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Symbolism in the lord of the rings
Is there symbolism in lord of the rings tolkien
Is there symbolism in lord of the rings tolkien
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Anthony Gurgess Period 4 Sislian Murky Mirkwood The Hobbit is full of unique and memorable settings, all of which are fully fleshed out. The haunted forest of Mirkwood is a great example of one such highly developed setting. Tolkien establishes the ancient forest’s dark character with details about Mirkwood’s environment, wildlife, and magic. The environment of Mirkwood, its physical features, create a dark and oppressive atmosphere that distinguishes it from other settings in Middle Earth and gives it a sense of reality. When the group first enters the Mirkwood, “the entrance to the [forest-]path [is] like a sort of arch leading into a gloomy tunnel made by two great trees that leant together, too old and strangled with ivy to bear more …show more content…
The Company did not know what creatures were amongst them because “They [the creatures] were careful never to let their bodies show in the little flicker of the flames” (100). Tolkien also deciphers the creatures in the forest with the color black. Just like the “black squirrels in the woods”, the “dark dense cobwebs with threads extraordinarily thick”, The “thousands of dark-grey and black moths”, and finally the “huge bats, black as a top-hat”(100). Tolkien even goes further by explaining how the black squirrels “proved horrible to taste, and they shot no more squirrels”(100). The darkness of the forest was caused by the Necromancer. The necromancer is also known as the “spider cult” because where the necromancers spirit lays, great spiders dwell. The great spiders were creatures with “hairy legs waving, nippers and spinners snapping, eyes popping, full of froth and rage”(140). The great spiders injected the dwarves with spider-poison which paralyzes them and were “dangling in the shadows, to see a dwarvish foot sticking out of the bottoms of some of the bundles”(141). Also, in Mirkwood; many insects dwell. In a regular forest, there would be some insects and more animals; but in Mirkwood, the forest is filled with insects and dark animals. Furthermore, Tolkien compares the normal, everyday wildlife to Mirkwoods dark
Irving and Hawthorne both explore the role the forest has on their Puritan communities and main characters. Irving’s story focuses the forest as a place where the devil is while cutting and burning trees. Irving’s depiction of the forest is very dark, and the forest itself is more a swamp than a traditional, lush forest. Irving describes it as, “thickly grown with great gloomy pines and hemlocks, some of them ninety feet tall, which made it dark at noon-day…(Irving, 178).” He also uses adjectives like “stagnant”, “smothering”, “rotting”, and “treacherous” to describe his story’s forest.
The Hobbit This hobbit was a hobbit, and his name was Baggins. Baggins had lived in the neighborhood of ”The Hill” some time, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most or them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected. You could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors’ respect, but he gained- well, you will see what he gained in the end.
His attachment to his home can be contributed to three factors: it’s physical comforts, its protection from the outside world, and its representation of social standing. The hobbit hole, the narrator tells us, means comfort (11), and it explains to us the comfortable furniture, the pantries full of food and closets full of clothes (11-12).... ... middle of paper ... ...
The second setting is the forest just outside of the town. It proves to be a kind of dramatic foil to the idealistic Puritan society. The Puritans maintain a community that thrives on purity and lack of sin. The forest, on the other hand, is a symbol of lawlessness and desecration. It is shrouded in mystery and retains a dark and foreboding air. The Puritans abhor the forest because it stands as a perfect example of evil. However, the witches that live in the town view it very differently. They appreciate the anonymity the forest provides them. Thus they are free to pay homage to the Black Man in secret. Their presence reiterates the fact that the forest is a symbol of darkness.
Mirkwood is not the place to be, ever. One step off the trail could result in forever wandering, or even death. But with his newly earned elven blade and magic ring, Bilbo has found a new definition of bravery. It is made, not born. With the threat of the dragon looming in the distance, no one really looks forward to anything. The days drag on, and nothing seems to lift the dreary spirits. Over a few hours, a light keeps appearing in the distance. The dwarves foolishly chase after it, leaving the path. The Mirkwood spiders come upon them, and all are bound except for our little hobbit. He cleverly slips on the ring and releases the dwarves. They proceed only to be captured again by Wood-elves, a fair folk of the east. The long rivalry between elves and dwarves leads Thranduil, elvenking, to treat the dwarves unkindly. Bilbo, however has his newfound sense of bravery and adventure, and frees the dwarves thanks to his sneaking about with the ring. The dwarves, with Bilbo, escape by barrel, sent to Lake-Town. This clever plan is thought of by Bilbo, with his newfound wit. Waterlogged, but very much alive, the dwarves are out of Mirkwood. All thanks to the new Bilbo, with a new
Change can be shown in many different ways through objects and persons. So how is change shown in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien? It could be Bilbo, seen as it is, he is at first looked upon as a “cowardly” fellow who was scared to go ten feet from his hole. But as time grew throughout the adventure, it became noticeable how much Bilbo had change since the beginning of the trip. So overall, the theme of change in The Hobbit is, in fact, shown most through Bilbo because in the beginning of the story, he is hesitant and scared to go through with adventure, in the middle, he is starting to believe he can do it and risks himself, and by the end, he is showing bravery, and sometimes stupidity, above everything else. He had changed from an apprehensive Bilbo, to a courageous Bilbo by the end of the tale.
