The Two Towers: Book 4, Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Sam feels like he’s only slept for a few minutes when Faramir returns in the late afternoon with two or three hundred men. Sam stands off to the side with the men as Faramir and Frodo talk. He realizes that Faramir distrusts Frodo’s story about why he was with the Fellowship and where he’s going now. Faramir wants to know about Isildur’s Bane (the Ring) which is referenced in the riddle that sent Boromir to Rivendell, but all Frodo will say is that it doesn’t belong to him and that he’s only its messenger.

Frodo assures Faramir that Boromir would answer his questions, if he were there, and also knows about Frodo’s role as part of the Company. Frodo adds that enemies of Sauron shouldn’t hinder him on his quest. Faramir asks if Frodo was Boromir’s friend, and Frodo hesitates, remembering when Boromir tried to take the Ring, and then says that yes, he was Boromir’s friend. Faramir then reveals that Boromir is dead, and Frodo, dismayed and grieved, realizes that Faramir was trying to catch him in a lie. Frodo asks how Boromir died, since he was alive the last time he saw him, and Faramir alludes to treachery, as though he suspects Frodo of being involved in Boromir’s death.

Growing angry, Sam interrupts the conversation to say that Frodo doesn’t deserve such treatment and to tell Faramir that he’s “got no sense,” helping the enemy by accusing Frodo of treachery. Faramir reprimands Sam for speaking for his master, assures him that he will be fair to Frodo, and tells him to sit quietly, which Sam does, red-faced.

Faramir tells them that Boromir was his brother. Eleven days ago, Faramir dimly heard Boromir blow his horn, and then later saw Boromir’s funeral boat float by on the Anduin. It was a dreamlike sight, but Faramir is certain that it was real and that Boromir is dead. Frodo explains that the boat was from Lothlórien, and Faramir wonders why Boromir went there rather than home to Gondor. Neither Faramir nor Frodo understand how Boromir could have ended up in the Anduin, but Boromir’s horn was found split in two on the shore beneath the Entwash. 

Though Frodo is tired and grieving, he has a task to do, and he begs Faramir to let him go. Faramir would rather take him back to Minas Tirith to speak to Denethor, the Steward of Gondor, but he won’t make his decision in a hurry, so he takes the hobbits with him to a safe place instead. As they walk, Faramir admits to Frodo that he didn’t want to continue their conversation in front of his men and knows that Frodo wasn’t completely honest about Isildur’s Bane. Frodo insists that he told Faramir all he could, and Faramir guesses that Isildur’s Bane was the reason Frodo and Boromir parted badly because Boromir wanted to take it to Minas Tirith.

Faramir is certain that Boromir died well for a good purpose and apologizes to Frodo for his harshness in asking about Isildur’s Bane. The stewards of Gondor are not descended from the line of Elendil and can’t ever become kings. Faramir recalls Boromir’s boyhood displeasure that his father was only a steward and not the king. Still, Frodo remembers that Boromir always treated Aragorn well. Faramir believes it. If Aragorn is really the heir to the throne, Boromir would “greatly reverence him.”

When Faramir mentions the Grey Pilgrim, Frodo tells him that Gandalf, too, is dead. Faramir notes that Gandalf came to Gondor to see their collection of ancient lore and was interested in stories of Isildur. From this research, Faramir has guessed that Isildur’s Bane is a weapon created by Sauron. He’s kept this guess secret and he assures Frodo that he wouldn’t try to take Isildur’s Bane from him to use even if Gondor were falling.

Faramir doesn’t seek that sort of power and doesn’t love fighting. He only loves the things he fights to protect. Though he wants Gondor to have peace, he understands the necessity of war against an enemy that wants to destroy them. He doesn’t want Gondor to be feared, and he doesn’t want Frodo to fear him. He promises that he won’t ask any more questions and will help Frodo on his quest if he can. Frodo says nothing, afraid that he and Sam are all that’s left of the Company and wary that Faramir, like his brother, will be possessed by desire for the Ring. Still, Frodo likes Faramir and longs to ask him for help and advice.

