Why did Frodo have to leave Middle-earth?

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[aimeem]

I like how the movie shows wounds on Frodo's neck where the increasing weight of the ring has been digging into his skin.

[lotusflower]

Finally, a video that gives Frodo the credit he deserves. He gave everything of himself to save The Shire. Interesting that just as in the book the people of the Shire overlook his great heroism and sacrifice, so do so many LOTR fans. It seems fashionable to honour Sam’s heroism but not Frodo’s; as if only one character can be heroic.

[enriquehartmann]

This makes me cry....because that's how it felt when I came back from the war. Its been 20 years and I can still feel those wounds. And im not talking about ones on the outside.

[Destroyer]

I always got the impression that the Ring simply broke his spirit and going to the undying lands was the only place he could be truly rid of the Ring’s influence.

[nategraham]

His monologue in the movie about never being able to go back, and never being the same again always make me bawl. I feel it all the same, I’m sure most veterans do, in their own way. And how Pipen and Mary get so much recognition, other veterans get more strictly due to which branch they served in.

[WillFredward]

You handled this subject very well, with the sensitivity and gentleness it deserved

[TheWanderingFire]

I believe Tolkien had his own war experiences to deal with, but would have also noticed other veterans who were not coping well after the war ended. Many were far more severely wounded, physically and mentally, and Tolkien would have seen how British society reacted, quite often hiding those veterans away and forgetting about them, like the Shire folk did with Frodo.
"In the Season of the Dressing of the Wells" is a short story in an anthology called _"After the King: Stories in Honour of JRR Tolkien"_ that features a soldier who has returned to Britain after the war, and some of the awkwardness he experiences in returning to society.

[jaecaldwell]

as a chronically ill person, the concept of healing and rest from wounds that could never heal otherwise and that no one else will ever truly understand unless theyve gone through the same things you have, being more desired and positive than some form of death or eternal life is so deeply relateable. yes, the PTSD Tolkien was relating to when writing this is deeply known to me. "i just want to feel okay (again)" is probably a sentiment JRRT felt very very often, and that feeling applies to so so many chronic issues, whether physical or mental that its hard not to recognize it in Frodo if you deal with these issues.

Sam may have been a resilient caretaker, and that deserves its own awards, but to come through a situation that leaves you with chronic pain and permanently alters your view of the world?? of course the desire to rest and recover is what calls to you the most.

[classics]

The Valar were really the only beings in the world who could’ve healed wounds as severe as those inflicted on Frodo. Estë, the lady of the gardens of Lórien in Valinor, has the power to heal all hurts and weariness, and Nienna specializes in guiding souls through grief and sorrow. They were Frodo’s only hope of healing, both externally and internally.

[MrAjh]

It sounds a lot like grief where anniversaries ambush you. A wound that will never heal 😥

[ludwigfranzpl]

Very deeply moving. Your voice and I confess to weeping as you spoke. Thank you. This is just what Tolkien did - and still does - to me when I read The Return of the King. Catharsis.

[tylerlacor]

This touches a lot of real world topics in terms of PTSD, thank you for talking about this. ❤

[SigilOfAletheia]

In that moment when Frodo is unburdened by the ring, he seems to draw the very nihilistic sense of life that consumed Denathor and his many years of contact with Sauron via the Palantiri. It makes me wonder if this grating of the soul is a lingering effect of those with a prolonged encounter with Sauron.

[artmanoo]

I’ve always wondered this. I’ve read the books a few times and watched the movies several times. And I knew it had something to do with the wounds. But I’ve never had it explained before like this with no ambiguity. Thank you. After all these years I finally fully know.

[allamaadi]

Wonderful stuff. Thank you for your work.

[NBfun]

I really love the part in Moria when Tolkien gives us a lens into Frodo’s inner battle with the ring… even that early in the story it was working on him. I don’t remember the exact wording but it was something in the tune of Frodo from that moment on in his journey felt an immense sense of dread, but went on doggedly nonetheless. Frodo’s will was constantly under assault from the ring but he kept moving forward nonetheless, which displays more willpower than pretty much anyone else could muster

[host_theghost]

Tolkien absolutely nails what many people experience with PTSD: your physical scars become associated with feelings of shame and self-reproach. Worst of all is the feeling of having failed to protect yourself or others. Each wound, beyond being physically painful, is a reminder: he was stabbed with the Morgul-blade because he put on the Ring; he was stung by Shelob because he trusted Gollum's guidance even after being warned by Faramir; and he lost his finger after claiming the Ring. I always hoped/believed that Frodo would come to recognize in the undying lands that he didn't fail simply because he carried a burden that no one could endure.

[ZarathustraDK]

Also, Merry & Pippin were vetoed from the boatride because, as Gandalf put it "Those hobbitches stole my fireworks".

[chrisp]

Well done. Profoundly well done from the perspective of self sacrifice and saving something for others but not being able to receive it yourself. Thank you.

[Pepingco]

I teach Wilfred Owen's poetry in my English class, and the theme of feeling betrayed by the promise of glory and adventure in the war weighed heavily in Owen's poetry, just as it also resonates through Tolkien's writing.