jekyllian

I've had a profound thought, if anyone cared to listen.

SINGLE

Is it the tragedy of it all, is it Boromir’s contributions to dooming himself, his being raised to die for his country, or anything else not listed?

(Also, congratulations on the manuscript! Interaction with the publishing industry as an observer is exhausting, I can’t image the amount of work you’ve put into it. You’re one of my favorite writer-illustrators that I know of, and I’m so glad you put your stuff into the world)

Thank you thank you! That’s very kind!

There are so many great doomed factors for Boromir, but lately I’ve been really loving the fact that the Valar super duper wanted Faramir, not Boromir. Faramir was supposed to be the one to go to Rivendell, recognize the legitimacy of Aragorn, and bring him back to gracefully install him on the throne of Gondor. Boromir was supposed to stay behind and continue defending against the onslaught of Mordor. It’s what they each were cut out for.

And it’s all down to that one tiny line at the Council, “For on the eve of the sudden assault a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me.” Maybe it’s because I’ve been deep in writing mechanics lately, but I love that Tolkien made this choice—I love that he purposefully let this mistake be made. He could have easily left Faramir out of the equation and only sent the dream to Boromir, making Boromir more of a plot device, somebody to contrast Aragorn, provide opportunities for history- and world-building, and underline the Fellowships’ dire stakes via his death. But by sending the dream multiple times to Faramir and only once to Boromir, Tolkien tells us so much about these two characters, their relationship to each other, their roles in their country, and their specific tragedies. Boromir and Faramir never actually interact on the page, and yet it shows us this immense emotional thread connecting them together and to the greater story. It also brings a beautiful, tragic, mortal messiness to Aragorn’s coronation. Things didn't happen the way they were supposed to happen! Victory was achieved, but at needless cost! I don’t know man, it’s so subtle and so effective. I love it.

Here, I drew a picture: