Brothers, Part 5

Faramir’s view is of winning very different. To him, how one achieves the goal is just as important, perhaps even more important, than the goal itself. Dickerson writes in Following Gandalf that,

“he would rather suffer military defeat than do evil to gain a military victory” (p. 78)

Faramir tells Frodo in the Two Towers,

“I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not if Minas Tirith were falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs” (p. 314)

We see this willingness to do the right thing regardless of the consequences when his father confronts him on his choice to let the Ring go. His father tells him,

“Ever your desire is to appear lordly and generous as a king of old, gracious, gentle,That may be well in times of peace, but in desperate hours gentleness may be repaid with death” (Return of the King p.86).

Faramir’s answer is simple, yet powerful: “So be it.”

While Boromir is willing to break some rules to get a military advantage, his younger brother is not.

Written by Becky Brasby

Brothers, Part 4

Now we get into the second place where the brothers differ: how do you win?

For Boromir, the military victory is the greatest prize. It doesn’t matter how one wins, just as long as one does. Boromor saw the Ring as a means to an end. Yes, it may be evil, but it would be right to use it if it accomplished a greater good. He is against the idea of destroying it. He tells the Council,

“Valor needs first strength, and then a weapon. Let the Ring be your weapon, if it has such power as you say. Take it and go forth in victory!” (Fellowship p. 300)

The means isn’t important; the victory at the end is. The goal is important, not how one achieves the goal. Dickerson writes in his book Following Gandalf,

“For Boromir, what matters is military victory. If one has to be ruthless to win, one should be ruthless” (p. 61)

Boromir is willing to break some rules if it gives him a military advantage. If he needs to steal an evil ring to win, then fine.

Written by Becky Brasby

Brothers, Part 2

The first difference is how the brothers view war and battle. Both men are great warriors, and perfectly able to fight and lead men into battle. Yet their motives and how they view it are very different.

For Boromir, battle is where glory is to be earned. Matthew Dickerson, speaker and teacher, writes,

“He sees war and battle as opportunities for personal glory and, in particular, the chief place where glory is to be earned” (Following Gandalf p. 60)

Boromir loves the glory of battle and sees it as the greatest honor a man can have. For him, the military victory is the greatest prize. As Foster points out in his book A Guild to Middle-Earth,

“Boromir cared little for anything save arms and battle” (p. 35)

For him, the glory of battle is very important. It is his motive to fight: to win glory.

Written by Becky Brasby

Brothers, Part 1

Boromir and Faramir are characters in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. At different points in the books, the brothers meet Frodo and have the opportunity to claim the Ring.

One would think their reaction would be similar. After all, they do have a lot in common. They grow up in the same environment and both heard the opinion of their father, who wants the Ring.

Both are men of Gondo and were great military leaders and perfectly able to fight and lead men into battle. One would think their reaction would be the same, and yet when given the same chance to take the Ring, they react opposite of each other.

Boromir tries to steal the Ring, but Faramir refuses to take it. He wants nothing to do with the Ring, and helps send it away to be destroyed. How can these brothers react so differently? On the surface, they appear similar, but when we start digging deeper into the story, we begin to see major variations in their character.

Written by Becky Brasby