Themes Of Symbolism In The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

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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...

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.... “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.

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