Aragorn (Strider)
Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Isildur's Heir and Heir to the
Throne of Gondor, wielder of
Narsil reforged, Ranger
of the North, called Elessar the
Elfstone, is a valiant warrior, a natural leader, and, above all, humble. Aragorn never
places himself above anyone, but always takes the role of a servant leader. In fact,
it is this humility that is related to his greatest fault- a lack of confidence about
himself and a conviction that the weakness of Isildur has been passed on to him. It is
only through the loss of Gandalf that Aragorn begins to truly
lead the Fellowship, and through this trial, he begins to accept his role as
the rightful leader of Gondor. He seems to accept the value of all others, but will not
accept responsibility for leading them until it is forced upon him. After taking on that
role, though, Aragorn becomes a threat to Sauron greater almost even than Gandalf has
posed.
If morality in Tolkien's world can be gauged by Gandalf's
opinions of an act, it can
also be found by simply looking at Aragorn's actions. He is both honorable and merciful,
caring deeply and genuinely about others. However, Aragorn is too complex a character
to be simply an element of Tolkien's moral play, as others are. He is an integral element
to the story, a king coming into his own, a warrior and guide, and a healer, changing
along with the story in much the same way that Frodo does.
