Triumph and Courage of ordinary Goodness (The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien)

Member Name: mcader

Product:	The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Date:	13/02/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Timeless writing at home in its Universe

Disadvantages: Descriptions of nature impede any sense of pace

In the famous trilogy saga of books, heralded by some as the literary work of the 20th century, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien effectively gives mythological credence to a simple tale, elaborated from his children's book 'The Hobbit' or 'There and Back Again'.

The result allows him to contrast the simple lives of some interesting fictional characters (hobbits) with a vast world, and an evil force sweeping the lands. It perhaps gave him a vehicle to celebrate his love of nature, language and literature and to design a quest in an imaginative world for readers to escape into that is larger than theirs, with fellow wise beings such as the Elves, and one that can act as an elaborate stage for an absorbing and fresh depiction of the nature of good and evil and its effects.


Evil is at large and is always inherent and threatening to rise, and goodness is simplicity and caution, and a code of honour out of the Arthurian myths. However a lasting impression of these fantastic books is one of the triumph and courage of a very ordinary, realistic warm-hearted goodness. The mythical overtones provide an ideal of reaching and romance, and of working towards a glorious outcome.


'All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.'
from The Fellowship of the Ring


Despite often scornful opinions on the fantastical nature of this epic of the imagination, there is much meaning to be interpreted from this heroic trilogy, a superb recent myth in the style of Star Wars that accommodates elements or stereotypes from history, myth and legend and gives us a fresh, 'historic' world of its own. It has to be remembered that The Lord of the Rings was essentially the beginning for role-playing and fantasy epics, featuring mature depictions of characters like wizards, orcs and trolls.



Tolkien declared himself that there was no particular intended allegory or analogy inherent, and this lends it open to possibilities and also to the simple fact of a good yarn in its own right, including Middle Earth's existence, which is full of differing values and motives. One struggle is for Gandalf the Grey wizard to muster the support of inward-thinking peoples such as the horsemen and awaken them to the universal cause of the Ring-bearers.

So the author takes some pains to state the lack of connection between the WW2 years of the books' writing, and that of the War of the Ring. However the oppression of two wars and the loss of friends could not have escaped being a likely influence. Tolkien simply states his motive as an attempt 'to try my hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them.'


There is no religion as such, but there is a great spiritualism in the wisdom of races like the Elves, the eternal forces of nature and time that is greater than our own lives, and a sense of destiny within the truth of one's own character.......that has a place and a role to offer to the world.........


The story warns of the dangers of fear and narrow-mindedness, and yet at the same time they warn of the danger of being too far-minded (like Saruman the wizard) and susceptible to the power itself. Thus there is the presence of an always shadowy evil, ready to seize upon the company of the ring, and exploit the inherently evil power of the object they must carry. In the creatures there is the presence of potential good still alive within examples of twisted evil (like Gollum) and the presence of potential evil in honourable goodness (like Boromir).


Over everything is the relevance of the ring as a symbol of temptation.....desire.....It is the power of the world over us and its power to become between men; between friends......as the promise of attaining our desires in this brief life before death.......The disguise of the ring is its promise of fast, individual happiness or goodness.....so for Boromir it is the need to save his people in war and vanquish evil that makes him lust for the ring. So in The Lord of the Rings, good and evil is not the black and white affair that is always associated with fantasy sagas, but also an inner struggle over outward influences. It puts one in mind of a famous quote (actually at the end of The Usual Suspects):


'The greatest trick the devil ever played........was convincing the world he doesn't exist'......


The ring will play with your mind and draw you down, but the strength of friendship and the act of progression can see you through. This presentation of evil also relates to the huge awareness of time and history in the novels, and which comes through in the films too........The power of the ring is a great, timeless affair.......greater than any temporary war but always its underlying cause......until the time where it can be destroyed, where the perhaps unlikely Hobbit creatures must be the ones to bear its burden to Mount Doom and destroy it. The evil that is manifested in the searching eye of the Dark Lord Sauron and his minions, such as the Ringwraiths or Nazgul, is only one latest presence of the power of evil within the annals of Middle-Earth.


The race of men are only a race in context with many others.......the elves, the dwarves....each with their own distinctive traits......but it is the burden of each of them to accommodate the powers of the world over them and seek understanding and wisdom to remain strong and uncorrupted......Sauron is a presence that goes back deep into the past and assumes many forms where his power is linked to the One Ring.


The only protection against the power of the Ring is the understanding of its power.......that Gandalf of the Istari warns Frodo about. This, to me relates to the power of the world......where sin and death are present and manifest in one another it is only a child-like simplicity or an understanding of what is happening that can protect us from falling victim to its power. For in the face of the world events being influenced by the Ring, it is the naïve humility and goodness in the hobbit Sam Gamgee that can withstand such intentions and exert the bravery and heroism of the ordinary man..........what is so great about the books is the contrast between this and the powers at large in the land, amongst men, beast, wizard. It is the goodness of the straight-forward simpleton which makes him ultimately one of the strongest characters, the most hardy, in thought and intention, and Gamgee it could be said is a Christ-like presence.


Another great element in the books is the prominence of songs and poems that demonstrate the transience of time, the celebration of nature and the delight of sharing and remembering meaningful moments. It relates to a sense of community and the automatic traits of honesty and camaraderie as being central to a timeless rustic harmony in the Shire home of the hobbits. There is also the great love of names - the names of places - as holding the possibilities of warmth and majesty and the love of features and homelands.

The books are not flawless, however and there could be less descriptions of travel and scenery and more characterization. The films, by the director Peter Jackson, do well to maintain the flow of excitement and to retain the spirituality inherent in the tale.


The Ring of Sin is something that all of us must carry, and although it has the power to destroy us and drag us down, and to deceive us, it is also something that we may be able to destroy and be free of??


The eternal force of nature in the books (and with all its differing creatures) is hugely alive in the sense of mystery and lore, of transient time, of traveling ever onwards through life, and the romantic sorrow that comes even in moments of celebration, joy and peace. The books involve us in an awareness of this fragility - of the time in our lives - amid the ancient history of Middle-Earth, but one where everyone can have a role to play....... There is a beauty within the books that surfaces.


To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell
In glades beneath the misty fell,
Through moor and waste we ride in haste,
And whither then we cannot tell.
With foes ahead, behind us dread,
Beneath the sky shall be our bed,
Until at last our toil be passed,
Our journey done, our errand sped.
We must away! We must away!
We ride before the break of day!'
from The Fellowship of the Ring

Summary: Eternal forces are hugely alive...