I probably should have written this post back in the summer, because I will probably be foggy on details now, but I would like to share with you all my favorite literary character. As background, a little over a decade ago, the people around me started discussing this thing called Lord of the Rings. I thought it sounded like the dumbest thing I had ever heard of, but one day my brother brought home the movies and suddenly I was hooked. Yes, I did the bad thing and fell in love with the movies before I read the book. I did a skim reading of the books one winter around that time, but it wasn't until this summer when I carefully read them through.
I must say since I watched the movies first, details to blend together, and I am guilty of picking and choosing what changes I like best. Originally the love story between Aragorn and Arwen hooked me as crazy as that may sound. I still like these characters a lot, but further reading into the story I quickly realized the small part their loved played into this excellent trilogy. I could tell you all the characters I like and why for there are very few I dislike apart from the villains, but my very favorite would have to be Faramir.
From the first time I saw "The Return of the King" my heart broke for him when his father admitted Faramir would have died in his father's place. Then Faramir goes out on a suicide mission to prove his loyalty and earn his father's love only to be placed on a burning pyre alive. I suppose it was a pity I felt, but the more I actually read of the story, the more I began to admire this character that Tolkien created.
When Faramir was a very young boy his mother passed away and his father drifted away in grief. It was during this time that Faramir became close with his older brother Boromir despite the fact that his father favored Boromir. Tolkien points out that no matter what favoritism was shown, Faramir still loved and admired his brother. No jealousy ever separated the brothers. Despite Faramir's love for his brother, he still did what he could to make his father proud. This affected his choice in holding Frodo and Sam prisoner when the ring came to his possesion. Yet in the end, Faramir chose the right choice over pleasing his father knowing there would be harsh consequences. His father did indeed verbally abuse him for his choice and comparing him to Boromir. The sad truth is that Boromir met his fate in his lust of the ring. Denethor, as Faramir' father was named, had no desire to return the ruling on Gondor back to the rightful king, but Faramir did so with pleasure after only ruling for a brief spell. After almost dying in a suicide mission to earn his father's love and healing from this wounds and the pyre, Faramir met and fell in love with the lady Eowyn of Rohan. When expressing his feelings, he was bold but not assuming.
From everything I read (and have seen) about Faramir (and I know I am forgetting some things right now), he is selfless. In today's world, we all seem to have this feeling of entitlement. We want what we want when we want it, and many times we ruin relationships with others to meet our own needs first. Faramir was never shown as perfect. He toyed with pleasing his father above all else even if it was the wrong thing, but he still made the right choice in the end. He had a kind spirit and a good heart. In a deleted scene, Pippin tells Faramir that he has "strength of a different kind." He may not have been the warrior that his older brother was, but Faramir took wise council from others and learned from it. His actions led to a part in saving Middle Earth from destruction.
The Bible says:
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4 NKJV)
Faramir could have let his self worth come from what his family thought of him. He could have competed with his brother to be the best soldier. He could have fought to keep his stewardship of the throne or been arrogant with Eowyn. Yet he did none of this. He maintained a gentle spirit and did his duty for the people of his land. What a better place the world might be if we stopped focusing on what we think we should have and started putting others first.
