Because Faramir’s words dovetail so well with the earlier words of Boromir, serving as their antidote, and since Tolkien has connected the two in our minds by making them brothers, it is clear that Faramir is being presented as Boromir’s alter ego. As such, he is also a representative of humanity—Everyman’s other self, so to speak. Whereas Boromir’s pride had blinded him to the folly of using evil to defeat evil, Faramir’s humility sees that there can never be a bona fide reason to employ evil means for an ostensibly good end. This is summed up in his earlier declaration that he “would not
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