Up at Night

Passage from the text:
“In the dead night, Frodo lay in a dream without light. Then he saw the young moon rising; under its thin light there loomed before him a black wall of rock, pierced by a dark arch like a great gate. It seemed to frodo that he was lifted up, and passing over he saw that the rock-wall was a circle of hills, and that within it was a plain, and in the midst of the plain stood a pinnacle of stone, like a vast tower but not made by hands. On its top stood a pinnacle of stone, like a vast tower but not made by hands on its top stood a figure of a man. The moon as it rose seemed to hang for a moment above his head and glistened in his white hair as the wind stirred it. Up from the dark plain below came the crying of fell voices, and the howling of many wolves. Suddenly a shadow, like the shape of great wings, passed across the moon. The figure lifted his arms and a light flashed from the staff that he wielded and the wolves yammered. There was a noise like a strong wind blowing, and on it was borne the sound of hoofs, galloping, galloping, from the East. ‘Black Riders!’  thought Frodo as he wakened, with the sound of the hoofs still echoing in his mind. He wondered if he would ever again have the courage to leave the safety of these stone walls. He lay motionless...”

Pg#: 125

Comments and Questions:
So Frodo is having a nightmare. And it seems as if his subconscious desire to see Gandalf is breaking through. Yeah, that old man with white hair and a staff- that’s Gandalf. Why does Frodo want to see Gandalf? Because Gandalf has all the answers right now. One of the things Frodo is very anxious about are the things he describes as having great shadowy wings accompanied by horse galloping.  These things called Black Riders have been chasing Frodo and his friends down for half of the book so far. It’s not certain what will happen if they catch him, but it can’t be good for someone safeguarding the ring that rules all other rings. I predict there will be a climactic encounter with the Black Riders since the affair has been drawn out for so long and it keeps Frodo from getting good sleep.