The Lord of the Rings has many themes throughout its three books, but the one theme that I find to be most prevalent is that of
ecology. Nature is, if not the strongest, then one of the strongest images Tolkien uses in The Lord of the Rings, he shows us a world that he calls “green and good” and we see the people of Middle-Earth fighting to save this world. In this paper we will be looking at one of these books; The Two Towers. Also we will be looking at the film version directed by Peter Jackson. We will examine the theme of ecology through two of the main characters of both this book and film.
Treebeard (voiced by John Rhys Davies) is the eldest of the Ents; he is the chief representative of nature in Middle-Earth (where the Lord of the Rings takes place), whilst his counterpart, the wizard Saruman (played by Christopher Lee) represents industry. Both book and film show the theme of ecology through the struggle of nature vs. industry; Treebeard vs. Saruman. It is this clash between Treebeard and Saruman that is the main theme of The Lord of the Rings in miniature: good vs. evil. There is a constant struggle to save the old world, the natural world, and a fear of what might be lost. Theoden (king of Rohan) brings voice to these thoughts when he is speaking to Gandalf, “For however the fortune of war shall go, may it not so end that much that was fair and wonderful shall pass for ever out of Middle-Earth?” (Tolkien 168-9). Gandalf answers Theoden by saying that “the evil of Sauron cannot be wholly cured, nor made as if it had not been,” (Tolkien 169). Even though Gandalf speaks of The Dark Lord Sauron, (the main evil in the series) we can take this comment to also belong to Saruman. The evil he has created cannot be w...
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...defeated and the Ents victorious.
In conclusion, we see that through both the book and film, ecology or the preservation of nature is an important theme. Through the Ents we see a guardian of the natural world, the prime ecologist. The film stays true to the major themes of Tolkien’s book and brings the viewer outstanding visuals of not only the Ents, but of the Ents struggle with Saruman. The film brings flesh to the characters and to Tolkien’s message, that we should preserve our natural surroundings and love the things that grow, because they need our protection. The forests need a voice.
Works Cited
1. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 1954. Ballantine Books. New York.
2. The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers. Dir. Peter Jackson. With John Rhys Davies, Ian McKellen, and Christopher Lee. New Line Cinema 2002.
It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
Along their journey, they have memorable experiences and learn about the One Ring’s imperceptible powers. Furthermore, Frodo and his fellowship discover the powers of the One Ring growing along with the armies of Sauron with respect to time. Ultimately, Frodo and his eight companions must do what it takes to destroy the One Ring and
The setting and environment of the movie had successfully fulfilled the naturalism setting. The characters’ fate also matched the naturalist’s perspective about humanity.
In Tolkien world, evil is the antithesis of creativity, and is dependent on destruction and ruin for its basis. Conversely, goodness is associated with the beauty of creation as well as the preservation of anything that is created. The symbolic nature of these two ideologies is represented in the Elven Rings, which symbolize goodness, and the One Ring, which is wholly evil. A main theme of "The Hobbit", then, is the struggle within our own free will between good will and evil. "Early in the (Lord of the Rings) narrative, Frodo recalls that his uncle Bilbo, especially during his later years, was fond of declaring that… there was only one Road; that it was lik...
Braveheart. Dir. Mel Gibson. Prod. Mel Gibson. By Randall Wallace. Perf. Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, and Patrick McGoohan. Paramount Pictures, 1995.
Throughout, J.J.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit, many themes come into place to give a better understanding of the novel. The underlying theme of the struggle between good vs. evil while Gandalf and the dwarves fight the evils during their journey through middle earth. The battle is manifested in the goblins, Trolls, and spiders where good always triumphs evil. Even though the journey is about stealing the gold back from the dragon there is still some moral clarity to this, the dragon stole the gold and torched the city. The dwarves want to make this right and get back what was rightfully theirs.
