Knowledge Concerning Mortality

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Recommended: Literary analysis of sir gawain and the green knight

Although throughout Tolkien’s work death the characters and legends constantly stress human mortality as “a gift”, the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of what comes next persuades men to view death in a different light. A large number of Tolkien’s men fear death, and envy the immortality the elves carry. Due to the ever-present fear of death, many of the men throughout The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion make rash or unwise decisions in order to protect themselves and their lives. However, those such as Aragorn blessed with a long lifespan and who represent many noble qualities view death as a right of passage for men and do not fear death the way many others in Tolkien’s work show fear. Comparatively, Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight fears death, and lets the fear of losing his life cloud his decision making process. Therefore, throughout Tolkien’s work and the medieval text Sir Gawain and the Green Knight characters that fear death perform questionable or less than virtuous actions to preserve their own lives, and as a result other characters shape their opinions and scrutinize their actions, further contributing towards the idea of formed misconceptions on who fully knows the proper information regarding others.
The way men and other races view immortality differs depending on who knows the proper knowledge regarding who holds the immortality. Those who hold the immortality may not fully understand the impact of what it is to be mortal, or may use their knowledge of immortality to their advantage. In Tolkien’s work, the race of Elves are blessed with immortality, and others recognize them as ”immortal were the Elves, and their wisdom waxed from age to age, and no sickness nor pestilence brought death to the...

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...the medieval text of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Those who hold immortality such as Tolkien’s elves and the Green Knight manifest different levels of curiosity, whether from the improbability of what happens to those who are mortal or through creating a spectacle in front of a large audience. The concern for their own lives is one of men’s greatest downfalls, thus leading to their need to find ways to become immortal or cheat death, which is present in the destruction of the Ringwraith’s humanity and the destruction of Sir Gawain’s chivalrous code. However, those who remain pure and satisfied with their lives such as Aragorn do not dread death in the same way, and believe death to be the rightful gift of the Iluvatar. Therefore, fear and uncertainty often drive the destruction of human virtue, thus leading to many to diverge from the idea that death is a gift.

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