The Ring as a Symbol of Evil in J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'

It would possess him" (70). After having said this, he tells Frodo how this ring of doom originated. Clearly, Gandalf is wise enough to know that behind all that power lies weakness and evil. Even if one might first use the ring for something good and meaningful to others, it will eventually possess that person and make that person the slave to the ring. Galadriel even knows this quite well. Frodo offers her the ring, since he believes she deserves it the most and also knows how to control it. When Frodo tells her this, Galadriel seems to be strongly tempted to take the power offered by Frodo. She tells him, "For many long years I had pondered what I might do, should the Great Ring come into my hands, and behold!" (431). The exclamation point reveals to us how Galadriel might be really taken in by the thought of power at this moment and how raptured she is in this thought. But, she too is wise as Gandalf is. In the end, she even tells Frodo, "We will not speak more of it" (431). She knows that even speaking about such power can bring about destruction. Interestingly though, Galadriel seems to be almost crazy at this moment, presenting herself to Frodo while relating to him what "good" she could bring to her elves. The ring is so alluring. Too much of a good thing cannot last long. She is

In The Hobbit, Tolkien created cultures and values that are represented often in certain characters and groups of characters. These translate to character traits, which can be positive or negative. After reading up to this point in the story, one can infer that Tolkien considers focused to be a positive character trait, greed to be a negative character trait, and he also feels intelligence more important than physical strength.

Illogical as it is, Lord of the Rings greatly relates to society as it is today. It really shows through the views of logos, ethos, and pathos, especially when you examine and explore the movie’s genre reflection on modern culture and society.

Throughout one’s life, one meets many different people, some of which seek to harm one, and some of which do not. This is also true for books: A variety of characters are introduced. Characters assume different roles of varying importance, and some seem “benevolent,” while others become labeled as “wicked.” Some guard an item or area, and yet others’ intentions are impossible to discern. These concepts especially apply to The Hobbit, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, which is an excellent example of The Hero’s Journey. The Hobbit showcases many archetypes, including Bilbo Baggins as the hero, Gandalf the Wizard as the mentor, and Smaug the Dragon as the shadow.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic novel The Lord of the Rings showcases his affinity for what is small and how its measure contradicts its significance. Tolkien crams undetected, potent potential into unlikely vessels—vessels that seemingly lack the capacity. The reader sees this in Tolkien’s protagonist and antagonist, the hobbit and ring respectively. The measure of each conflicts with its significance. With a closer look, the reader also sees this in Tolkien’s word choice. In his essay “On Fairy-Stories,” Tolkien claims “How powerful, how stimulating to the very faculty that produced it, was the invention of the adjective: no spell or incantation in Faerie is more potent.” Throughout The Lord of

Sauron is controlling Gollum to try and take possession of the ring, therefore he is to be around Frodo so that he can take the ring. There is a good and bad side to Gollum, one side wants to be friends with Frodo and the other side wants to take the ring and be the holder of the ring and gain the power he used to have. The light and dark in Star wars. The light side is the Jedi and the dark side is the Sith. Although the Jedi at times can do bad things, but the Sith are more into killing innocence and holding slaves.

The manifestation of evil in Middle Earth is evident in many of the themes that curse throughout its history. Envy, greed, and revenge are at the root of the many evils that befell the inhabitants of Arda. When analyzing said themes in an attempt to better understand Middle Earth and its Peoples, it becomes apparent that evil shows itself in many ways and has many faces. The most glaring and obvious example of how evil manifests itself in the creation of the world is through Melkor.

