Themes Of Symbolism In The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

1148 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism in lord of the rings

Stephann Bertrand
Mr. K Howell
World Literature Adv.
March 27, 2014
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is a series of novels, illustrating the journey of Frodo the hobbit and his group of companions. They try to destroy the One Ring to prevent the land of Middle Earth from being completely overrun by Sauron. As popularity of the books has increased, several critics comment on the types of symbolism that are expertly intertwined with the front line meaning of the book. While defending his books, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien asserted, “I cordially dislike allegory”; however, several other sources state that The Lord of The Rings coincidentally relates to several aspects of the world during the time the books were first written, including Christianity, World War II, and The Illuminati and the All Seeing Eye.
Tolkien was considered a very committed Roman Catholic (BlogSpot) and coincidentally, the most prominent symbol in all of his novels is Christianity. When Christianity becomes a focus, immediately Jesus Christ emerges in the topic of discussion. However, in his novel, not one person symbolizes Jesus Christ, but three. Gandalf the Prophet, Frodo the Priest, and Aragorn the King all show different aspects of Jesus Christ. Gandalf is considered the Prophet because he is the orchestrator of the forces of good trying to defeat the Sauron and his army of evil. Also, Gandalf tries to protect the Fellowship, Frodo the Hobbit and his companions, when they attempt escaping from the Balrog. Both Gandalf and the Balrog were killed; however, Gandalf is resurrected as Gandalf the White and becomes more powerful than before. Frodo the Priest shows another Christ-like facet because he takes the burden of the One Ring, which represents the sin of pride...

... middle of paper ...

.... “Knowledge is power” (Freemason Francis Bacon). Freemasons describe the All Seeing Eye as The Grand Architect of the Universe which relates to god being known as the Grand Architect. In the first novel the Fellowship enter the dwarven caverns of Moria, the giant doors show seven stars and a crown similar to the Royal Arch of the Freemasons (Andy Lloyd)
Even though J.R.R Tolkien disliked allegories, his novel relates to several more aspects to the actual world than he initially intended. There are many more symbols to The Lord of the Rings because the novel is written by a person who lived through major parts of history and served in as well. Christianity influenced Tolkien greatly throughout his life. Other influences included the mystical spread of the Illuminati. Clearly, Tolkien’s great work illustrates the significance of the literary world to the real world.

Show More
Related

  • Archetypes In The Hobbit

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every story has characters with different roles, and each of them are important to make the story complete. Three characters, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Smaug represent three archetypal roles in this story. Their guide Gandalf, represents the mentor, Bilbo represents the hero, and Smaug represents the shadow. Smaug symbolizes fear to the characters, and the dragon represents one of the characters that are most often causing the most terror and trouble to the other characters in the story. The hobbit symbolizes the hero of the story, because he sacrifices himself throughout the book. Mr. Bilbo Baggins learns more and more each day, and he tries to always do the right thing. Gandalf symbolizes the guidance and help as a mentor, and he provides training and motivation to the characters. These three important characters greatly explain the

    Read More

  • Tolkien's Lord of the Rings as a Catholic Epic

    3894 Words  | 8 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Lord Of The Rings: Human Action Myth

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Peter Jackson’s film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” revolves around a young hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins and his unique group of companions. They go on a journey to destroy the One Ring of Sauron (the Dark Lord). In short, the One Ring has malevolent powers to whomever wears it.

    Read More

  • Batman As A Christ-Like Figure In The Dark Knight Returns

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    A magnitude of literary work will portray a Christ-like figure within, “This may surprise some of you, but we live in a Christian culture” (Foster 124). We may not always have blunt and obvious signs of the portrayal of Christ, but they are there. For instance, Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are both great representations of a Christ-like figure on the grounds of resurrection.

    Read More

  • Comparing Good and Evil in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

    2386 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Frodo Franchise Essay

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Frodo Franchise is an academic book written by the film scholar Kristin Thompson about the Lord of the Rings (shortened to Rings) films. Early on, Thompson states that she wrote this book for three reasons. The first reason was her love for Tolkien’s work. The second reason was because the Rings had one of the most historically significant impacts on modern day movies. The third reason was because Thompson went to New Zealand while the film was in production. This resulted in Thompson being in the best position to write a book on how the films were made (Thompson 7-12). In her book, Thompson goes into great detail to explain to readers why the Rings trilogy is so historically significant. After reading the first couple of chapters of the book, Thompson convinced me that her claim was correct. I agree with Thompson when she states that “like a great rock falling into a lake, the ripples that is caused spread far, and they will continue to do so for years to come (Thompson 2)

    Read More

  • The Dangerous Consequences of Possession in J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit and Farmer Giles of Ham

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The fellowship of the ring

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    Just before he leaves, Gandalf asks Bilbo for his ring. Due to the power in which the ring possesses while it is in his possession, he does not want to give it up. The novel ends with the destruction of the Fellowship due to the power in which the ring contains. One of the prime facts of the Middle Earth is power. Power is not neutral, but is always evil.

    Read More

  • C. S. Lewis: Narnia and Christianity

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    McGrath, Alister. "The religious symbolism behind the Chronicles of Narnia." BBC. N.p., 21 Nov 2013. Web. 3 Mar 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/24865379

    Read More

  • J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

    2384 Words  | 5 Pages

    J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings strikes a cord with almost everyone who reads it. Its popularity has not waned with the passing of time, nor is its appeal centered on one age group or generation. Book sales would indicate that The Lord of the Rings is at least as popular now as it ever was, if not more so. Some estimates put it at the second highest selling work of all time, following only the bible.

    Read More

  • Historical Significance of Lord of the Rings Movies: The Frodo Experience by Kristin Thompson

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Role of Symbols and Symbolism in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    It has always been amazing to realize how well the literature I read as a child has stayed with me through the years. It takes an exceptional writer to compose a narrative that maintains a storyline on the same level of a child's understanding; it takes everything short of a miracle to keep a child's interest. However, that undertaking has been accomplished by many skilled authors, and continues to be an area of growth in the literary world. Only this year the New York Times has given the genre of children's literature the credit it deserves by creating a separate best-sellers list just for outstanding children's books. Yet, on another level, children's literature is not only for the young. I believe that the mark of a brilliant children's author is the age range of those who get pleasure from the stories; the wider the range, the better.

    Read More

  • Love in The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Lord of The Rings

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. Many "Hobbits" show up at his party including his third cousin, Frodo, which is the main character of the novel and a powerful wizard named Gandalf. Biblo possed a powerful ring known as the "Ruling Ring" which gives "Supreme Power" to whoever has possession of it. At the end of the party, Bilbo uses his magical ring to turn invisible and stun his guests. Gandalf, the powerful wizard, then meets up with Biblo at his house and takes the ring from Bilbo, which is corrupting him. Gandalf examines it, realizing that the ring Bilbo has is the powerful "Ruling Ring". Knowing that the forces of evil are in search of the ring, Gandalf sends Frodo, a relative of Biblo, to destroy the ring in the only place it can be destroyed, "Mt. Doom". Overhearing the talk between Gandalf and Frodo, Sam, a "Hobbit", that is good friends with Frodo is forced on the quest to aid Frodo.

    Read More

  • The Hobbit

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is set in a fantasy world that has differences, as well as similarities, to our own world. The author has created the novel's world, Middle Earth, not only by using imagination, but by also adding details from the modern world.

    Read More

More about Themes Of Symbolism In The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Open Document