Summary — Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Sam, Frodo, and Gollum proceed through the desolate landscape
of Mordor. Gradually, they notice that the land is becoming greener, more
fragrant, and less barren, and they welcome the change. As always,
they travel by night and rest by day. They do not travel on the
open road, but near it. They worry about their dwindling food supply.
After several days, they arrive in a country full of woods and streams
once known as Ithilien. Gollum coughs and sputters in the verdant
setting, but the hobbits rejoice in the reappearance of greenery
and water. They stop at a stream to drink and bathe. Again, they are
troubled by hunger. Sam sends Gollum off to hunt some food for them
all, reminding him that Hobbit food is different from the food the
creature is accustomed to eating. Sam watches the sleeping Frodo,
observing the fine lines visible on Frodo’s aging face. Sam acknowledges
that he feels deep love for Frodo.
Gollum returns with rabbits, which he does not want to
cook, preferring to devour them raw. Sam proceeds to make a nice
dinner for himself and Frodo, calling upon Gollum again to gather
wild herbs for his rabbit stew. Frodo awakens and sees the cooking
fire burning. Sam informs Frodo of the nice dinner being prepared,
but Frodo warns Sam about the dangers of fire in the open field.
Suddenly Frodo and Sam hear voices nearby, and they see
four tall Men wielding spears. The warriors wonder whether the hobbits are
Elves or perhaps Orcs. One of the Men identifies himself as Faramir,
Captain of Gondor. The hobbits identify themselves as halflings.
Faramir says that the hobbits cannot be travelers, as uninvited
travelers are not allowed in his land. Frodo explains the hobbits’
separation from Aragorn and Boromir. At the mention of the name
of Boromir, Faramir is startled and becomes stern.
Two men named Mablung and Damrod guard Frodo and Sam, telling
the hobbits of their enemies, the Southrons, who threaten to attack.
Sam wonders where Gollum is. Suddenly, they hear noises of battle
and the name of Gondor called out. Damrod announces that the Southrons
are attacking and that Faramir’s men are setting out to meet them.
The hobbits climb into a position where they can see what is going
on, and they witness their first battle among Men.
Suddenly, Damrod calls out for help from a large elephant-like creature
called the Mûmak, which arrives from the forest and crushes the
enemy. Sam is pleased that he has seen his first oliphaunt, as the
creature is called. Damrod tells the hobbits to sleep, as the Gondor
captain will soon return and they will have to flee the enemy. Sam
replies that the troops of Gondor will not disturb him when they
leave. Damrod answers that it is not likely that the captain will
allow Sam to stay, but will instead force him to travel with the
troops.
Analysis
The relationship between Frodo and Sam, already at the
center of the novel, is deepened by Sam’s expression of affection
for Frodo. Sam seems almost surprised by his feelings of solicitude
toward Frodo when he notes the wrinkles appearing on his master’s
aging face. As Sam’s thoughts are only a private musing, we know
that they are sincere. Sam’s concern for Frodo, along with his noting
of Frodo’s increasingly haggard and weak appearance, foreshadows the
ever-greater role and responsibility Sam must bear in the remainder
of the quest. Sam gains no profit or benefit from his attachment to
Frodo, and, in fact, his dedication brings him only great hardship. Again,
Tolkien, in his depiction of the relationship between the two hobbits,
emphasizes the importance of loyalty and selflessness as essential
traits for his brand of epic hero.
The narrator’s careful attention to the food preparation
of Sam, Frodo, and Gollum brings us down to earth somewhat, again reminding
us of the ever-present mundane concerns within the grander scope
of the quest. The author even gives Chapter 4 a
title referring to the stewed rabbit and wild herbs that Frodo and
Sam prepare for dinner. In part, this chapter name is a Homeric
touch. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer
devotes long passages to seemingly trivial concerns such as the
size and smell of the roast ox the warriors eat. Such material details
ground the epic quest in reality and remind us that, however spiritual
or lofty the heroes’ final goals may be, the heroes themselves are
still very human, creatures with bodies that must be fed. Further,
the food episode once again shows us the hobbits’ uneasy reliance
on Gollum. Their food supplies dwindling, Frodo and Sam are nonetheless
unable to catch rabbits themselves, so they must rely on their guide
to do so. In such passages, Tolkien yet again reminds us of the
hobbits’ odd status as epic heroes, with their relative frailty
and inexperience in an environment and role typically filled by
great warriors and Wizards.
The appearance of the oliphaunt, or giant elephant creature,
is yet another small detail in the story of the journey to Mordor
that reminds us of the completeness with which Tolkien has imagined the
world of The Lord of the Rings. Sam and Frodo have
inquired about the existence of oliphaunts when talking to Gollum,
who claims never to have heard of or seen such creatures. But then,
in the battle between Faramir’s men and the attacking Southrons
soon afterward, this very creature is glimpsed and vividly described.
The imagined turns out to be real, and Sam is thrilled. This little
detail reminds us that in Tolkien’s universe, the potential for
amazement is always present. Unlike other works of fantasy, in which
the characters are never surprised by anything within their fantastical
world, in The Lord of the Rings, the characters
of Tolkien’s Middle-earth are often awestruck by what they see.
Sam is amazed by oliphaunts, Faramir’s men are
amazed by Gollum, and many humans throughout the novel are startled
by the hobbits, whose like they have never glimpsed before. In such
episodes, Tolkien constantly reminds us that the surprises of the
imagination are always available to us, an essential and often enjoyable
part of the experience of life.
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