The Message Behind Lord of the Rings

[Jareena Faye]

A while back, Discovery Channel did a special on this topic, depicting Tolkein as some kind of humanist. This isn't the case. I find this topic very interesting, and personally, very fun! So here it is for your consideration, the real message.

 

 

Tolkein was actually a... *dramatic underscore* born-again Christian. He's responsible for the conversion of C.S. Lewis (Narnia), and infused every inch of his writing with his beliefs. Even Gandalf's phrase "all that is gold does not glitter" is actually a backwards Proverb. I won't go on about this too long, but here are a few of the allegories that can be seen in LOTR.

 

 

THE ENTS symbolize Christ in the sense that they are shepherds. And though they appear very simple and harmless, they were filled with righteous anger upon the massacre of their trees.

 

GANDALF symbolizes Christ because he was once the Grey (lowly in appearance like Jesus as man, and close buddies with the lowlier people), he died, and he returned glorified as Gandalf the White. You may recall him saying in Return of the King, "Saruman, your staff is broken!"

 

Speaking of Return of the King, ARAGORN is also a Christ figure, because he finally returned for his throne. (Something we're waiting for Jesus to do.) He also returned for his bride, as Jesus will return for the Church.

 

FRODO is a Christ figure because he was betrayed by a patriot (Borimir/Judas). He carried a great burden for the world, against strong temptation. And he had to do it alone.

 

SAM is a Christ figure because he's such a faithful friend. He carried Frodo when he was weak.

 

HOBBITS in their turn symbolize man. They're weak and don't like leaving their comfort zones... but they were meant to be much, much more.

 

There it is in a nutshell! There's a lot more, but I won't bore you with all of it unless you ask. Have a happy, guys!

[Rhapsody]

Whoa, it sounds like Tolkein made everyone a Christ figure or was like hey lets see what Christ would be like if he were schizo! lol

 

So does that make Saruman like Judas? And what about the Elves? And Sauron? Gollum?

 

I'd like you to go more in depth.

 

All I've ever heard of is that Tolkein's message was a veiled criticism of WWII, never about religion.

[X-Sabre]

Yay, finally a debate I can enter where I know something.

 

I wrote my senior research paper on LOTR, and no offense to either answer I've seen. As far as I know, and as far as I have read about Tolkein, both are wrong.

 

The war might seem like critique of WWII, but alas, he began writing the book long before the war ever started. He was well into Mordor before the war actually broke out.

 

And as to the religious aspect, um.. just don't see it. Everything can be a "christ-like" figure if you truly want it to be.

[Louveteau]

All I know, he was raised in a pretty religious family and that his experiences and his belief influenced his writing. It took him pretty much time to complete LotR and it does have something religious in it's background because he was raised that way. But I can't say we're able to comment on that too much cause :

1. it was another time,

2. religion was in a complete different perspective those days,

3. who can look into a man's mind?

[Sorciere]

I just enjoyed the book for a darn good read. I analyzed and destroyed enough good stories by looking for meanings when I was in school, I refuse to do it with this one also

[Orlan]

Tolkien actually asked people not to look too deep into LotR. He wrote a fantasy book....it was a backstory for a mythology.

 

And also, If I remember correctly it's the other way around, C.S Lewis converted Tolkien. CS never wavered in his faith....at least I'm 99% sure...

[Nyyark]

I'm not sure if I would say the LOTR isn't supposed to example christianity, I would say its the other way around. Christainity can be a major infulence on ones life. In LOTR Tolkein drew out and displayed many of the greatest strenghths and weakness of Mankind. In defining these strenghths I would expect him to use his beleifs, which would come from his beleif system. The hero's doing Christ-like things was perhaps because he veiwed Christ-like things as heroic. That would be my opinion anyway.

[Regel]

Lord of the Rings was a trilogy I read as a child. I was fasinated with the world that Tolkien created and that summer of 1968 I read three more books than I normal would. I was understand things only at face value. Simply clear messages that I could relate to like Frodo and Sam were best friends and there were good guys and bad guys in middle earth. I was never seeing christ figures just people stuck in a bad place doing what had to be done to protect their friends and family. All stuff I could easily relate to. Maybe I missed a lot or maybe Sigmund Freud had it right when he said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

[Salinye]

I agree with Nyark on this one.

