Boromir the mansplaining Chad
Now I'm no Boromir hater, I often defend him from accusations of being a "bad guy". But he's weirdly the most commonplace in our world kind of man in Tolkien's work. He has a good heart but boy does his attitude reek of entitlement in many places. He lacks the humility to truly listen even when the wisest in Middle Earth are speaking. He seeks to push his will and if he can't reason his way into making people do what he'd like he attempts manipulation by pouting a bit "if that hasn't earned some payment then I'll go back to Minas Tirith alone." The whole trip he pushes for the ring to go to Minas Tirith no matter how much others caution him. He misses the cues to drop the topic and keeps trying to force his will upon the company. It smacks of a man trying to convince a woman to go out with him and he just ignores the cringes, the polite answers, the her removing herself from proximity, the gentle nos and when he's given a resounding no he loses his temper and gets borderline violent.
I don't think it's any coincidence that the real time seduction of the Ring on a member of the Race of Man is happening with a man who is in every way so commonplace to the men of reality. Tolkien had served in war, he'd seen the varieties of masculinity in all their shapes sizes and personalities. Who can say how many "noble fighting men" like Boromir he'd seen lose their lives some plausibly due to hubris as much as enemy missiles. Boromir is a good man but more accurately he is the perfect representation of a privileged man of our times trying to perform masculinity versus the Aragorns and Faramirs who possess the quiet confidence that they don't require thanks, submission, repayment, or accolades. The "blood of the men of Westernesse" feels like Tolkien's code for "less likely to be an entitled dick" when it comes to the trilogy.
But Boromir in spite of his flaws is still a good man, he's just a mega Chad and that needs to be acknowledged too.
