The importance of Tolkien's minor characters
One of the great things about The Lord of the Rings is Tolkien’s use of minor characters inasmuch as they have important, sometimes critical, parts to play.
For example:
Gaffer Gamgee – (unwittingly) sends a Black Rider off to Buckleberry because he thought Sam and Frodo had already left Hobbiton. No Gaffer, no Lord of the Rings (well from page 82 onwards anyway!)
Fatty Bolger – stalls a number of Black Riders at Crickhowell, aiding Frodo’s escape from the Shire
Radagast the Brown – unwittingly helps to defeat Saruman’s plans by passing on Gandalf’s request to animals that he requires information at Isengard. Without this, Gandalf would have remained imprisoned in Orthanc, with dire consequences.
Tom Bombadil – hardly minor, but without him perhaps no Merry and Pippin, or at least no Numenorean Sword for Merry to help defeat the Witch King with.
Glorfindel and Asfaloth. What would have happened without the Elf to assist driving the black riders into the river, and Asfaloth to rush Frodo to Rivendell?
Erkenbrand. No Erkenbrand and his men, no victory at Helm’s Deep.
Ghan buri Ghan – No Ride of the Rohirrim, they would have been waylaid or stalled until it was too late to assist Gondor.
Beregond – Halts some of the guards’ attempts in bringing Faramir to a grissly end at Rath Dinen. Without him, the line of the Stewards may have come to a halt.
Gwaihir and Landroval: who would have saved Gandalf in Isengard? Who would have saved Frodo and Sam from the fires of the erupting Orordruin? i suppose this applies to eagles in general.
I've probably missed loads, but I put it to you that the forces of 'good' would not have suceeded if perhaps one or two of the minor characters above had not intervened?
Nob - Barliman Butterbur's lackey at The Prancing Pony, if he had not gone outside looking for Merry and found two Ringwraiths stooping over his semi-conscious body, Merry would have been taken prisoner and who knows what effect this would have had on the quest to send the Ring to Mt Doom? He certainly would not have been there to help kill the Witch King. Also, if Nob had not given Sam that bag of apples, what else would Sam have used for target practice on Bill Ferny's head?
What I'm trying to say is...what an amazing, intricate, well thought out plot LOTR has (which I'm sure we all know already...but still) The Quest was so desperate that its success depended on the actions of lots of different characters. I think that these wellknown words of Galadriel, not only apply to the Fellowship, but to all the characters (major and minor) involved in the story.
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all
I think Tolkien understood the idea that everybody has some part in everything, no matter how little that part is. I think that's where they nabbed that line for Galadriel in the Fellowship movie, "even the smallest person can change the course of the future" and so forth.
That's what makes the story a little more realistic (and coincidentally was a common practice in the writings of the early 20th century), including lots of characters that show up, and are practically never seen again. It certainly makes things more realistic, seeing as how you meet and see people once, and then never see them again.
I know I forgot loads more. These are just a few of those important minor characters. I'm expecting to hear more from you wonderful people. Any additions? 🙂