This is another chapter that has so much packed into it that I kept being surprised at how it just kept going. If I’d been going with my gut, I’d have said it was three chapters: one about Pippin & Gandalf’s ride to Minas Tirith and the accompanying description of the city; one about the audience with Denethor; and one with Pippin hanging out with Beregond and Bergil, “the deep breath before the plunge.” But nope, just one packed chapter. And it makes sense to take the analysis in pieces.
First, the ride to Minas Tirith. Pippin’s asleep, or else so exhausted as to be in a sort of fugue state, for much of it, but it still provides some points of interest. This is where we see the beacons (as in “The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid.”) - but there’s some key differences from how it’s portrayed in the movie. I’ve veered away from movie discussions for a while in this read-along, but this is one that I want to address. In the book the beacons don’t communicate to Rohan: they are used to send signals between Minas Tirith and the outlying fiefdoms. And they’re not on those remote mountaintops that prompted a thousand questions about how on Arda they keep the soldiers manning those posts supplied: they run along the foothills of the White Mountains, and are combined with waystations where fresh horses are kept for more detailed messages. All in all, it’s a system that makes sense, if one less stirring than the spectacular landscapes and dramatic music from the sequence in the movie. And there was no drama involved in the lighting of them: as Beregond remarks, “It is over-late to send for aid when you are already besieged.” Denethor isn’t stupid or blind to the danger to Minas Tirith; far from it. As a historical note, the idea was inspired by a system used by the Byzantine Empire to send signals between Constantinople and the border with the Abassid Caliphate during the 9th century. Their beacon system spanned some 450mi/720km, and a message could travel the length of it in about an hour.
Minas Tirith itself is of course iconic, but youngins who grew up with the movies (they came out while I was in college) might be surprised to learn that I’m not the only one who had trouble picturing it properly despite how much detail Tolkien puts into the description. It wasn’t until my parents got me an illustrated edition of the trilogy with this piece by Alan Lee that I got it. If it looks familiar, it’s because Alan Lee and John Howe were the two most prominent Tolkien artists since well before the movies, and they worked quite a bit with Jackson & company on the look of the films.
Next, Pippin is a doof:
Do not tell him more than you need, and leave quiet the matter of Frodo’s errand. I will deal with that in due time. And say nothing about Aragorn either, unless you must.’ ‘Why not? What is wrong with Strider?’ Pippin whispered. ‘He meant to come here, didn’t he? And he’ll be arriving soon himself, anyway.’ ... ‘It is scarcely wise when bringing the news of the death of his heir to a mighty lord to speak over much of the coming of one who will, if he comes, claim the kingship. Is that enough?’ ‘Kingship?’ said Pippin amazed. ‘Yes,’ said Gandalf. ‘If you have walked all these days with closed ears and mind asleep, wake up now!’
So I promised back during my write-up of “The Window on the West” that there would be more Faramir-talk in this chapter. The parallels between father and son are pretty clear when you compare Faramir's questioning of Frodo with Denethor's questioning of Pippin. They're both very shrewd and very perceptive, and get much closer to the truth than others might hope. There difference, and this is key, is that Faramir is by nature kind and empathetic, where Denethor is anything but.
An interesting parallel that I never noticed before is that both interrogations are written from the perspective of one who is somewhat incidental to the whole affair. We have Sam's POV for Faramir questioning Frodo, and Pippin's for the interview with Denethor. I know that it seems more than a little odd for me to call the guy answering all the questions “incidental,” but he really kind of is. It's a struggle between Denethor and Gandalf. Gandalf says so right out later, when he talks about Pippin being caught between “two terrible old men.” Denethor is a proud man, and a masterful one. He's far too intelligent to refuse to listen to whatever Gandalf has to say, but at the same time he knows that his aims and Gandalf's aren't necessarily identical. Each is using the other, and each knows it. So it becomes a chess game between them, and Pippin is just another piece on the board right now.
Lastly, we get Pippin hanging out with Beregond of the Guard and, later, Beregond’s son Bergil. Beregond is probably my favorite minor character in LotR (with the possible exception of Fatty Bolger). We’ll be seeing more of him later on, and he’s got an important part to play, but here he’s mostly the Everyman. He gives Tolkien a voice to talk about what’s going on in the city, and gives Pippin the chance to ask questions.
A point that keeps getting emphasized is just how thoroughly prepared Minas Tirith is. The outwall of the Pelennor Fields has been repaired, they’ve got a large store of supplies to withstand a siege, the civilian population has been sent away, and reinforcements are arriving from outlying fiefdoms. Denethor knows what is coming.
Next time, the Dúnedain of Arnor might be valiant but man are they drab, as we'll see in the Passing of the Grey Company.