ext_111871 ([identity profile] frenchpony.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] dawn_felagund 2005-09-21 05:31 pm (UTC)

I find Miriel's fate interesting knowing that Tolkien was a veteran of the Somme and lived to see great changes in attitude in the field of psychology. To me, Miriel's problem looks like a combination of severe PTSD (known during WWI as "shell shock") and postpartum depression. You don't just snap yourself out of either illness, and both of them leave scars.

Since the Eldar in Valinor didn't get sick, there would have been no way to care for one who did get sick. Miriel came down with two severe psychiatric illnesses, both of which can be fatal if untreated. And there was no treatment available. There is no way to blame her, for there isn't really any blame to be placed. It's like blaming someone for dying of infection before sulfa drugs were invented.

As for Nerdanel, there are some marriages that need to end. Hers was one of them. I don't know that I see her as having done something wrong in ditching Fëanor, but I always wonder about why she chose to leave the kids behind. Most women, when they leave their husbands, seem to want to retain custody of the kids. There were probably some interesting things going on in Nerdanel's mind when she did that.

Finwë -- as you probably know, I don't consider him either evil or good for what he did. He's just a guy struggling with a situation that no one had ever encountered before. The natural state of the Eldar is marriage, not widowhood. Finwë was a gentleman in need of a wife, Fëanor seemed in need of a mother, and lo and behold! there's Indis, who seems to have been willing to be both. I think Finwë's mistake was in trying to please too many people in his life. And I think it was a mistake. An honest-to-God oops that had unfortunate consequences.

Fëanor is something of a spoiled brat, and Finwë probably gave him way too much free rein as a young 'un. I remember reading where, despite the fact that Finwë remarried specifically in order to have more children, he then favored Fëanor over the younger ones, which was another bad choice. But, like the other bad choices made throughout the early Sil, it's not evil; that is, it's not made with malice aforethought.

The Silmarillion: When Good Elves Make Stupid Choices.

Post a comment in response:

(will be screened)
(will be screened if not validated)
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting