The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Lesson Plan

Consider Frodo’s recollection of Elrond’s words about friendship in unexpected places. How does this scene illustrate Tolkien’s idea about "consolation"?

Tolkien's ideas about "consolation", as represented in his lecture "On Fairy-Stories", represent a continuation of his ideas about eucatastrophic situations in fiction. In Tolkien's view, the sense of "sudden, miraculous grace" provided by the unforeseen appearance of homelike Faramir is an essential quality in a fairy-story. And it permits reassuring lessons to be drawn by the characters and readers of the story – that friends can be found anywhere, that goodness persists despite evil, etc.

Consider Sam’s and Frodo’...