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, has been called by some one of the greatest books of all time and has recently earned the claim of "greatest book of the 20th century" in a poll by Britain's Channel 4 (O'hehir). Yet at the same time scholars have often dismissed The Lord of the Rings as a fanciful children's story. While the validity of either claim can be equally well disputed, the The Lord of the Rings and related works by Tolkien nevertheless embody a very clear and consistent set of ethical themes. These themes define good and evil in terms of nature and provide a framework on which the ethical decisions of individual characters in Tolkien's stories are based.
Film theorist Kristin Thompson decided to explore her love for Tolkien’s work and her passion for film by writing “The Frodo Experience” Thompson explains her claim in the introduction. (Rings) “can fairly claim to be one of the most historically significant films ever made.” She wrote the book, to trace its influences in filmmaking, marketing, and merchandising; as well as its impact on the New Zealand film industry that existed before the trilogy came there. Bottom line; Thompson did a good job at explaining why the film held such historical significance. She talks in depth about the costumes, props and different technology designed specifically for this film. The Rings changed how movies were made.
Nature writing can be found in numerous genres and each can portray different opinions, thoughts, examples, solutions, etc. Therefore, setting up a general set of guidelines allows people the opportunity to define what is meant by nature writing. Defining genre can be highly influential when readers are trying to capture the essence of what they are reading. Lawrence Buell’s four criteria for what constitutes an “environmental text,” provide a basic set of understandable guidelines. However, as the criteria stand they are too directed at the factual context and overlook the “experience” or emotional resonance of reading such works.
The Sycamore Leaves piece highlights the complexity of our environment in the way that it shows how human activity or technology is present everywhere around us. By expanding our understanding of the piece to see it as a representation of our world we see that the tree can symbolize nature as a whole while the ordering of the leaves around the tree in an unnatural way can symbolize human action and “order.” Furthermore Goldsworthy 's representation gives the idea of a complex environment a positive connotation through the way that the leaves simply sit at the base of the tree following the contours of it roots yet not encroaching on its livelihood. The cohesion underscores how human action can work alongside and complement nature making for a complex yet still peaceful environment. The relationship between humans and nature is further explored in the way that Sycamore Leaves appeals to the idea of “mastering”
Authors’ Steven Crane and Jack London are known for their stories using naturalism, the struggle between man and nature. Naturalism is like realism, but it explores the forces of nature, heredity, and the environment on human beings, who are faced with the forces of nature. Both “The Open Boat” and “To Build a Fire” demonstrate how inferior and small humans’ really are to nature. Humans cannot control nature or determine its outcome. In both stories nature is the antagonist constantly challenging the humans’ ability to survive. I chose the topic over naturalistic elements because I enjoyed reading these stories. Both stories have a strong since of naturalism in it and both authors’ are known for naturalistic features existing in their writings. In this paper I will give you more of an insight to what naturalism is and what naturalistic elements are present in the two stories listed above.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Dir. Peter Jackson. By Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo Del Toro, and J.R.R Tolkien. Perf. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, and Richard Armitage. 2012. DVD.
Nature plays an important and powerful role in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Often, it is used to Shakespearean effects, in order to foreshadow doom. At other times, descriptions of the “green earth,” in particular, are used to render Middle-Earth into an almost maternal, life-giving persona. One could argue that these descriptions of “green earth” take on a life of their own, treating place as character. After all, places in Lord of the Rings often possess multi-dimensional qualities and are capable of change. In Aragon’s words, the “green earth” is “a mighty matter of legend” (The Two Towers 424). “Mighty” is not always the most appropriate word for places or objects, except when they hold power—perhaps even autonomously so. For example,
One of the ways Tolkien’s worldview is scene in his writing is in the total freedom of choice each character enjoys. Contrary to the Victorian era’s obsession with depicting good and evil two dimensionally, Tolkien imbues his characters with three-dimensional properties, allowing for all of his characters to choose. At a council meeting Elrond states “Nothing is evil in the beginning” (The Fellowship of the Ring 351). This belief is fund...
Murray, Roxane Farrell. "The Lord of the Rings as Myth." Unpublished thesis. The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 1974.