Writer J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, whose faith shines through in many of his works. Numerous details in his stories appear to reflect Christian themes or serve as religious allegorical figures. Leaf by Niggle, The Music of the Ainur, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy all contain elements that could be construed as deeply Christian. Tolkien, however, despised the use of allegory and asserted that there was no intentional inner meaning of his stories (Purtill, 2006). Although Tolkien expresses his distaste of the use of allegory, a great number of his works contain elements that could be interpreted as having Christian meaning. Leaf by Niggle is one work by Tolkien that appears to contain a heavy amount of Christian allegory. …show more content…
He compares Frodo’s journey to Mordor in an effort to destroy the ring to Jesus’s journey to Golgotha. He discusses how Frodo accepted his mission as a ring-bearer and endures great suffering in order to save those threatened by evil. Purtill compares this to how Christ died in order to bring salvation to humanity. Moreover, he considers how Gollum betrays Frodo, which is similar to how Jesus was deceived by Judas. Lastly, he makes a comparison between Gandalf’s sacrifice for his friends and that of Christ. In the process of defending the group from the Balrog, Gandalf falls from bridge of Khazad-dûm with his arms stretched out in a cruciform position, and seemingly dies. Later, the group encounters a resurrected Gandalf, which can Purtill says can be interpreted as a Christ figure. Much like Christ, Gandalf sacrificed himself to save the others, and is returned to life (Purtill, 2003). Leaf by Niggle, The Music of the Ainur, and The Lord of the Rings are just a few of Tolkien’s stories that can be interpreted as having underlying Christian meanings. Although J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, he despised the use of allegory in fiction and defended that his works had no deep, inner meaning to them. However, Tolkien also admitted that his story, The Lord of the Rings, was essentially a religious work. Though this contradiction remains, many of Tolkien’s works appear to have numerous Christian themes contained in
C. S. Lewis uses allegory to the Bible throughout his novel. Near the end of the novel Aslan breathes on the frozen statues the white with created out of Aslan`s followers to bring them back to life(Higgins 161).
In the essay, “The Corruption of Power,” by Agnes Perkins and Helen Hill, their primary focus is proving how The Ring entices some characters, and not others, from wanting power. At the beginning of their essay, the authors pose a question, how does the ring impact the morality of Tolkien’s characters? Their quest in this article is to explore this question. Therefore, Perkins and Hill psychologically evaluate J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters, then place them into categories which classify how much influence the ring and the desire to obtain ultimate power, has over them. In their essay, the authors use this opportunity to explore the dualities of good versus evil, strength versus weakness, the glorious versus the humbled.
The Lord of the Rings by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is a book widely known for its rich language, detailed imagery, and profound story that expands over three volumes and six books. The book is scattered with deep characters ranging in back stories and eventual character development. Motifs, key parts throughout the story, include lightness and darkness, eyes, jewelry, and sword. JRR Tolkien even creates his own language for the solemn race of elves in the lengthy three volume novel. A part of this length may be attributed to the unusual placement of many full-form songs and poems within the book, as a break between the usual story. These poems and songs have ranges of playfulness and thoughtfulness. With uses of made up Hobbit words and beautiful
Mankind has always been fascinated by the afterlife. In light of this fascination, it is no surprise that two Christian authors, both known for their fantasy literature, wrote imaginative accounts of the metaphysical: “Leaf by Niggle”, by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Great Divorce, written by C.S. Lewis. Although the works are similar in their vivid imagery and creative imaginings, they are markedly different in style and in the characters they use to develop their story. Both authors create two distinct worlds that are somewhere between Heaven and Hell and both offer beautifully descriptive accounts of these worlds. However, Tolkien’s style is quiet and meditative while Lewis writes with clarity and boldness. Tolkien limits his examination to two main characters while Lewis studies many characters.
