Latest / The Book Brief Project
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers — Tolkien’s Darkest Moral Question
The Two Towers is remembered for Helm’s Deep, the fall of Isengard and Gandalf’s return. But Tolkien places the moral center of the book somewhere quieter: in Frodo’s decision to show pity to Gollum.J.R.R. Tolkien splits The Two Towers into two very different movements. One follows armies, kings and open war across Rohan and Isengard. The other narrows almost completely to Frodo, Sam and Gollum moving through a darker, more intimate journey toward Mordor. That structural divide matters because the second half turns the epic away from military victory and toward questions of mercy, corruption…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.