[LotR] Why oh why did they let Frodo go to Mordor alone?

It seems I end up re-watching the LotR trilogy every three years or so, although it has been sometime since I've re-read the books. But something has been bothering me for quite a while which the movies don't explain in any satisfactory way and I'm wondering if Tolkien's handling of it is better.

How could they possibly let a couple hobbits take off with the One Ring, heading for Mordor? I get it, at least from the movie's perspective: Frodo doesn't want people to fight over the ring and feels he must bear the burden himself. Now clearly if Gandalf had been there he would have had a better chance holding the Fellowship together. But it just seems a bit...contrived?...that Aragorn would let two hobbits take the Ring of Power straight to Mordor, and when Gandalf found out later he didn't ride Shadowfax like the wind to catch up with him.

I know Tolkien does it for the sake of the story, but it just seems weak. Consider what would have happened if the Nazgul weren't so ineffective in finding the ring. Sauron with his ring would have spelled certain defeat, right?

Don't get me wrong: I love the books and really really like the movies (although the CGI is starting to look dated already...the wargs are terrible and the balrog too video gamey). But this point kind of bothers me. It is too far-fetched.

Feel free to convince me otherwise!

It seems to me if the fellowship were all in one place, it would be far easier to destroy their mission, with only one group to find, the Nazgul's job is too easy. There's value in splitting the party up. It makes perfect sense to me, though I have no need nor intent to convince you of anything.

Mercurius said:

Feel free to convince me otherwise!

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The key is in the last few words of Boromir. He tells Aragorn that he tried to take the Ring. And Aragorn finds that Frodo *wasn't* directly chased off by orcs. Thus, Aragorn realizes that Frodo is trying to escape not just the orcs, but the rest of the Fellowship. Frodo does not *want* them around, for fear that the Ring will eventually influence them, too.

And Aragorn can't rightly say that Frodo's wrong about that. Sam and Frodo may well be safer on their own, rather than among the bickering mortals.

Plus, do you figure you could find a hobbit, with a ring of invisibility, that doesn't want to be found? That may well be beyond even Aragorn's prowess. And what are they going to do when they do catch up with Frodo? *Force* him to accept them back? How long do you think that's going to last, and do you figure it is going to end well? The fact of the matter is that Aragorn and friends didn't let Frodo go alone - they really didn't get a choice in the matter.

Plus there's the compounding decisions to (1) go rescue Merry & Pippin, and (2) eventually create a distraction that will enable the Ringbearer to succeed.

Once they got to Merry & Pippin they were never going to catch back up to Frodo & Sam; leaving Merry & Pippin with the orcs would have been unconscionable.

gamerprinter said:

It seems to me if the fellowship were all in one place, it would be far easier to destroy their mission, with only one group to find, the Nazgul's job is too easy. There's value in splitting the party up. It makes perfect sense to me, though I have no need nor intent to convince you of anything.

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LOL, come now. It is a good point, but still: hobbits aren't exactly mighty heroes, and we've got the fate of Middle-earth on the line.

Umbran said:

The key is in the last few words of Boromir. He tells Aragorn that he tried to take the Ring. And Aragorn finds that Frodo *wasn't* directly chased off by orcs. Thus, Aragorn realizes that Frodo is trying to escape not just the orcs, but the rest of the Fellowship. Frodo does not *want* them around, for fear that the Ring will eventually influence them, too.

And Aragorn can't rightly say that Frodo's wrong about that. Sam and Frodo may well be safer on their own, rather than among the bickering mortals.

Plus, do you figure you could find a hobbit, with a ring of invisibility, that doesn't want to be found? That may well be beyond even Aragorn's prowess. And what are they going to do when they do catch up with Frodo? *Force* him to accept them back? How long do you think that's going to last, and do you figure it is going to end well? The fact of the matter is that Aragorn and friends didn't let Frodo go alone - they really didn't get a choice in the matter.

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This is pretty good, and I wish it had been more emphasized. Even so, I still think Gandalf would have gone to find Frodo.

