It is a place of terrible fear for Gollum, before his betrayal of Sam and Frodo, who pass by it on their way to Shelob’s lair, and an even greater source of self-destruction for the relatively few soldiers left, after the Battle of Pelennor Fields outside Minas Tirith, and even then its only thanks to the centuries-strong alliance between Gondor and Rohan that kept them alive this far. Yet they go to one last final stand there knowing that there is no hope of victory. So with such a bleak outcome, what could the heroes possibly aim to achieve with this sacrifice?
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It is made very clear both in the Peter Jackson adaptations, and in Tolkien’s original books, that Frodo, Sam and Gollum are on the brink of defeat, because the very worst part of the journey, during which they have to make it across the barren plains of Mordor without being detected by the enormous numbers of Sauron’s servants who occupy the lands, is still before them, and that in order for them to achieve the mission of destroying the One Ring, they will need the help of everyone who loves them. Therefore, it is suggested that the Battle at the Black Gates is a distraction tactic, a way of turning Sauron’s gaze away from the lands and towards the commotion at the edge of his lands, and to draw his forces out and clear a pathway for the hobbits to make their brave journey up the volcano.
But how could the heroes have known that this exact moment was the moment that the hobbits needed them most, and that the Battle of the Black Gates would ultimately achieve its aim of distracting the enemy just long enough to bring about his downfall? Among other ways the trilogy has aged badly, this is a plot point in Tolkien’s writing that critics have often undermined and described as too convenient in the grand aim of the story. But clearly Tolkien had a purpose when he set this out in his original story, and the Battle of the Black Gates could only have one of two functions.
The first is to build tension for the reader, and later the audience, in knowing that the fight cannot be won and that the battle itself is futile. It shows a very valiant and honorable way for the heroes to die, to give their lives fighting for a purpose greater than themselves, even if they have no way of knowing where Frodo and Sam are with the ring at that moment. As they charge into battle, they whisper “for Frodo” and that shows that the fight is symbolic of so much more than the actual swords clashing at that moment, but is rather an honorable way to go out, that epitomizes how all of them have fought so hard for so many months in order to try to save Middle Earth from the terrible darkness that has persisted for thousands of years.
The second option is that they do know exactly what time the right time to strike at Sauron is, in order to distract him and buy the hobbits time. Many people forget, especially in the Peter Jackson movie adaptations in which Aragorn is largely portrayed as the instigator and the leader, that the plans for the quest, the fellowship, and every step along the way are actually largely orchestrated by Gandalf.
Being a wizard who came to Middle Earth to serve the Valar, and a member of the Maiar, Gandalf has many tricks up his sleeves that are demonstrated cleverly along the way, including his ability to use fire and light magic, and his ability to communicate with animals, who were already known to be unlikely allies to the dwarves when they were trapped in the Lonely Mountain during The Hobbit. Therefore, it could be completely feasible that Gandalf has received word from the birds, or even something as small as the moths, that Frodo and Sam are right near the volcano, and that they need help now or never. In this case, the Battle of the Black Gates really did aim to keep the dark lord’s forces occupied and at bay so that the ring-bearers could complete their most important task.
In fact, when presented with Frodo’s Mithril vest at the Black Gate earlier in the story, ad Merry and Pippin take it as a sign that their friend must be dead, Gandalf silences the hobbits in front of the Mouth of Sauron because he trusts that Frodo is still alive. This may very well be because he has heard through some unorthodox channels of communication that the hobbit is nearly at his intended destination. In this way, the Battle of the Black Gates is not futile after all, but is actually just another perfectly executed part of the plan, as many of the twists and turns orchestrated by Gandalf are. It is more than valor and sacrifice, it is a guaranteed win for the fate of Middle Earth, even if not for those on the battlefield themselves.
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