Treebeard Has Audacity
"What the hell are you" -Treebeard (basically)
Hey everyone!
I don’t read much fantasy. The closest I’ve ever come to reading fantasy was Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. The fantasy genre is vast and ill-defined.
I’m not sure how to define the genre or what parameters to even think about in order to say what fantasy is in 2024! But, dear reader: you’re in luck! My good friend Jeremy spoke briefly about how we might define the fantasy genre in their newsletter, which I’ll link here. You should check it out!
Even in my very limited history with the fantasy genre, I have come across a plethora of weird, unusual characters. It’s so common that I might begin to wonder where the boundary between the monster horror genre and fantasy genre is, or even if there is one! This idea is certainly interesting to think about, and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
There have already been many weird characters in Book Three of Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings, but one that sticks with me is Treebeard.
First of all, great name. In Dr. Halbrooks’ class, we’ve been discussing language in Tolkien’s text, so I’ve started to pay attention a bit more to names and characters. I can say with my entire chest that Treebeard’s name is a great name for this character: he is Treebearding!
We’re introduced to him in Chapter 4 out of the blue. Literally, Treebeard comes out swinging when he says, “Turn round and let me see your faces. I almost feel that I dislike you both, but do not let us be so hasty” (463).
Um, excuse me? Game recognizes game, but ouch! While this is a sick burn to throw out in an introduction, it doesn’t really give the people you’re meeting a great first impression.
I’m a pretty sarcastic person, but I don’t think that I’d even be able to say, “I almost feel that I dislike you” with a straight face. Maybe back in my angsty teenage years I could’ve pulled it off. Since I turned 25 this summer, science says that my frontal lobe is fully developed now. So, I don’t think I’ll be using this introduction anytime soon, but go off Treebeard, I guess.
He kind of redeems himself a little later in the conversation by saying, “If I had seen you, before I heard your voices — I liked them: nice little voices” (464). This quote leaves me with the same taste in my mouth after a stranger tells me to smile more. It’s creepy but probably said with good intentions (maybe).
Further on, Treebeard starts digging himself a grave through song! This song is described as a way to identify creatures, not a good look in 2024.
I realize that judging something written decades before through a modern lens can be problematic, but my reaction to this song (as an empath) was to feel sorry! I felt bad, lol but not actually lol. Then, the Hobbits felt worse after Treebeard’s song as Merry expresses, “We always seem to have got left out of the old lists” (465).
It’s not a good feeling to always feel left out—coming from the youngest child of 4. That’s probably a reason I feel sorry for the Hobbits, but I’ll leave the diagnosing to scientists/my therapist!
A lot of time in this text has been spent talking about Hobbits (obviously), and what they are seen to be capable of. This has been a huge plot point so far in the book, which makes me root for the Hobbits even more. I want them to succeed in their quest, partly because of moments like this.
Moral of this Substack is: Treebeard gives Merry and Pippin one of the worst first impressions, and birth order theory might explain why I always root for the underdogs.
What were your thoughts during this moment in Chapter 4 of Book 3? I’d love to hear them below!
With love,
Mariah
Yes! I kept thinking "What a way to make a first impression!" First impressions are important not only in reality but in fiction too. When we are introduced to characters for the first time in literature, that first impression is hard to bypass later, like if the character is first unlikable but has good character development. But, I also think of an interaction I recently had. I met a friend's-friend for the first time and she said some pretty off-the-wall comments to us which were very uncalled for, especially in our first meeting. Therefore, I can see how Merry and Pippin probably felt during this.
Hi Mariah! One thing I thought about Treebeard when reading the novel is "Dang this dude is kind of sassy." I definitely found this article entertaining and love that you chose this topic! I felt really bad for Merry and Pippin in this part of the story. I was definitely able to sympathize with them.