For a start, the position of Mistress Hibbins house plays a big role. Her home as more toward edge of town, nearer the forest, whereas the important people live in the middle of the town. She lives closer to the forest because she is a witch and performs her witchcraft secretly. It shows the forest spurs the nature of evil from Hibbins. Secondly, the forest is the setting for where Dimmesdale and Hester secretly meet to discuss their plans about fleeing back to England. This is another setting where a plot of evil happens within the forest. Also, the forest is where the Black Man resides. The book keeps bringing up the Black Man, which can be looked at as ultimately the Devil. The Devil is most of the time considered on the of the atrocious evils in biblical terms, and the Black Man being in the forest aids in the theme of the nature of
The Dangerous Consequences of Possession in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and “Farmer Giles of Ham”
When Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest, they discuss their true feelings about their experiences since Hester was branded with the scarlet letter. Hawthorne describes how, “No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest” (192). The rare presence of light in this otherwise dark situation symbolizes the relief both Hester and Dimmesdale feel after sharing the truth about Dimmesdale’s torturous guilt and Hester’s marriage to Chillingworth. In every scene previous to this one, the forest is associated with witchcraft, evil, darkness, and secrets. This prior association is contrasted by the shedding of sunshine on the sinful pair after releasing the last of their secrets. This scene is a turning point in the novel and shows how despite Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin and the consequences they’ve had to suffer for it, they are able to find some peace in the fact that they have confided in each other and fully admitted their
J.R.R Tolkien's action packed, fantasy driven, inspiring novel The Hobbit shows the message that everyone must know, that you should never give up even if all hope seems to be lost. It shows setting of evergreen forests with villages scattered along the paths of which they must take and mountains just on the horizon. The read must go along with bilbo baggins a hobbit that does not realize there is more to him than just being a baggins and that he will live up to his family's name. Even after gandalf tells him that he will embark on a great adventure he still doesn’t believe he is anymore than just bilbo. Therefor this story is inspiring and shows that with the setting, character, and theme combined make this story a great read.
Since the beginning of the society, the forest has been portrayed as a place filled with darkness, and inhabited by the devil and other unworldly creatures. The rumors that were formed about what could be lurking in the forest were created to fill the void of knowledge of what was in the woods and to give them something to believe in. In reality, what lurked in the forest was still unknown to most people. The mystery of the forest was what people were so scared of.
162) Obviously how Hawthorne describes the forest, it creates a ominous view of the forest. It adds to the "How he haunts this forest, and carries a book with him”(Pg. 161), which refers to the Black Man and devilish ways. “Thus conversing, they entered sufficiently deep into the wood to secure themselves from the observation of any casual passenger along the forest-track.”(Pg. 162) While this forest seems like a place full of danger it also separate from the town, of restrictions and religion, it offers a haven for the sinners and new ideas. Essentially the forest become a symbol of freedom. Hester’s scarlet letter has no authority over her in the forest. In the forest, people are liberated of their sins and allowed to escape and express their
In literature, genres are often ambiguous because they are independent in creating their own conventions, as well as dependent on borrowing from others. According to author J.R.R Tolkien, fairy stories act in the same regard, functioning to create conventions like escape and recovery through eucatastrophe, as well as borrowing ideas of sub-creation from other literary styles like mythology (“On Fairy Stories” 8). In his works of fiction, including the Silmarillion and The Lord Of The Rings, the idea of genre ambiguity stays consistent, with Tolkien using conventions of horror in his creation of a second world. Thus, an analysis of the horrific imagery in The Lord Of The Rings will show that horror acts as a device in the creation of his second world, shown through monsters like Shelob and the Uruk-hai, who provide a source of interactive villainy and create a comparison between the fearful and fantastic to enchant the reader.
The forest represents a refuge from society for Hester Prynne and Minister Dimmesdale. At the same time, it symbolizes nature’s role as a shelter from society. This adds to the themes that society as a whole is morally deprived and nature is essentially good. It becomes a place where they are unshackled from Puritans’ strict law that is corrupted. Once under the forest’s shelter, they are then permitted to meet and speak heart fully to one another. Moreover, Prynne resides in the outskirts of Boston in the forest area. By doing so, Prynne is demitting everyday direct contact with the other town’s people. This adds to the two themes by making the readers view the forest as a mother trying to protect Hester and Dimmesdale from society’s wickedness.
a dull grey colour as if it had lost the will to live and stopped