Why does Frodo leave Middle-earth at the end of The Lord of the Rings?

the Book and film versions of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” They have a lot of similarities, but also some key differences. Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Return of the King makes some major changes to JRR Tolkien’s source material, such as cutting to an operation that sweeps the Shire (the hobbits rebelling to reclaim their homeland from Saruman’s forces). However, both Tolkien’s novel and Jackson’s film end with Frodo leaving Middle-earth. Why? Other hobbits, e.g Merry and Pippin, however, get a less dramatic (though still poignant) ending..

So, why did the Hobbit hero at Bag End need to leave? Everything is fine, right? The short answer is that Frodo leaves Middle-earth because…actually, I’ll let him explain that. Here’s how he justifies his move to his beloved Sam in the final pages of Tolkien’s book:

“I’m hurt badly, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it was saved, but not for me. It must be so often, Sam, when things are in danger: someone has to give it up, lose it, so that others can keep it.”

Earlier, Frodo goes into a little more detail when speaking to Gandalf about his “deep hurt.” When they pass the Ford of Bruinen (where the Black Riders attacked Frodo early in his quest), old Frodo’s wound hurts in his shoulder, and Gandalf replies, “Alas, there are some wounds that cannot be fully healed,” to which Frodo replies:

“There is no real turning back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will never be the same; for I will never be the same. I am wounded by knife, sting, tooth, and long burden. Where shall I find rest?”

The answer, of course, is over the seas, in the West, in the undying lands. Let’s break things down.

Frodo succeeds in his quest, but not without a cost. Stabbed by the Black Knights on Weathertop. Later, Shelob stabbed him in the neck, drenching his body with her poison. Gollum bites his finger. Do I need to continue? Frodo spends his months of quest passing through the bell.

That’s just the physical side of things. He came very close to succumbing to the ghost world in the weeks following his knife wound. Who knows what kind of demonic threat he and Shelob face. And let’s not forget the strange ring. This thing weighs on him for 17 years in Tolkien’s original books before he leaves on his quest, and then becomes heavier as he approaches Mount Doom. The experience tore his mind and soul apart. Trust me, if you’ve only watched Jackson’s films, it’s hard to realize how serious Frodo’s sacrifice was. (There’s a reason I brought up this issue two years ago He is the real hero of the story(Even if Tolkien technically chose Sam.)

There is a point in The Return of the King, when Frodo and Sam slowly ascend Mount Doom, where we get a glimpse of Frodo’s inner conflict. It’s in the movie, but the book version is better. Here’s what Frodo says:

“I have no taste of food, no sensation of water, no sound of wind, no memory of tree or grass or flower, no image of moon or star. I am naked in the dark, Sam, and there is no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I begin to see it even with my waking eyes, and everything else fades away.”

Frodo’s experience during the War of the Ring breaks him mentally, spiritually, and physically, to the point that he becomes sick at the memory of some of his wounds. But it gets worse.

In a letter to a fan in September 1963, Tolkien explained Frodo’s mentality after the destruction of the One Ring. First, he feels relieved, regains his sanity, and approaches death. When he survives and recovers, he begins to worry. Arwen noticed first, which is why she gave him her jewel as a source of comfort… and to put a bug device in his ear about possibly going west to find healing. Per Tolkien:

It was not only nightmarish memories of past horrors that plagued him, but also unreasonable self-reproach: he saw himself and everything he did as a broken failure.

When Frodo says he will never be the same, even if he returns to the Shire, he is actually reflecting the lure of darkness (Tolkien uses a capital “D”) and an inner sense of pride that he will not return as a true hero, but merely an “instrument for good.” There’s even a part of him that still wants the One Ring after it’s gone. As Tolkien once said:

Frodo was sent or allowed to pass over the sea to be healed – if possible, before he died. He had to “die” in the end (…) So, he went to purgatory and to the reward, for a while: a period of contemplation, peace, and gaining a truer understanding of his place in smallness and greatness.

In the end, Frodo goes west to heal, find out where he is, and get a little rest from his long labors.