The full dimensions of the imminent standoff between Gandalf and
Saruman become clearer in this chapter, as the Ents provide crucial
insight into the scope of the war that is brewing. Fangorn issues the
first unequivocal call to arms in the novel, declaring Saruman to be
evil and announcing the necessity of a large-scale alliance among all
of Saruman’s enemies. The fact that this initial call to arms is issued
by a tree creature, rather than one of the Fellowship’s leaders like
Aragorn or Gandalf, is a measure of the urgency of the conflict at
hand. The Ents are very deliberate, patient creatures who have been
dormant for centuries, and they are not at all political beings. They
seem capable of shrugging off nearly any provocation. However, the
offenses to which Saruman’s Orcs have subjected the Ents cannot
be ignored. The enthusiasm of the Ents when roused to action shows
us that this battle is not just a skirmish among minor, transitory
figures, but an epochal clash of the primal forces of -Middle-earth.