Sam listens to the conversation but doesn’t participate, glad that they weren’t discussing Gollum and hopeful that they might leave him behind. Feeling as though he’s being watched, he catches a glimpse of Gollum but doesn’t say anything about it. Faramir asks Frodo’s permission to blindfold him for the last part of the journey, and Frodo agrees. Mablung and Damrod lead the hobbits so they don’t stumble. When Faramir removes their blindfolds, they stand in a fortified cave in front of a glittering waterfall that Faramir calls the Window of the Sunset.

Faramir invites the hobbits to sleep while their meal is prepared, then goes to speak to his men. The men saw no orcs, but they did see a strange animal—Gollum. Faramir calls it a bad omen, and Sam keeps quiet, unsure if they can trust Faramir. Though he’s exhausted, he forces himself to stay awake while Frodo sleeps, even though he wouldn’t be able to defend Frodo against Faramir’s men. Faramir’s men wake Frodo and bring the hobbits water to wash with before they eat. After they eat, Frodo tells Faramir stories about the travels of the Fellowship, careful not to reveal anything important about his quest and instead focusing on Boromir.

Faramir doesn’t have much hope for Gondor’s survival during the coming war, even if Aragorn joins them with the sword of Elendil. He believes that Gondor has “brought about its own decay” like its founders, the men of Númenor, by falling into complacency rather than remaining wary of the return of the enemy. The Númenoreans sought eternal life and cared more about preserving their past than securing their future.

The stewards of Gondor were wiser. Faramir explains that generations ago, Gondor found allies in the people that would become known as the Rohirrim and that Gondor taught them lore and manners. However, as the Rohirrim have become more like the Númenoreans (the Men of the West), the remaining Númenoreans in Gondor have become more like the Rohirrim (lesser, Middle Men) in their love of war itself. Boromir, for his valor and skill in battle, was considered the best man in Gondor.  

Sam asks Faramir for stories about elves, but Faramir doesn’t know much elven lore. He adds that another fault of the men of Gondor is that they, like the other men of Middle-earth, have become suspicious of the elves and estranged from them. Faramir is jealous that the hobbits have met Galadriel and Sam gushes that he wishes he could make a song about her.

When Faramir says that her beauty sounds perilous, Sam tells him that people bring “their peril with them into Lórien” and almost says something about Boromir before he cuts himself off. Faramir prompts him to continue about Boromir and the peril he brought with him to Lothlórien. Sam says that, though Boromir was a fine man, Sam knew all along that Boromir wanted “the Enemy’s Ring!” The hobbits are both horrified that Sam has accidentally blurted the secret of Isildur’s Bane, and Sam threatens Faramir not to take advantage of Frodo because of his mistake.

Faramir stands, musing to himself about how he has the hobbits in his power, and repeats Sam’s words about this opportunity to “show his quality.” Sam and Frodo run for their swords, but Faramir sits again, finally understanding Boromir’s struggle with his desire for Isildur’s Bane and realizing that the “trial” was too much for him. Faramir reassures the hobbits that he is not the sort of man to desire power, and, even if he was, he already swore he wouldn’t take the Ring from Frodo. He comforts Sam about his blunder, claiming that Sam’s heart understood that Faramir was trustworthy even if Sam didn’t consciously think it.

The hobbits return to their seats and Faramir praises Frodo for taking on such a heavy burden before offering them another chance to rest and asking where the hobbits wish to go. Weary now after his shock and fear, Frodo explains that he’s trying to find a way into Mordor to throw the Ring into Mount Doom, but he doesn’t think he’ll actually make it. Faramir is surprised for a moment, then carefully lifts Frodo and carries him to bed. Sam bows to Faramir and tells him that he’s proven his quality to be “the very highest.” Faramir refuses the praise, claiming that he felt no desire to do anything but help Frodo. Sam accepts that and gives him a compliment instead: Faramir reminds him of Gandalf and wizards.