Editing The Two Towers (section)

== Interwoven narratives ==

{{further|Interlacing in The Lord of the Rings}}

The narrative in the volume is [[Interlacing in The Lord of the Rings|interlaced]], unlike [[Narrative structure of The Lord of the Rings#The Fellowship of the Ring|the largely linear narrative]] in ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', as the Fellowship is broken and the different groups pursue their own quests. The [[Quests in Middle-earth|main quest]], to destroy the [[One Ring]],  does not progress at all in book 3; conversely, the other quests do not make progress in book 4 as Frodo and Sam continue their dangerous journey towards Mordor. The timeline is more complex than this would suggest, as many smaller-scale interlacings occur as the characters travel through Middle-earth.{{sfn|West|1975|pp=81-83}}{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=181–190}}

Interlacing allowed Tolkien to weave an elaborately intricate story, presented through the eyes of the Hobbit protagonists, "underscoring [their] frequent bewilderment and disorientation". Most directly, this is achieved by letting the reader know only what one character sees as he struggles forwards, not knowing what lies ahead, where his friends are, or whether the quest has already failed.{{sfn|Sturgis|2013|p=389}}{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=181–190}} The bewilderment of the reader is minimized by the use of synchronizing 'narrative landmarks', such as the brooch dropped by Pippin and discovered by Aragorn.{{sfn|Holmes|2014|p=137}} Equally, interlacing enables Tolkien to create [[suspense]] and "[[cliffhanger]]" section endings, as when the Ents and [[Huorns]] appear suddenly and decisively in the [[eucatastrophe]] on the battlefield of Helm's Deep.{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=181–190}}

The Tolkien scholar [[Richard C. West]] writes that every reader must notice to some degree "the apparently meandering manner of the plot", where things [[Luck and fate in Middle-earth|happen apparently casually, as if by chance]], as in real life. West illustrates this by examining Merry and Pippin's meeting with the Ents. This causes the Ents to overthrow their enemy Saruman, who was also the enemy of the kingdom of Rohan. This frees up Rohan to go to the aid of Gondor in their war with Sauron. The two Hobbits would never have met the Ents unless Saruman's Orcs had captured them. The Hobbits would not have escaped the Orcs unless Éomer's band of Riders of Rohan, disobeying orders from the King, had hunted the Orc intruders down. West states that each group and character has their own motivation, but their stories interact. It feels natural, and may appear "loose", but "everything is interconnected."{{sfn|West|1975|pp=83-84}} The interlacing allows Tolkien to make hidden connections that can only be grasped retrospectively, as the reader realizes on reflection that certain events happened at the same time.{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=181–190}} Interlace, West notes, can "show purpose or pattern behind change".{{sfn|West|1975|p=89}} This can appear, Shippey writes, as luck, where in daily life it is uncertain whether this is "something completely humdrum and practical or something mysterious and supernatural".{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=170–174}}