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BY ROMA GONZALES
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Wednesday, January 4, 2017
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Why LoTR remains relevant
THEY say fiction is a lie we use to tell the truth. Though some may accuse it as escapism, many great works of literature not only bring entertainment but profound wisdom. In celebration of the 125th birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien, here are insights from his most beloved work, The Lord of the Rings.
The trilogy dictated the development of modern fantasy fiction, reputably boosted the economy of New Zealand (thanks to the big screen adaptation made by Peter Jackson), and continues to inspire writers, visual artists, musicians, and naturalists among others.
Though I have one book to go to finish the trilogy, it is without shame that I will say I have watched the movies with great emotion (I know of grown-up men and women who will pick the tissue over the popcorn and weep shamelessly when the credits roll). Perhaps it would not be a disservice to Tolkien to state here my insights for after all, his works are equivocal.
Courage in Unlikely Places. In the attempt to destroy the One Ring rises an unlikely hero — the hobbit Frodo. Hobbit is a race of small people who keep to themselves and their rural county, preferring to tend gardens, eat and dance rather than dealing with outsiders. Frodo volunteers himself as ring bearer to the shock of the “superior” Men, Elves and Dwarves. (Spoiler alert!) Though it was probable that Mr. Frodo was not in complete understanding of what he was signing up for, he gets the mission accomplished through a series of very unfortunate events.
Friendship. There are several displays of mutual trust and affection among the characters in the books, but the one often brought up as a prime example is that of Frodo and Sam. In the book, Sam was only Frodo’s gardener who happened to be in the right place at the right time (though none of them would think of that way at first). As the fellowship of nine had to part ways, Sam stuck with Frodo until the very end. Frodo would have caved in to the desire to possess the one ring for himself if not for the well-meaning Sam.
Power Corrupts. The central conflict in the story is destroying the One Ring. Whoever bears it will acquire great power to rule over Middle Earth. Though it is known that the One Ring only answers to the main antagonist, Sauron, many of the characters were tempted, even the wisest of them, Gandalf and Galadriel.
The Strength of Women. While there are those who will accuse the books as misogynistic, it should be noted that the setting was of medieval type, which based on history, unfortunately, was a period were women were thought of less. However, the few female characters in the book were actually important and courageous. There was Galadriel, the wisest and most powerful of the Elves; Arwen who was both healer and warrior; and Eowyn who dressed herself as a man, rode into battle, and smote down a major “boss”, the Witch-King of Angmar, and took off her mask while saying, “I am no man!”
Simplicity. The happiest of all four races were the hobbits. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world,” wrote Tolkien. The immortal Elves who live closely with Nature existed in wisdom, harmony and wealth.
Conservation and Preservation. Being a witness to the horrors of the two world wars, Tolkien is said to find industrialization distasteful. Though not stated directly, many of the events in the book seem to be a commentary on the negative effects of converting natural landscapes into industrialized spaces. Evil characters are portrayed as abusing Nature to gain power. In the modern world where “developments” seem to be at the cost of Nature and men, the book opens up the discussion of how far can and should we go for “progress.”
For as long as humans can feel and think, when the struggle between good and evil still exists, and the last tree on (Middle) Earth stands, LoTR is a wealth of metaphors, fun and life lessons. It is a book that shares and celebrates universal human experiences and reveres Nature, and like the great mountains or the immortal Elves waiting to be rediscovered in its pages, deserve to outlast us all./PN
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