I know in one of the tape trees she talks about the "wilderland" as a
Tolkien term. I've not read Tolkien and would love any insight anyone can
lend on this. Was the wilderland a specific locale in the trilogy, where you
either had to hit the stones or the quicksand?
I don't recall a specific locale of quicksand, but in a general sense, fear
was a very big theme in the Lord of the Rings...there were plenty of
instances where a feeling of fear developed and a sense of dread(quicksand)
overtook the person. This occured most notably in the case of Boromir, who
was completely taken over by his desire for the ring, and Denethor who was
filled with so much fear and dread that he set himself on fire and attempted
to also burn his son, Faramir. It is especially difficult for Frodo and Sam
Gamgee to continue on in the very end as they get further and further into
the heart of Mordor. But it is by little steps (stepping stones) that they
manage to succeed, from the very beginning, meeting at a restaurant by the
Brandywine River, to being at the very edge of the mountain of fire. And
when the hobbits return to their home, the Shire, you can see how they have
changed remarkably from being timid and afraid(Pippin and Merry especially)
to being strong and fearless, so that they drive out the army of bandits who
have taken it over.
Of course we could spend hours mulling over this subject but this is just my
offhand response.
Victor
