Lord of the Rings 30 Day Challenge - Day 9

Day 9 - Favorite Hobbit

As I've already said in my first post, Sam is my favorite hobbit and character in general and since I've already given a fairly detailed reason of why he's my favorite, I decided that I'd go with my

second favorite hobbit, Pippin.  Pippin is just adorable which is probably why I first started to really like him, but aside from that he's just funny, compassionate, kind and he has this carefree innocence that I love.  I also feel though that he's one of the characters that really develops and grows up throughout the movies.  He starts out as this very carefree, mischievous fellow, always following Merry around and inevitably getting in trouble.  And then he's suddenly thrust into this adventure.  There's a part of me that's always sad to see him changing and maturing because I think part of what I love about the hobbits is just how carefree and unconcerned they are.  But in his case, Pippin had to outgrow that.

He and Merry had no idea what they were getting into when they joined Frodo and Sam or when they joined the fellowship.  All of a sudden, the world got a whole lot bigger and whole lot darker,

they didn't really know what hit them.  So throughout the first movie and most of the second one, Pippin starts growing up some, though he still does and says a lot of stupid albeit usually funny stuff, but there's still that kind of innocence which I really notice after Treebeard says the Ents will not help in the war.  When he tells Merry that maybe they should just go home, I feel that that is him thinking that they'll be safe at home, that they could just go back to their carefree lives and not have to deal with all the death and destruction that has surrounded them almost from the moment they left the Shire.

And its here that I think he really starts to mature and think for himself when Merry tells him they

won't be safe in the Shire, that if they don't do something to stop Sauron and Saruman, the Shire will burn along with everything else.  Not long after, Pippin's the one who tells Treebeard to head south and in so doing shows Treebeard the remnants of the trees that Saruman had destroyed.  Pippin, who always followed along and never really seemed to think or have any ideas for himself, is changing.  And once he and

Merry are separated, all of a sudden, Pippin starts getting things done and thinking for himself.  He

lit the beacon of Minas Tirith, he saved Gandalf from an orc, saved Faramir from being burned alive, and at the end he charges straight into battle with what remains of the fellowship.  I really love the the scene between him and Faramir where he tells Faramir that he is strong like Boromir, but his strength is of a different kind.  Wow, Pippin's gained some wisdom and insight too along his journey.  And at the end, again, its obvious that Pippin has changed, but he's in essence still himself.  He's seen a lot, experienced a lot, he's not quite so carefree, the blind innocence has gone, but he's still Pippin; kind, compassionate, loyal, and funny, and that's why I love him.