A Small Puzzle About Aragorn

[etherealunicorn]

Fired up by all this news of a movie(finally), it seemed like a good time to start my yearly re-read of LotR and now that I have found a forum of like-minded folks with whom I can question some of the things that don't make sense I wanted to get some feedback on a small mystery.
During the Fellowship's trip through Moria, when they come under attack in the Chamber of Mazarbul, Aragorn's first advice is: "Slam the doors and wedge them!" in anticipation of gaining the opportunity of cutting their way out. When I was younger, this went right past me, but maturity has made me question this. Now Aragorn at this point is eighty-something(if memory serves me correctly) and has served in soldierly positions for a number of years in a number of places and presumably has gained much experience on the right way and the wrong way of doing things. Now my point is: why would Aragorn have made such a dumb call? The Fellowship already knew that they were likely outnumbered, probably quite badly. Of the whole group, only two or three are really warriors. Aragorn should have known that you always leave yourself a way out. It is a horrible mistake to plan on trying to escape after you are cut off, especially by large numbers of enemies. I don't care how strong your position is, if you only have small numbers it is unlikely that you will be able to hold that position long enough to derive any real benefit from it.

[IronParrot]

Very interesting observation. I wonder why I didn't notice that... I'll get back to you after I re-read that chapter quickly.

[bmilder]

Well, it was all very sudden and they didn't have much time to think it through too carefully.

[etherealunicorn]

Oh, I agree that it was sudden, but the Fellowship had just finished reading in the book that Balin's group had evidently died in the same place and in the same way(relatively).
Plus, sudden or not, Aragorn had been travelling around ME for a number of years by his lonesome and I don't think that anyone but a fool would set out like that if he wasn't well-prepared to defend himself at need. Now we know that he isn't a fool or he wouldn't have lived to be the age he is at that point in the story. And one does not become a good warrior or soldier(whichever the preferred term) without proper training in the art and you don't go through the training without your reactions becoming automatic when you need to react. I mean, that is the essence of any sort of training--ideally, you come to know your work so well that you don't really need to think about HOW to do it anymore. I know that that is the result of modern military training and I doubt that the idea was greatly different in the past(which is the level of military technology we are talking about in LotR), at least when you look at trained armies rather than conscripted mobs. I don't think that the point in question is in character for Aragorn, either for himself or for his heritage. And I don't quite understand why JRRT put the comment there, since I understand that he had been in the army himself(if I am correct) and even if he was not a soldier in his duties he would still have been through basic training and would have picked up some training in combat. Personally, I think the point is one that escaped revision before publication. No blame in that, considering all of the details that had to fit together for the sake of the story.

[Darth Tater]

The best answer I can think of is "no one's perfect" and that's not so great.

[etherealunicorn]

Oh, absolutely! God knows that I am not. I am certainly willing to accept that point. Just something that occurred to puzzle my poor brains. :)

[Fat middle]

i cannot help in this point because i always feel myself "lost in Moria" when the company reach chamber 21st of the North. i was reading that chapter 4 days ago (btw, i wonder how many of us are rereading LOTR this month, it seems a great new LOTR fever is shakinbg Entmoot ;) ) and again i couldn´t imagine well the situation.

does anybody know where can i find (if it exists) a map of Moria? and can anybody answer how on middle earh did Gandalf know that the 21st chamber of the North should be at the 7th floor?

Thanks...

[Eruve]

I suppose the reason Gandalf knew that the 21st chamber was on the 7th floor was that he'd been through Moria before. Remember he went through east to west, so perhaps he spent more time in the eastern part when he went through before. He also notes that the eastern regions were the inhabited ones, which seems to me to indicate that there's more reason to visit them...

I don't know of any map that exists.

To answer the original question, I'm inclined to agree that Aragorn simply made a mistake. Yes, it was a potentially life-threatening one, but it was immediately corrected by Gandalf. Perhaps JRRT wanted us to see that Aragorn had his fallible side. I also think Fat Middle has a point about confusion. Aragorn absolutely did not want to go through Moria. Perhaps the darkness and closeness was telling on his judgement. Also the place is a labyrinth. This episode does, however, prepare him to lead his companions on the Paths of the Dead...

[bmilder]

I have "The Atlas of Middle Earth" which includes a Moria map, although it only includes the chambers that they went through and not the entire thing, if you want me to scan it in...

[Fat middle]

yes, please!!! :)

and, Eruve, i wasn´t doing a point about confusion, i was and still am confused :p

[Spock1]

I have always thought that the remark was included immediately after their reading of Balin's book to re emphasize the sudden onset of confusion and calamity which had overtaken Balin's group and now asailed the Felowship.

[Darth Tater]

I think the confusion is purposefull on the part of Tolkien. He is such a genious that he creates an atmosphere to confuse the reader, thereby making them feel more connected to the story. Just take the balrog for example, will people ever stop arguing about his wings?

[etherealunicorn]

That may very well be the case, Spock and Tater. Certainly it does lend itself to the air of confusion in the scene.
:)

[Fat middle]

ufff!! now i feel better, knowing that though i´m lost in Moria at least i´m not alone :)

gonna roast a balrog to celebrate our meeting!! :D

[Eruve]

I want a wing! ;)