"I hope so."

[Rosie Gamgee]

Hey, in FotR, at the end of the chapter titled 'Strider' (sorry, I just read it, but can't remember the number of the chapter), one of the hobbits says, I believe, something about the Nazgul coming back, and then Strider says "I hope so." What was mean by that, do you think? I mean, was this just something Tolkien put in there to keep us guessing whether or not Strider was a good guy, or did it have a deeper meaning. The line seems strange coming from Aragorn, and I was thinking we might discuss it.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

What page is it on?

[Valandil]

I just checked... his 'I hope so' is actually in response to what Merry says when he hears about the incident in the meeting room. Merry says that the worthies of Bree would be talking about the episode for one hundred years. Strider saying 'I hope so' indicates that for them to be able to do so, all will have gone well and the Enemy would not have conquered.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I don't get that. Surely that means there will be news of the Ring bearer and that they would be followed.

[Rosie Gamgee]

Oh, right. 'Worthies of Bree'. Yeah, I think it would mean that people would be on their tails, spreading news of some guy who turned invisible. Talk of that kind would certainly catch the eye of the Enemy (no pun about the eye was originally intended ;) ). I don't think I'd want people to talk about it.

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

I don't get that. Surely that means there will be news of the Ring bearer and that they would be followed.


Aragorn wasn't saying "I hope so" to the immediate future. He was making the statment about the end of the War of the Ring, assuming all had gone well. Aragorn was lementing the future, and their fate. Not to mention the knowledge of the ring in the Shire and in Bree was already known to the enemy. Both Sauron and Saruman both knew the ring was found and it was in the Shire, moving east to Bree. The Nazgul had arrived at Bree and attempted to kill the Hobbits. So I don't think the hundred years of talk about the ring bearrer would have any more negative impact on Frodo & Co. after leaving.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Unless there could have been others searching for it. What if Gollum found that it was travelling towards Rivendell. He could have strangled Strider, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin in their sleep.

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

All of them!? Including the greatest Ranger of the Dunedain!? Without any of the others being roused!? Gollum couldn't even sneak up on Frodo and Sam alone! I don't think gollum was a factor that worried Aragorn to much especially on the road from Hobbiton to Rivendel. Also who cares if anyone else was searching for it!? Sauron new master of all evil or Middle-Earth, or gollum? Sauron new master of all evil or anything else!? They had the greatest incarnation of evil, on middle-earth at that time, already searching for, and following them! No, I personally don't feel the talk in Bree will hurt them. The only thing would be the actual event of Frodo slipping the ring on! If that could have been avoided then the Nazgul may not have been anywhere near them, ever! They may have gotten to Rivendell all in one peice! So the acuall 100 year talk I don't feel hurt them in any way.

[Attalus]

I agree with Valandil. Aragorn was hoping that the worthies of Bree would be around at all to discuss anything, and by mentioning it, he was indirectly calling into question the Hobbits unthinking assumption that they in fact would be by interposing the thought that if Sauron conquered, there would be no Bree at all.

[Olmer]

Hm, interesting...Since the subject came up... I had an acquaintance from England who was always saying " I hope so" instead "I think so".
Could it be just a common expression at Tolkien's time? Something like our expression "forget about" sometimes can carry the meaning " don't worry", sometimes "it's too outlandish " or sometimes it does really means to forget about something?

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Didn't Gandalf say something like this to Bilbo before he left?

[Elanor the Fair]

I have always considered Aragorn's response to be as Valandil suggests - hope that there will be a future where such events are not commonplace and that "worthy" people will be discussing them as an amazing event in the past. This also suggests that there will be nothing more momentous to discuss.

[Haradrim]

This type of line is in movies all the time. Its like evil foreshadowing. Just to throw doubt in there. Its just saying that Aragorn hopes Bree wil be there in 100 years because of Saurons rise. However I am no master of expressions so I am also inclined ot hink that maybe its just a common englush phrase.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

It's not a common English phrase so it was probably hoping that Bree will still be able to talk about it in a hundred years.