 

Also, The story of Golem was first a short story before it was a book. (The Hobbit.) Wasn't that short story started while he was in the trenches during WWI? I thought that was the case. Was it actually WWII?

 

I'm not clear. Also, I've heard that Tokein has said that he didn't write the book for War or religious purposes, but I agree that pieces of the author will come out in stories here and there.

 

Also, wasn't the trilogy actually written, because his true passion was behind the world and Mythology of the books? I wish I could remember the things I learned about him!!! Most of you probably know far more than me on the subject.

 

~Salinye

[Tyrion]

Maybe the people who wrote the Bible were inspired by another book that is today lost (or maybe a popular story) and based Jesus on another charismatic character with many heroic deeds. Just something I always saw as a possibility.

 

And LotR is not a trilogy, it's a single novel split into 6 books over 3 volumes. I have also heard of the facts that Orlan mentionned.

 

And Nyyark...man how did you cram so many typos into one post.

[Jareena Faye]

I'm 100% sure that Tolkein converted C.S. Lewis. I read it in a special issue Focus on the Family released on Lewis' life. On top of that, while Tolkein managed to bring his friend to Christianity, he couldn't make him Catholic. (My Catholic friends like to laugh about that one.)

 

The hero's doing Christ-like things was perhaps because he veiwed Christ-like things as heroic.

Yeah, I actually did get that backwards. I knew that at one point, but then I forgot it. No, Tolkein was not trying to relay one specific message in his stories (unlike C.S. Lewis with Aslan). He merely incorporated his beliefs into his stories while having fun writing them. I think we can all relate to that.

 

Fun fact: Tolkein was always teasing C.S. Lewis about confining Jesus to "the skin of a lion."

 

So does that make Saruman like Judas? And what about the Elves? And Sauron? Gollum?

I suppose Saruman could be another Judas figure, although most of the time he was just a character. I personally think he was more like Satan, as in RotK when Gandalf returns to break Saruman's staff; just as Jesus, upon his resurrection, broke Satan's power.

 

Elves, like wizards, are usually angelic figures.

 

Sauron--- evil guy trying to take over the world? Let's say Satan. (All the time.)

 

I never really thought of Gollum before. But now that you mention it, there are a lot of parallels between what the ring did to him and what sin does to us. We so often worship it, calling it "precious," despite the bad affect it has on us.

 

But yeah, like you guys said earlier, Lord of the Rings isn't necessarily saying that all the time. They're just insight into what Tolkein believed.

(As my brother blurted, "Tolkein's a GENIUS!")

[Tyrion]

I don't believe you can really convert anyone. I think for someone to be "converted" he must believe in something but refuse to admit it to himself. Therefore it's not really anything new, it's just letting feelings come to the surface.

[lumpenproletariat]

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

I think Regel hit the nail on the head.

[Rhapsody]

I think we're kinda missing the point in all this discussion. Let's face it, Tolkein was British and Christian, plus he was creating a new world.

 

Isn't it perfectly normal to have aspects of your personality seep into the world you create. It could've been unconscious; its just that as Americans in this day and age, Middle Earth seems biased towards the European way of life. Hence, all this uneccessary reading into what otherwise is a perfectly good story.

[Beautiful Nightmare]

*is an angelic figure* hehehe well i can see the way you would think these things on lotr but im not a religion tyoe person but i respect peoples beliefs but i dont think Tolkien ment it to be a religious type book i think he just ment to be a good fantasy book and it damn well was! I heard of the religious thing before concerning lotr about frodo being like jesus overcoming things and in the end suceeding and saving all of humanity as jesus did! To be honest i look on lotr as a good book i dont think we should analize it because i dont think its ment to be analized but i do like your point! It makes you think!

[Tamaranis]

I am a firm believer that LotR is actually about a certain "Lord of the Rings" (sauron) who attempts to enslave middle earth and the heroic struggle against him.