Gollum, previously known as Smeagol, is one of the first bearers of the ring of power, and when he comes into the ring’s presence for the first time, the power makes him so corrupt that to get his hands on it he kills his friend Deagol. “‘ Smeagol had been watching him from behind a tree, and as Deagol gloated over the ring, Smeagol came softly up behind. “Give us that, Deagol, my love,” said Smeagol, over his friend’s shoulder. “Why?” said Deagol. “ Because it’s my birthday, my love, and I wants it,” said Smeagol. “I don’t care,” said Deagol. “I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I’m going to keep it.” “Oh, are you indeed, my love,” said Smeagol; and he caught Deagol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger’” (Tolkein Pg. 52). This text shows that Gollum, or Smeagol, is corrupt due to the rings power only by being around it. The need for the ring was so great that it pushed him to kill, a devastating act on its own, but he kills his own friend. This proves that with the power of the ring Gollum becomes immensely corrupt. After Gollum first obtains the ring he grows to feel a great hatred

“I am glad you are here with me, here at the end of all things, Sam.” Frodo reaches out his hand over the flaming mouth of Mount Doom. The ring slips from his fingers and into the flames. The world returns to where it was before the evil eye had taken over. The Lord of the Rings chronicles the journey of Frodo Baggins to destroy the ring. It follows his transformation from a weak young hobbit to a hero who saves Middle Earth. Frodo is an archetypal hero because he follows the hero’s journey.

Another aspect of evil developed in Tolkien is the insatiable hunger to possess, to rule, to dominate. The Bible captures the same idea with pictures of locusts, of the sword, of wild beasts, of striving kings, and of Satan going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour. "Devouring" is an apt symbolization of insatiable lust. It closely parallels the Trilogy's symbol

J.R.R Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring character, Aragorn, shows Tolkien’s love of strong contrasts between humble and high. This character has many characteristics that help the fellowship on their journey. He plays an important role in the plot. The choices of this character help the plot go smoother and more quickly with less incidents. Aragorn also has symbolism involved with him within this book. This symbolism helps the readers understand more of his character.

"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

Some never come to be, unless those that he hold that visions turn aside from their paths to prevent them. Sam is deeply unsettled. Frodo looks in the Mirror and sees someone approaching all in white, it looks like Gandalf, but how can it be/ Frodo also sees Bilbo walking restlessly. He sees a dark ship and a white fortress with seven towers and then he sees a single eye that fills the whole mirror. The eye is looking everywhere for Frodo. It is the eye of Sauron. Galadriel stops him before the weight of the Ring around his neck pulls him into the water. She knows that he sees Sauron, because sees him, too. Sauron would like to gain access to Galadriel’s mind because she carries an elvish ring of Power, Nenya, and the Ring of Adamant. Galadriel tells Frodo that his coming puts the Elves in a dilemma. If Frodo fails in his quest, Sauron will take over the world and destroy everything, even Lothlorien. If he succeeds, the power of the Three Rings of the Elves will fade, and Lothlorien will die; the Elves will pass into the west, and her people will forgotten in Middle earth. The elves are willing to accept that fate if it means that they will be free of Sauron. Frodo offers Galadriel the ring, since she is wise and fearless and “it is too great a matter for him”. Galadriel admits that she has often thought what she would do with the Ruling Ring, but she refuses. She would

When most people think of J.R.R. Tolkien, they often think of his great imagination and his world of great dragons, warriors, orcs, hobbits, wizards, dwarves and elves. But most people forget about the deeper meaning behind his stories and his controversy towards society. Tolkien was a British, fantasy, writer during the mid-1900s. Through his love of languages, religion, and country, J.R.R Tolkien’s works of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are controversial but masterpieces because Tolkien represents “good” as a fuller, more imaginative reality than evil.

Tom Bombadil placed the magic ring on his finger; everyone waited for him to disappear, but nothing happened, and he handed the ring back to Frodo without a slight hesitation. Frodo offered Galadriel the ring and she grew into a horrible creature towering over Frodo, but fought the ring’s strong temptation, and finally decreasing back to her normal self and declined the powerful ring. Both Tom and Galadriel, in The Lord of the Ring, portray Tolkien’s respect for nature and strong spirituality, because they are powerful creatures, yet able to live a balanced life. Tom Bombadil was the master of the forest he lived in, and Frodo’s magic ring had no effect on him. Lady Galadriel was an Elf ruler and was able to withstand the temptation of the magic ring. The magic ring symbolizes the corruption and power, leading to an unsustainable world. For example, society has an unsustainable demand for oil. Oil pipelines, such as the Keystone, have lessened the beauty of nature where they have been built. Companies believe they have the right to construct pipelines across the US at the expense of the environment. Humans must remember to value the beauty of nature.