“His love for Frodo rose above all other thoughts, and forgetting his peril he cried aloud: 'I'm coming Mr. Frodo!” Throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien, one of the most prominent themes present is the life and world changing effects of love. Tolkien reveals the importance of both love, and the different types of love; love among brothers, family, lovers, leaders, animals, and of country are all shown. With numerous examples of the different kinds of love responsible for saving Middle Earth, Tolkien is able to convey the significance and impact of love.
Sam’s love of Frodo is of the greatest importance. Without Sam, Frodo wouldn’t have made it to Mt. Doom, or consequently saved the world. “Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam”, Sam gives Frodo the courage to carry on, and bear his burden. Though Sam is Frodo’s servant, their relationship is that of best friends. When Smeagol killed his best friend to obtain the ring, a stark contrast is drawn between those two and Sam and Frodo. In this comparison it is important to note that Sam never tried to steal the ring as his love was too strong to allow the seduction of power, even when Sam has the chance to leave Frodo and take the ring for himself, “it was the love of his master that helped the most to hold him firm”. This love made it possible for Sam to reject the ring, and therefore save his master, leading to the destruction of Sauron.
Also, Merry and Pippin’s love for Frodo is what brings them along on the journey, “you must go-- and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you.” Then later, when the members of the fellowship were being decided upon and Elrond wished to send the two younger hobbits back to the shire, “’ we don’t want t...
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...es of love present in The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit as well, are constantly being shown as the impetus behind all things that eventually lead to the demise of Sauron. These examples start off simple, a love for a friend, one’s homeland, a leader, but they result in saving Middle Earth and it’s people from the theft of their free will and the dominion of Sauron. Tolkien successfully demonstrates throughout the entire series that the most powerful force in existence is love.
Works Cited
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Revised Ed. Del Ray Books, 1982. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J. R. R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Boston, MA: Houghton, 1986. Print.
Humans exist between two distinct beliefs, one being that of individualism where the person is only focused on benefiting their self and their tribe, and the other being altruistic where the priority is put on the betterment of the group at the downfall of the individual. In nature, animals only exist in the belief of self betterment but humans have the moral dilemma between self preservation and group preservation. Through new perspectives, this inner conflict can be transformed to become more altruistic or group minded. Whether that be through the journey of saving Middle Earth or the simple journey through high school. This theme is explored in J.R.R Tolkien's novel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This novel takes the reader through
In a world of myth and magic where wizards, hobbits, and dragons dwell, and evil lord rules but long ago he lost his Ring of Rower. In the beginning of the book, The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, starts when Bible, the second hobbit to posses the ring, gives the ring to his heir Frodo. The bulk of the story is about the origins of the journey of many years to destroy Frodo’s inheritance. The reason he desires so fervently to obliterate it is because it is evil, crafted for nefarious ruler, and created to control nineteen other magic rings. This paper will first discuss Middle-Earth, then some of the main characters, and finally the threefold parts of the endurance the Frodo displays. (Tolkien)
One of the recurring themes throughout The Hobbit is Tolkien’s manifestation of morality through his inherently good and evil characters. Although, some characters narrowly balance the line of good and evil through portraying characteristics such as greed, the hobbits represent naturally altruistic and peaceful characters. The protagonist Bilbo’s rational nature and willingness to compromise through his selfless transfer of the Arkenstone to Bard and the Elvenking further highlights Tolkien’s portrayal of a simple and sensible twentieth century Englishmen in a fantastical setting. Even though he risks his promised sum of the treasures, Bilbo chooses to work as a peacekeeper to opt for a more sensible way of solving a problem. Therefore, the dialogue between Bilbo, Bard, and the Elevenking is a manifestation by Tolkien of the moral high ground of hobbits and their rational and peacekeeping nature, which impresses the men and elves to award their trust and honor to the hobbit.
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” - J.R.R Tolkien
Byers, Paula K. Ed. “J.R.R. Tolkien”. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gake Research, 1998. 259-260
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
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...
Frodo Baggins, the main character in the movie faces many compelling circumstances in his quest and is challenged to sacrifice much of himself. The first challenge Frodo has to face when Gandalf as...
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...
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Print.
...; and if by life or death I can save you, I will,” (194). Aragorn, also known as Strider, accompanied the hobbits from the Prancing Pony Inn all the way to the Council of Elrond. Gandalf was also a guiding path for Frodo keeping him updated on the evils of the Ring. I CAN’T FIND A QUOTE. But even with all his guidance Frodo still feels temptation from this Ring of power. “A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his Ring. He hardly dared to breathe, and yet the desire to get it out of his pocket became so strong that he began slowly to move his hand. He felt that he had only to slip it on, and then he would be safe,” (83). Frodo Baggins with knowledge and guidance was able to make good choices throughout his journey to Mordor in the Fellowship of the Ring because of his knowledge of the Ring and the guidance that surrounded him.
Frodo’s adventure is not one of originality. It follows a cookie-cutter character through its journey to save that which is dear to him. In the case of Frodo he must protect the shire from devastation, and potentially all of Middle-Earth, by throwing the ring back into the fires of Mordor. This quest takes Frodo through a series of plot elements that famous Greek heroes have followed, his mission to rid Middle-Earth of ominous forces.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. “Now Read On…” Interview by Dennis Gerrolt. BBC Radio 4. BBC, 1971. Web. 11 Jan. 2014.