Two characters that don't meet Nietzsche's criteria of an Übermensch are the friends, Pippin and Merry. Together, the friends halted the Fellowship's journey on more occasions than one. Merry, bored beyond belief, searches for something to entertain himself. During his search, he finds a stone, where he promptly throws it into the water. By this careless act of boredom, he endangers the Fellowship by alerting the sea monster of their presence.
Another occasion was when the Fellowship entered the Mines. They silently crept through the Mines and watched out for any dangers. While they make their way into the room where several dwarfs died, Pippin backs away. Completely unaware of his surroundings, he backs into a well, knocking over a bucket and sending a loud crash through the entire area. Which, ultimately, leads to the Orcs to finding them.
 |
| Pippin |
On both occasions, Pippin and Merry endangers someone who fits the criteria of an Übermensch; Frodo. If one of their mistakes had done more than endangered his life, they wouldn't have fulfilled their quest. Pippin and Merry are neither a lion, a camel, or a baby. They do not fulfill Nietzsche's criteria.
No comments:
Post a Comment