In book V of The Lord of the Rings, there are several characters who die, or come very close to dying. Three of these characters, Denethor II, Gandalf, and Peregrin Took (Pippin), as well as their choices and actions in response to their seemingly impending doom, will be the focus of this essay. Pippin is a "teenage" hobbit and the youngest of the Fellowship that left Rivendell. His moment comes during the attack on the Black Gate, the entrance to Mordor. Upon hearing the fate of Frodo and Sam and Gandalf's rejection of Sauron's terms, he was horrified. It is stated that “it seemed better to him to die early and leave the bitter story of his life, for it was all in ruins.” Frodo and Sam were presumed dead, Sauron had the Ring, and Gandalf had basically sent them all on a kamikaze attack on the Black Gate. Things were looking pretty bleak for him, and indeed for everyone, so his desperation is a reaction quite reasonable to the situation. Despite the unfortunate circumstances Pippin found himself in, he bravely faced the forces of Mordor, even striking...