a goal that would never even occur to Sauron to defend against.
Elrond also agrees more generally, stating that real wisdom lies in the patience of letting a sequence of events unfold. During the Council of Elrond and after Frodo volunteers to carry the ring, he says:
I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you don’t find a way, no one will. This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know, until the hour is struck?
Again, italics added for emphasis, this is Elrond saying that wisdom can only help you see so far, and true wisdom is found in understanding there are limitations to looking ahead. Considering the wisdom of Gandalf and Elrond, I feel good asserting that:
An unexpected plan is the Fellowship’s best defense against the Enemy.
How could Gandalf, in his wisdom and strategy, ensure that the Fellowship does not veer into the territory of predictability? Throw a couple of hobbits in the mix! Gandalf clearly has a deep respect for the people of the Shire, and he knows that hobbits have the constant ability to surprise him. In a conversation with Frodo about different areas he gravitates towards studying, Gandalf says:
Among the Wise I am the only one that goes all in for hobbit-lore: an obscure branch of knowledge, but full of surprises.
And again, when he and Frodo have their initial conversation about Frodo carrying the ring away from the safety of the Shire, we read:
‘My dear Frodo!’ exclaimed Gandalf. ‘Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can surprise you in a pinch. I hardly expected to get such an answer, even from you.
Twice, Gandalf uses the word “surprise” to describe hobbits and their behaviors. Interesting!
Hobbits are a surprising people.
Okay, let’s check in. So far we’ve established that…
Gandalf is wise.
Elrond is wise.
Gandalf is a schemer, a colluder, a strategist.
The destruction of the ring is the most important project of Gandalf’s time in power.
Gandalf took the formation of the Fellowship seriously.
An unexpected plan is the Fellowship’s best defense against the Enemy.
Hobbits are a surprising people.
Something's cooking! This helps explain that earlier question—why would Gandalf send Merry and Pippin with the Fellowship? The scene during which this selection happens is one of the more peculiar moments in the chapter. I’ll include a scan of the scene below, but here it is in plain English:
Elrond—We need two more, let’s add two Elves.
Pippin [in dismay]—No! We want to go with our buddy!
Elrond—You have no idea what you’re signing up for.
Gandalf [unexpectedly]—Frodo doesn’t know what he’s signing up for either. Let the guys go! I think, Elrond, that we should trust the vibes instead of our wisdom.
Elrond—Okay, but just Merry. Pippin really especially shouldn’t go.
Pippin—I’d rather DIE than miss out on hanging out with my friends.
Elrond—Fine. They can both go.
So at Pippin’s insistence and with Gandalf’s support, Pippin and Merry become the eighth and ninth members of the Fellowship.
Here is the full moment from Chapter 3 in Book Two of Part I: The Fellowship of the Ring, “The Ring Goes South,” in case you’re curious.
And off they went! A common criticism I hear of Pippin is that he’s “constantly messing stuff up,” but I’ll argue here that Pippin’s very worst mistakes were actually some of the most critical points of progress for the Fellowship. I believe that Gandalf knew exactly what he was doing by unexpectedly advocating for Pippin’s presence in the company, and that Pippin’s antics are the very reason that the Fellowship was successful in the end.
Pippin wakes up Moria, accident
First of all, I’m obsessed with the title of this YouTube video. Pippin wakes up Moria, accident. Oops! I can’t image a screw up worse than this one. Because Pippin knocks a skull, and then a full suit of armor, down a shaft, all of Moria is woken up… and the enemies there are feeling hostile. The Fellowship ends up cornered by Orcs and only escape by running towards an even greater evil, a Balrog, which literally kills Gandalf (as far as the Fellowship knows).
But we know this wasn’t actually the end of the story for Gandalf. Through this ten-day battle with the Balrog, which happened as a direct result of Pippin being a dumbass, Gandalf dies and resurrects as a more powerful and skilled wizard. (Also, interesting that in this clip below, Gandalf says of the two hobbits, “they met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?”) Gandalf’s death seemed like the worst possible tragedy that could have befallen the Fellowship, but it turned out, unexpectedly, to further their mission in the end. Thanks, Pippin!
Pippin sees inside the Palantir
Even worse was when Pippin let his curiosity get the best of him, so he stole the Palantir (which Sauron could see through) from Gandalf while he was sleeping. Fool of a Took! Fortunately for the Fellowship, there wasn’t a lot of information knocking around Pippin’s head for Sauron to sift through. And as we well know about hobbits at this point, they are much tougher under pressure than they appear. Pippin didn’t say anything to Sauron through the Palantir, but it did allow Sauron to sense the whereabouts of most of the Fellowship.
Unfortunately for Pippin, it also allowed Sauron to see that there was a hobbit in the mix. At this point, the Enemy knew that the Ring of Power was being carried by a hobbit, and so he assumed that the hobbit that he saw was the hobbit that he wanted.
So, as the Enemy redirected attention towards Pippin and Gandalf, Frodo and Sam had less pressure and attention looking towards them as they marched closer to Mount Doom.
It’s like Elrond foreshadowed much earlier in the trilogy, back in the original Council of Elrond during the formation of the Fellowship: “Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” Pippin directed the eyes of the great elsewhere, so once again, thanks Pippin!
Perhaps I’ll add a chaos with scaffolding addendum; these disruptive moments easily could have caused their shared demise if it weren’t for the planning, skills, and network of resources in place that allowed for the Fellowship to respond. I’m not attempting to moralize any one kind of behavior, but rather to emphasize the important role that all of these behaviors play in a shared ecosystem. Every fellowship needs a Pippin to sing alongside the Gandalfs, the Boromirs, and the Sams. And maybe that’s the real claim of the trilogy.
Whew! This was a long one and super in the weeds, but I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks for sticking around.
Talk later!
Kendall
