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Book 3, Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Two Towers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Decline and Decay
Good and Evil
Duty
Joy and Optimism vs. Despair
Power
Heroism, Honor, and Glory
Summary
Analysis
Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas remain behind with the hobbits, who lead the way into Saruman’s guard-house for lunch. Aragorn declares that the Three Hunters’ hunt is over, now that they’ve met Merry and Pippin again. He notes that the hobbits look remarkably well, and Legolas attributes it to the water of the ents. They all sit down to eat together, and Pippin gives Gimli his spare pipe to smoke some leaf from near the Shire that they found in one of the barrels floating around after Isengard was flooded. Pippin asks if the gift of the pipe settles the score between them for the hobbits worrying him, and Gimli replies that it does, he is now in Pippin’s debt.
The hobbits take great comfort in the simple pleasures of food, rest, and leisurely smoking. Though such physical comforts seem low and modest compared to the mental defenses that men such as Aragorn have against despair—duty, purpose, and honor—the small joys of the hobbits reveal their deep appreciation for the fundamental necessities of life. Food and rest are basic things they need to survive, yet they make an occasion of them and take true pleasure in them. They offer these same comforts to the Three Hunters, who appreciate them similarly.
Themes
They all return outside to the gateway and Aragorn, weary, stretches out his long legs to smoke. Pippin jokes that “Strider the Ranger has come back” and Aragorn replies that he never left. He is both Strider and Aragorn, and he belongs both to Gondor and the North.
Whether Aragorn has deciphered Galadriel’s message about the Dúnedain (the great albeit declining race of Men in the North) or simply has them on his mind, Aragorn emphasizes his dual loyalty to both them and the people of Gondor. Though his duties don’t currently conflict, as they have previously, he remains aware that they could pull him in competing directions.
Themes
They smoke in silence for a while until Legolas prompts the hobbits to tell the story of everything that’s happened to them since they parted. Pippin begins the story nine days ago, though he remembers most of it like a bad dream and avoids going into detail about their captivity with the orcs.
Hobbits are particularly resilient, able to recover from injury and despondency with relative ease. Pippin’s cheerful temper and good mood—especially with plenty to eat and surrounded by friends—make him unwilling or unable to go into much detail about his captivity.
Themes
Aragorn returns the hobbits’ lost possessions, including Pippin’s brooch, and the Three Hunters praise them for their resourcefulness in leaving clues and escaping the orcs. Aragorn feels uneasy about the orcs led by Grishnákh, believing that Sauron and his servants knew too much about the Fellowship’s quest. The hobbits continue with the story to explain the ents’ attack on Isengard.
With the brooch, Pippin finally has confirmation that all his quick-thinking and persistent escape attempts with the orcs were useful. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli really did come to rescue them, as he doubted would happen when in despair, and saw the sign he left for them. Without the brooch, the Three Hunters would have had no sign of Merry and Pippin until they reached Fangorn.
Themes
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The ents along with other mobile trees called huorns marched to Isengard, and waited as all of Saruman’s forces departed to attack Rohan. The huorns followed the orcs, and the ents took the opportunity to hammer down the gates to Isengard. Saruman, who didn’t anticipate the ents attacking, fled, panicked, into the tower. That night, to the astonishment of the hobbits, Gandalf appeared in a great hurry.
As Gandalf predicted, Saruman’s preoccupation with his schemes for power made him vulnerable to the attack of the ents. Because Saruman stopped caring about his environment beyond how he could exploit it, he forgot about Treebeard and the forest. It was a fatal mistake that lost him control of Isengard as the forces of the natural world reclaimed it.
Themes
Rather than greeting Pippin, Gandalf called him a “tom-fool of a Took” and demanded to see Treebeard to ask for help with the ten thousand orcs attacking Helm’s Deep. When Pippin asked Gandalf where he’d been, Gandalf responded only that he was back and that news must wait, then rode away again. Treebeard wouldn’t tell them much, but the hobbits gathered that there was a great battle happening and worried about Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Later that night led by Treebeard, the ents broke the dams and poured water into Isengard to wash away “the filth of Saruman” and fill up the caves and fires. By morning, a dense fog rose and the water was steadily rising towards the guard room, so the hobbits took shelter on top of the arch. Eventually, the ents stopped the flow and returned the Isen to its normal course.
Though the hobbits were overjoyed to see Gandalf alive, they were less pleased to be left uninformed. Since Treebeard and Gandalf lacked the time to tell them what was happening either in Isengard or Helm’s Deep, they were forced to stay out of the way and speculate, concerned for their friends. In battle, the hobbits couldn’t be of much direct help. Their role was to incite the battle and then to provide comfort for their friends afterwards. The ents use the natural world to their advantage when taking over Isengard. As the huorns kill orcs at Helm’s Deep, the river Isen itself clears away the pollution around the tower.
Themes
The hobbits spent a lonely night on the arch and woke to a peaceful morning. Gimli wonders how Wormtongue got into the tower with Saruman. Pippin explains that he arrived on horseback that morning after the return of the huorns and tried to flee once he saw the wreckage, but Treebeard picked him up and trapped him in the tower until Gandalf could arrive. After that Merry and Pippin went looking for supplies and found the food and pipe-weed. Aragorn finds it odd that there is pipe-leaf from near the Shire in Isengard and plans to mention it to Gandalf. Merry suggests that they go to find him and look around Isengard.
With the dawn comes peace and clarity. After the battle and their frightening night, the hobbits spend their time looking for ways to comfort themselves and discover the food and pipe-leaf. Pleased with their feast, they don’t think to wonder why Saruman would have pipe-leaf from the Shire. Aragorn feels bothered by this odd development, though he can’t quite say why, suggesting that there might be more to Saruman’s connection with the Shire than they yet know.
Themes