I suppose my issue is that Gandalf, Aragorn etc are deliberately putting the fate of Middle-earth in the hands of two hobbits. It is one thing for two hobbits to save Middle-earth, but for more obviously accomplished heroes and immortals to deliberately hand them the reins is a bit...dubious.

Mercurius said:

This is pretty good, and I wish it had been more emphasized. Even so, I still think Gandalf would have gone to find Frodo.

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By the time Gandalf is back in the story, Frodo is long gone. No visible trail would be left to find, and they've no way to locate him - going after him is pointless. This is actually where the idea of creating a distraction for Mordor actually enters the picture, and is why Gandalf & Co. set about uniting the other forces about the lands.

I suppose my issue is that Gandalf, Aragorn etc are deliberately putting the fate of Middle-earth in the hands of two hobbits. It is one thing for two hobbits to save Middle-earth, but for more obviously accomplished heroes and immortals to deliberately hand them the reins is a bit...dubious.

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Why? Is it as if being able to *fight* is actually going to be a major advantage? 'Cause it pretty demonstrably isn't. The bigger a noise they make (say, by killing lots of orcs) the bigger the risk of being found. And once in Mordor, if you are found, that is *it*. The full weight of Sauron falls on you, and you are done. Gandalf mentions that being of his class of power is a bit of a problem - the more powerful you are, the more likely it is Sauron will see you.

The answer to "why do they let them go alone" is the same as "why don't they just hop on some giant eagles, fly over Mt. Doom, and drop it in?" Because being seen by Sauron is the end of the game.

The other thing to point out is that Middle Earth is not D&D. The rules aren't the same. D&D does not have a stat for what Frodo and Sam have going for them. A plain Wisdom bonus does not carry the power that strength of character and will do in Middle Earth. The rules of that world are such that some individuals can impact events far beyond the mere application of their physical or magical skills. Consider that Gandalf is, in actuality, a minor angle, not a human wizard. He has given up much of his power to roam Middle Earth, but he's just come back from the dead - he's got a greater understanding, and faith, than mere mortals.

In the world of Middle Earth. creatures of power are aware of each other. The bearers of the Rings, that are not already under Sauron's control, remain hidden for this reason. I suppose that one hope for moving such a powerful artifact, without being noticed by Sauron, would be to have it carried by a singularly un-powerful creature.

Mercurius said:

LOL, come now. It is a good point, but still: hobbits aren't exactly mighty heroes, and we've got the fate of Middle-earth on the line.

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No, they're not. But they are not incompetent. Aragorn is particularly encouraged that Sam went with Frodo. He also knows that Hobbits are particularly hard to spot when they don't want to be spotted and probably have a better shot at remaining unseen than if anyone else goes with them.

In the end, he has a choice between Sam and Frodo, who are not in immediate danger, and Merry and Pippin who are totally screwed if not rescued ASAP. He chooses the immediate plight.

Mercurius said:

I suppose my issue is that Gandalf, Aragorn etc are deliberately putting the fate of Middle-earth in the hands of two hobbits. It is one thing for two hobbits to save Middle-earth, but for more obviously accomplished heroes and immortals to deliberately hand them the reins is a bit...dubious.

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It was always a bit of a longshot. But notice that other priorities keep coming up. The perfidy of Sauron, the recovery of the palantir, the siege of Minas Tirith.

Mercurius said:

How could they possibly let a couple hobbits take off with the One Ring, heading for Mordor? I get it, at least from the movie's perspective: Frodo doesn't want people to fight over the ring and feels he must bear the burden himself. Now clearly if Gandalf had been there he would have had a better chance holding the Fellowship together. But it just seems a bit...contrived?...that Aragorn would let two hobbits take the Ring of Power straight to Mordor, and when Gandalf found out later he didn't ride Shadowfax like the wind to catch up with him.

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Aragorn: I swore to protect you.
Frodo: Can you protect me from yourself?

The biggest problem with the One Ring is that it's really desirable. Gandalf is terrified of it, Galadriel barely resists, and Aragorn knows that if he stays with Frodo then he will take the Ring for himself... and all will be lost. So he lets Frodo go because almost no chance is still better than actually no chance.