It was sea and islands now; the great continent had sunk like Atlantis” (Lewis). When Lewis returned from the war, all hope for a better world was gone. While he was at war, he saw the devastation of a nation, and began to wonder whether or not God existed, because if he did why was there so much fighting and devastation occurring? While at Oxford, Lewis became friends with the well known writer J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the world renowned series The Lord of the Rings, who was a major deterrent for Lewis, helped steer away from atheism and towards the Anglican Church of England. Since Lewis’ conversion Christianity has become a big part of his
J.R.R. Tolkien can be considered the founding father of the genre fantasy. Most of Tolkien’s texts revolve around the same themes. An author will often write about important messages that pertain to society as a whole. His texts often have hidden messages that relate to his themes. In the fantasy novel The Hobbit and novella “Farmer Giles of Ham”, J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates that possession ears to overconfidence, greed and selfishness.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been beloved works among many generations of readers since they were first published. The author of these two books, J.R.R. Tolkien is just as interesting a man as many of the characters he created in the world of Middle-Earth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Africa to a banker manager and his wife in 1892 and had only one sibling, Hilary, who was less than two years younger (Wikipedia). When he was young both of his parents died (one from rheumatic fever, the other from diabetes) and he and his brother were raised by a Catholic priest in Birmingham (Wikipedia). Tolkien was involved in World War One and Two, first as a serviceman, then as a cryptographer (Wikipedia). Indeed he was very
Similarly, Lewis’ colleague at Oxford, J.R.R. Tolkien also defended Fantasy, or as he called it, “fairy-stories.” Tolkien was known for his fantastic works that included The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and an assortment of companion books to the series. He was also well known for his criticism of Beowulf, “The Monsters and the Critics.” His Fantasy series have had broad implications on the fantasy genre as a whole since publication, influencing the current generation of writers with the firm grasp of history
“The Lord of the Rings is racist. It is soaked in the logic that race determines behavior.” (Ibata 2). Many people have tried to perpetuate the myth that J.R.R. Tolkien was racist. They cite various scenes in The Lord of the Rings, in both the books and in the movies. These people are lying or ignorant. J.R.R. Tolkien was not a racist, nor did he ever intend for his novels to be viewed as such. There is plenty of evidence to defend Tolkien from these claims such as: the themes of his novels, like The Lord of the Rings; the clear messages in his personal writings and his upbringing; and the characters from his novels.
American literature In The Hobbit we are exposed to a world were the most unanticipated and simple creatures are expected to fulfill a great destiny or special purpose. These callings are similar to ones we find in our faith. Throughout the book we see themes of prophecy, the unexpected strength of an underdog, and corruption through greed which all coincide nicely with Christianity. Tolkien's work not only retains gods word but he expands on it through the exciting world of a small hobbit named Bilbo.
If the study of literature shows nothing else, it shows that every author, consciously or subconsciously, creates his (or her) work after his (or her) own worldview. Tolkien is no exception. "I am a Christian..." he writes(1), and his book shows it. Christianity appears not as allegory--Tolkien despises that(2)--nor as analogy, but as deep under girding presuppositions, similarities of pattern, and shared symbols.
"Three Rings for the Eleven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his Dark throne, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie(Tolkien)." Master of storytelling J.R.R. Tolkien continues the lives of the fictitious creatures that he introduced in The Hobbit, in his modern classic The Fellowship of the Ring. He artfully illustrates the truths of the evil that plague the hearts of man. He tells a story of greed, destruction and how mortal men are enslaved by
J.R.R Tolkien’s writing consists of a variety of different mythological influences ranging from Greco-Roman, Norse, and Scandinavian. Thought these sources do shape the narrative of Tolkien’s writing and of Middle Earth as a whole, most prominent inspirations of his mythos is derived from Christian theology in the Bible. Traces of biblical influence can be found throughout The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Silmarillion, particularly in each of these texts conception of good and evil. Some have argued that the morality presented in his works are akin to Manichaean dualism. In this essay, I shall argue that though Tolkien’s position on the dichotomies of good and evil sometimes does delve into the realm of Manichaean dualism but
The influence of the Christian-Catholic faith Tolkien was thrust into by his mother’s (and by extension, his) conversion; along with Tolkien’s friendship with CS Lewis would have most certainly thrusted his faith to a prominent part of his life. Especially when we consider the nature of Tolkien’s writings as, in a way, of the fairy-tale genre. Of the fairy tale genre, it’s most important that despite through the sorrows of story a happy ending is matched. The “happy endings” of Tolkien’s works would have been bathed in an earnest hope and attempt to capture what the Christian believes to await them in heaven. “Giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief. It is the mark of a good fairy-story, of the higher
Is Lord of the Rings allegorical? Perhaps the most common comment about J.R.R. Tolkien's, Lord of the Rings, is that it is an epic allegory of the battle between good and evil. This comment may come naturally after the first reading of the book, however a deeper and more serious analysis could show a more complex version of the literary text. J.R.R Tolkien wrote 'Lord of the Rings' in between of the two World Wars.