Most Christians reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy never think about the symptoms that Frodo exhibited after his journey. By the time in the book that his behavior is described, we are near the end of the trilogy. By that time, we are all happy about the victories that have been won. The King of Gondor, Isildur’s heir, Aragorn Elessar, is on the throne. His wife, Arwen Undómiel sits beside him. Merry and Pippin, the great captains, have won the Battle of the Shire. And, so, we do not often look closely at Frodo’s symptoms.
We also miss what Frodo’s journey means. He agreed to do an honorable thing. He volunteers to do what is necessary. But, then what he volunteers to do turns into a horror. Day after day he slogs forward but it never gets better, it only gets worse and worse. At one point he goes through the Dead Marshes in which he can see the faces of dead people. Some faces are “good,” some are “evil,” while some are neutral. But, they are all equal in death. At the end of his journey, Frodo cracks before he is able to accomplish his duty, his sworn goal. His humanity (hobbitnity?) cannot take it any more and he gives in. He cracks! At the end, it is only God’s grace working even through those who would oppose Him, that makes it possible for the victory to be won.
Afterward, Frodo is tired. He wants no more of war. Even after everything is peaceful, he has dreams. On certain anniversaries, on certain days, the dreams are even worse. He goes home, but it is not home any longer. He is physically present, but home no longer brings comfort. Everything that is familiar; everything that should relax him; everything that speaks of safety is now only as a dream to him. Here is the sadness of it all. At the end of it all, the only peace that Frodo finds is when he finally leaves this world and goes to another. Healing will only come to Frodo at the end of his life upon Middle Earth. The symptoms that Frodo goes through are the classical symptoms of someone with post traumatic stress syndrome–PTSD.
In The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, you can read where Tolkien himself speculated as to whether his description of the Dead Marshes may have been based on his personal experience of World War I. You see, Tolkien was present at the Battle of the Somme, arguably the worst battle of World War I.
The Journey through the Dead Marshes (in The Two Towers), looks very much like a description of the marshy and swampy battlefields in Northern France and in Flanders. In the course of the war these areas were transformed into deadly mud swamps with slithery clay and shell craters filled with water and corpses. Innumerable soldiers lost their footing and drowned in those treacherous pits.
One out of twelve people involved in traumatic events end up with PTSD. Having said that, I get particularly upset with Hollywood movies and with books that say–or appear to say–that everyone involved in a traumatic event ends up with some type of damage. There is no evidence of that particular claim. Worse, it is a wonderful way to make almost everyone into a permanent victim since statistics show that 90% of all people in the USA have a traumatic experience sometime during their lifetime.
But, some do end up with PTSD, and their journey is hard. They are not understood. Some people even accuse soldiers with PTSD of malingering. Sadly, some Christians, in their hurry to claim that God heals, also put pressure on those with PTSD to smile and claim that they are healed. There are even hints in Lord of the Rings that Frodo’s very friends do not understand. He sneaks off and they chase him. As they say goodbye–and be honest, we all cried when we saw that in the movie–you can tell they cannot understand why he looks forward to finally going to his final reward. Some PTSD sufferers suicide to finally end their pain. Frodo does not, and neither does J.R.R. Tolkien. But, there is little doubt that they are happy when the end finally comes.
As Christians, we need to say that God always heals. But, that healing may not arrive until the day we die and go to see Him. And, we need to have significant amounts of empathy for those who are being tortured by PTSD. May God have mercy on all of us.
Father,
It’s interesting you should bring this up. Frodo being denied happiness (till the Grey Havens) was always one of the saddest and most poignant parts of the trilogy for me, especially as a kid.
It seemed so bitterly unfair that, after everything he’d been through, he didn’t get to settle down and get married like Sam did. Even his friendship with Sam and the others could never be what it was before.
I’d not thought of the PTSD connection before, but it’s an interesting one. Very interesting about the swamps in WWI. Thanks for posting this.
You might wish to read Isaiah 53:8 — “He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living . . .”
One of the Messianic types found in the Old Testament is that of Isaiah 53. There the prophecy is about this one coming who will be punished. But, the verse I quoted comments that this one who is to come will be childless. How do I know that? The expression about who will declare his generation and being cut off from the land of the living are Hebraisms for someone who has no one coming after him to remember him and to keep his name alive in Israel.
Not surprisingly, Frodo carries a lot of Messianic imagery, just as does Gandalf. Frodo pictures something of the suffering Messiah who–you are correct–is ostensibly left without reward. Scripture, of course, tells us that Our Lord was simply the first of many brethren, but by adoption, not by natural generation.
As someone who has at least one family member who suffers from PTSD, this post is very meaningful.
Thank you, Father. Thank you.
I experienced PTSD, though not as strong as some. No nightmares etc. But a deep depression, an inability to concentrate, being almost absent.
I was shot during an attempted carjacking (see http://scyldingsinthemeadhall.blogspot.com/search?q=iliac)
Just over 3 months later, the cloud of PTSD decended. There was one particular bad morning. I sat in my office for maybe 3 hours, just staring. Then I remembered the words of a chime-maker (400km away), one who made top quality products. We had visited her the year before, and there was one particular chime which had an incredible sound – soft, but could be heard far away. Too expensive. But she had said that if I ever needed to hear it, I could phone her. I did. She remembered me, took the phone, held it by the chime, and gently tapped it. The sound was incredibly pure. I listened and listened and listened. Strange as it might sound, that day presented some sort of turning point in the PTSD. God’s grace working through the craftmanship of a somewhat eccentric artisan.
But folks who just want you to smile and go on, to fix an “evangelical” grin on your face …. well, maybe I shouldn’t be too harsh. But a lot of harm will be kept at bay by restraining the impulse to give advice and “sympathy”. We often speak too much, too easily.
Amen.
My youngest daughter now 21 still has nightmares of the day her father who is a Viet Nam vet with PTSD tried to kill me (and almost succeeded) in the midst of a flashback. She was three years old. He has not been a part of her life for many years because of the cycle of violence in his life. Recently, he has gotten in touch with her wanting a relationship. He seems to be fairly stable at this point. He asked her if she had feelings of abandonment because of his absence in her life. She said to him. “No, the real trauma in my life was watching you try to kill my mother.” My heart breaks. PTSD keeps on giving down through the generations. I pray healing for all who have fought this particular fight and are still fighting it. Alix
Hi Father, I came across this when I was searching for something else and thought it was interesting. I’ve been doing some research into this very subject and appreciate having your take on it, especially about returning home being a dream for Frodo. No one had been as tramatized as deeply and endured such unceasing and increasing demonic torment for months. Indeed only Divine Love could heal such wounds and that, we hope, is the healing Frodo found in the West. I have my own LOTR blog (http://momentsofgracelotr.blogspot.com) about God’s Presence in Middle-earth and how His children there valiantly act to fulfill His will for them (or act against it). It’s part of a book I am writing on the subject too. Please pray for it and me! Thank you!
Namarie, God bless, Anne Marie 🙂
Sam also had PTSD, although not as severe, as he had to go to the Havens at the end as well.
You are right, I had not thought of that! His may have been lessened by having a loved one back home that stuck with him whereas Frodo was alone.