The Lord of the Rings is an epic novel published in between the years 1954 and 1955. Written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the period from the years 1937 to 1949, the novel is a classic example of the high fantasy genre. The novel is divided into three volumes, comprising of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
Since its publication, The Lord of the Rings has had a significant influence on popular culture and has been credited with reviving interest in the fantasy genre. The three volumes were adapted as a trilogy of films directed by Peter Jackson, which also garnered wide popularity and acclaim from audiences and critics.
The original text has been analyzed extensively for its many themes, metaphors and symbols present throughout the novel. Many of the themes are intriguing and considered as having a universal appeal.
The novel is set in the fictional land of Middle-Earth, and follows the central character of Frodo, a young Hobbit from the small village known as the Shire as he is thrust into a long and arduous journey and adventure as he strives to destroy the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, from whom the title is derived.
Joining Frodo on his journey are his fellow friends and Hobbits, Sam, Merry and Pippin, along with the wizard Gandalf, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli and the humans Aragorn and Boromir, whose collective is known as the Fellowship of the Ring. As their journey towards the destruction of the One Ring progresses, the Fellowship faces a variety of challenges, opponents and obstacles.
The novel’s primary theme revolves around the age old battle between good and evil. It is in this conflict that the Fellowship of the Ring faces countless obstacles as they strive to rid and vanquish the evil of Sauron and save the land of Middle-Earth from eternal tyranny.
The theme of duality also comes in when different characters are presented together. The most prominent example is that of the wizard characters Gandalf and Saruman, who respectively represent the good and evil side of the conflict but are very similar in appearance. Gandalf selflessly works towards the freedom of Middle-Earth and the destruction whilst Saruman is serving the Dark Lord Sauron and wishes for evil to prevail for his own personal agendas and maintaining his powerful influence.
J.R.R. Tolkien had loosely based his writing on the experiences he had encountered whilst serving in the First World War. Coupled with the grim nature of events that were taking place during the Second World War, during which Tolkien had undertaken the task of writing the novel, the text can also act as an allegory for war and power struggles that had taken place during the two World Wars.
The One Ring in the novel sees being passed through many owners throughout generations with many people vying for the One Ring. Additionally, it is noted that the One Ring has a considerable corrupting influence on the one who owns it. A significant example of this is the character of Gollum, a Hobbit who after owning the One Ring is reduced to a hollow shell of himself and becomes a duplicitous and violent being.
In this manner, the One Ring can be seen as representative of a power struggle and the toxic and corrupting nature it entails with many politicians from different countries such as Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan vying for control during the World Wars.
The character of Sauron additionally represents the dictators of the era in which the book was written with his army of fictional race of Orcs symbolising the numerous soldiers who carried out the orders of their leaders without question and engaged in atrocious acts of violence.
Finally, the novel also sees people from various races, species and places coming together despite having initial differences and working towards the attainment of a common goal. The different races of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves and Humans are fighting in unison towards the vanquishing of evil and freeing the land they share. This theme is especially important in contemporary times as issues like terrorism and climate threatening the world calls for leaders of different countries to come together and effectively work towards a solution.
The Lord of the Rings in this manner, becomes a monumental written work, which has a variety of themes that appeal on a universal scale.
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