For the seventh time...

I just finished reading Lord of the Rings for the seventh time, I think. Every time I read it through, I notice something different. This is the first time I've read it since "The Return of the King" movie came out, and I think that fact influenced what I really noticed during this reading.

My mind was just blown by how important a part "The Scouring of the Shire" is to the story and most of all, to the characters. I still understood why Peter Jackson left it out, so I won't rag on him... about that, anyway... I've got bigger bones to pick with him (like Faramir). My argument for "The Scouring of the Shire" has always been that it really portrays the pervasiveness of evil-- that nothing can escape its taint.

This time, though, I realized how important the final episode was to the character of each of the hobbits. Throughout the story, they all change and grow, and you see that happening, but the scouring basically serves as a before-and-after picture. You can see the early Frodo/Sam/Merry/Pippin in the hobbits of the Shire... their fear and uncertainty. But after the adventure, they have such a greater understanding of everything, from logistical things like raising armies to internal things like the importance of courage and standing up for what is right. Their growth is really made obvious by the final chapters of the story... that's what makes "The Scouring of the Shire" so darn great.