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Seeking comfort in the past three days, I have more than once turned to The Lord of the Rings. Even if you're not the Tolkien fan that I am, you've likely encountered a few Middle-Earthisms yourself this week, whether it be Gandalf's "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us" or Samwise Gamgee's "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." (A line added for the films that I think Tolkien would've approved of.) There is, though, another line of dialogue I've been stuck on since the 2024 election was decided.

Moviegoers will remember it from The Return of the King, during which Gandalf and Pippin take a moment of reflection in Minas Tirith, with their eyes pointed toward Mordor. Thinking of his friends' perilous journey, Pippin asks the wizard, "Is there any hope Gandalf? For Frodo and Sam?" After leaning to be on his level, Gandalf responds, "There never was much hope. Only a fool's hope."

If you've only seen the Peter Jackson movies, you might think that Gandalf is harkening back to his line from The Fellowship of the Ring, when he called Pippin a "FOOL OF A TOOK!" for giving away his position in Moria. That subtext is absolutely there, don't get me wrong, but a dive into the text reveals that there's more to the "fool's hope" line than a reference to probably the harshest put down in the history of Middle-Earth.

In The Return of the King novel, a nearly identical quote comes from Gandalf after a meeting with Denethor II, Steward of Gondor. A selection reads as follows:

"Outside there was a starless blackness as Gandalf, with Pippin beside him bearing a small torch, made his way to their lodging. They did not speak until they were behind closed doors. Then at last Pippin took Gandalf's hand.  

'Tell me,' he said, 'is there any hope? For Frodo, I mean; or at least mostly for Frodo.'  

Gandalf put his hand on Pippin's head. 'There never was much hope,' he answered. 'Just a fool's hope, as I have been told.'"

As you might guess, the person who told Gandalf that was Denethor himself. It comes from an earlier conversation in which Denethor pillories Gandalf's plan to send the One Ring into Mordor. When Gandalf asks what the Steward would have done differently, he responds:

"[...] surely not for any argument would [I] have set this thing at a hazard beyond all but a fool’s hope, risking our utter ruin, if the Enemy should recover what he lost."

Before we continue, there's something you need to consider about Denethor. Memorably portrayed by John Noble as a madman who eats tomatoes like he's punishing God for making them, the character gets a worse rap from the movies than his literary counterpart deserves. Though Denethor does eventually turn to madness in the text, it takes him years, and during that time, Tolkien portrays him as a decent leader. He's prone to depression, sure, but he's also terrifically logical, a good tactician and, in better times, a wise ruler. Unfortunately, it's logic that leads to Denethor's downfall.

As a way to spy on his enemy Sauron, Denethor makes use of the Palantir seeing stone. Aware that he is being watched, Sauron sends Denethor calamitous visions of the future that eventually drive him to despair, and here's the worst part: Sauron sends him the truth. His power is such that the odds against the free peoples of Middle-Earth are unfathomably high. When Denethor commits suicide later in the book, it's not because Sauron warped his vision of reality; it's because he kept him looking at it.

But as real as Sauron's power was, so too was Gandalf's plan.

Was it in itself a foolish plan? Not at all! The wizard knew the stoutness of a Hobbit's spirit could reject the temptation of the Ring. He also knew the Dark Lord had no category for things such as small as them, and that they could get by his defenses unnoticed. What was foolish about Gandalf's plan, as Denethor is correct in declaring, is not that it was impossible, but it was deeply, deeply improbable. That, beloved reader, is a fool's hope.

This week was our own Palantir, our own vision of a calamitous future. Like Sauron's visions, they are a reflection of the truth, and we must treat them as such. We must know that things will get worse, and we must act to protect our loved ones, especially those in LGBTQ communities and communities of color. But remember, as you do the wise thing; as you plan, as you cry, as you rest, and as you fight, remember: You must also be foolish.

You must also hope.

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On waking up on November 6, by Grame McMillan