Fattylumpkin wrote:
It seems to me that their relationship changes when they arrive in Lothlorien starting with Legolases defense of Gimli to Haldir's "A dwarf! That is not well." with "he has been brave and faithful". They do have one last spat over the blindfolding and then there is the meeting with Galadriel and it all changes!!.
I believe it is Frodo who comes to Gimli's defence at that point, not Legolas. But you are right it is in Lothlorien that the friendship between Legolas and Gimli is formed > 'Often he [Legolas] took Gimli with him when he went abroad in the land, and the others wondered at this change.' I agree with you, the empathy that Galdriel shows to Gimli, and the power of that empathy to turn suspicion and hurt into a profound loyalty and friendship, is a profound moment in the book. A few words of true hospitality, and being able to stand in someone else's shoes and walk around in them (as Calpurnia puts it in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

) can turn a foe into a friend. Tolkien deftly shows in that short exchange that what might seem insignificant and trivial to bystanders can mean the world to the one feeling marginalised and misunderstood. And it leads to reciprocation of empathy, as we see from Gimli's love for Lorien - he, as a dwarf, is able to love what the elves love, and it is a big step in confronting pride and old resentment to acknowledge that. Importantly, I think Legolas recognises this, though it is not explicitly mentioned. And probably he learns from Galdriel's example too.
So the friendly rivalry between Legolas and Gimli during battle is just another (but valuable) step in the process of increased understanding and empathy between the races - just as they shared an appreciation for lothlorien, in this chapter they (and we) are reminded that they also share a common hatred of orcs. As is mentioned in this thread, I guess the chapter gets across the point that Elves and Dwarfs actually have much in common; but it also tells us they also have much to learn from each other, indeed from their very differences. They need not be the same to work together or get along with each other - in fact their diverse strengths and practices (e.g. uses of arrow/axe; keen-sightedness/knowledge of stonecraft) are all proved valuable in their own right in this chapter. The banter between the two is also quite fun and endearing to read! It's not just the characters who need some relief from the (brilliantly conveyed) tension of the battle of Helm's Deep, the reader does too I suppose.
Other than Gimli and Legolas, several bonds are strengthened in this chapter (Aragorn and Eomer, Gimli and Eomer, Aragorn and Theoden, the introduction of Gamling): all reflections of the camaraderie and trust cemented during adversity, indeed in the face of death. This is an important backdrop to the rest of the story. The joint battle-cries of Aragorn and Eomer are symbolic of the future alliance between the King of Gondor and the King of Rohan.
As for the battle scenes and navigating the descriptions of ramparts, culverts, citadels and all the rest...I agree, it's a challenge, but when I focused on turning the words into an actual images in my mind, I thoroughly enjoyed it - bit like a jigsaw puzzle!