As mentioned in the previous post, Lord of the Rings was greatly influenced by religion. Over time, many readers have debated the symbolism of The Lord of the Rings and what Tolkien meant when he created the characters in the way that he did. Were places such as Rivendell supposed to represent Heaven? Was Mordor the equivalent to Hell? Who do the elves and wizards represent? These are all things to think about when reading the following article, and the books themselves.
"The Lord of the Rings" teaches us to be humane, to follow the principles of Christianity. Sympathy for enemies determines a lot in the epic. It is both sympathy and humanity that prevent Bilbo from killing Gollum, who played a crucial role in the destroying of the Ring. Good, according to Tolkien, is not revengeful. It strives to get justice and will never shoot an arrow into the back of the Enemy."
This website gives not only a quick synopsis of the story, but also shows how the story relates to life today.
Do you feel that Tolkien is pushing his way of life upon others? From what you have read so far do you think that this is a simple tale of good versus evil?
After reading the article, please explain how you think the different aspects of Tolkiens life affected his writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment