9 responses to “Tolkien’s themes and the LotR filmmakers: did they get it?”
Thank you for this article Josephus. I know I’m probably painting a target on myself… but I tend to agree with this article in that a lot of people don’t see what is really written in Tolkiens works. And I think that’s a shame. Sure it’s a great fantasy story. I love the books and the movie and everthing about them. But I also love how both Tolkien and CS. Lewis managed to weave the Truth of our Creator’s love into their stories. Even though we do not face the truth or believe the truth, or even want to acknowledge the truth… it still calls us. We still need it, and the truth is still truth. It isn’t something that we find by looking into ourselves or that we can find by any means other than talking to God and asking Him about it. Trust me… I found this out the hard way. 🙂 And most of all, the love of God is not going to change just because we don’t believe in it. Thankfully. 🙂
I think it’s a shame that one can act in such a monumental film and not see and hear the truth either. To be so blinded… well, it’s sad. I offer a prayer for them all. Many prayers…
Anyway, thank you Josephus. I noticed this problem with the films as well, but I wasn’t going to let it hide the Truth from me and my friends. And I certainly wasn’t going to let it ruin the story for me. I appreciate Tolkiens work, and I think he did an increadible job.
I agree with the article and with you LadyGrey. It is a shame that the actors and writers cannot see the very Truths they are portraying. Isn’t it wonderful, though, that Tolkien’s Christian worldview comes shining out of the movie anyway? It is a tribute to the greatness of the author and to the undeniable Truths of our Creator. I love the books and the movies and I am thrilled that PJ was inspired to make the movies so more people will be introduced to this classic work.
And, you’re right, wisdom is not found within ourselves. The heroes of the story modeled this well when they constantly sought the counsel of the wise or looked to history and lore for guidance. When Frodo was about to give up or wasn’t sure what to do next, he remembered the advice of the wise (like Gandalf and Galadriel) to help him stay on the right path. Aragorn constantly sought the counsel of Gandalf and Elrond. Only those who looked for wisdom within themselves (like Saruman and Sauron) ultimately fell.
Below you will find an adapted version of an article I have written for a Catholic newspaper on some of the Christian elements in Tolkien’s work.
It may help with respect to the debate on the inspiration for Tolkien’s work.
________________________
Spiritual combat is the key to understanding The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings, published 50 years ago, continues to top the list of most popular books, most recently the BBC’s The Big Read competition. The third instalment of Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptation of the book, The Return of the King, was the 14th most successful film of all time after only 4 weeks on release and there is little doubt that it will probably be only the second film ever to make more than $1 billion.
1,000 page fantasy stories don’t tend to seize the public imagination like this. Tolkien’s saga is so successful because it captures the deep-seated themes in human nature more authentically than many other works of fiction. God created us for union with Him, and this desire is written deep in the human heart whether recognised or not. It makes sense that Tolkien’s myth, touching so deeply on fundamentally Catholic concepts, should strike a chord even with those who have seemingly grown cold to the Faith. Truth, goodness and beauty have a universal appeal to the human heart.
While Tolkien detested allegory, he did claim that “The Lords of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision…the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolismâ€. Indeed, Catholic imagery and themes dominate Tolkien’s Middle Earth to such an extent that only a Catholic could have written it.
The key to The Lord of the Rings is the reality of spiritual battle. This battle must be fought by everyone – ignoring evil will only delay, not avoid, the conflict. In The Silmarilion, Tolkien’s account of the creation of Middle Earth by Iluvatar (meaning All-Father), the most powerful of the angels, Melkor, rebels against the Creator so that “about his throne there was a raging storm, as of dark waters that made war upon the other in endless wrathâ€. Everything in The Lord of the Rings must be interpreted from this starting point of the spiritual battle between a mythical equivalent of Heaven and Hell, a battle for the heart of the Children of Iluvatar (God).
Just as we have spiritual weapons in our combat here on earth, so too there are spiritual weapons in The Lord of the Rings. Consider the Eucharistic symbolism of the Elven bread wafers which “had a potency that increased as travellers relied on it alone and did not mingle it with other foods. It fed the will, and it gave strength to endure, and to master sinew and limb beyond the measure of mortal kindâ€. It is significant that Gollum, who is unworthy, cannot eat the bread. Similarly, the souls in Purgatory, who by their prayers can assist us in our journey on earth, appear as the Army of the Dead – those who were unfaithful in life and can find no rest in death until they make reparation for their infidelity. Recourse to the aid of Our Lady is even represented by the hobbits’ song to Elbereth, the Elven Queen, the translation of which is strikingly similar to the words of “Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Starâ€.
The most important part of our spiritual combat on earth is recognising the fact that we are actually in a battle that requires us making the right moral choices, in other words, the requirement to grow in virtue. This is precisely the spiritual journey taken by the characters in The Lord of the Rings, and it explains why Gandalf, who is actually an extremely powerful spiritual being, rarely solves problems for the characters in the tale – his role is to awaken the world to the necessity to fight evil and to encourage all to grow in the virtues necessary for this task.
This growth in virtue is represented by Aragorn facing his fear of the “doom of choice†to become king. In many ways Aragorn embodies Aristotle’s image of ideal masculinity – a balance of active and contemplative virtues.
But other characters exhibit growth in virtue as well. Theoden King overcomes his moral cowardice to become a hero worthy of his lineage; Eowyn accepts her feminity and achieves victory precisely because she is a woman; Boromir repents and achieves salvation through self-sacrifice and Frodo, aided by the ever-loyal Sam, carries the burden of duty even though it crushes him. Indeed, it is through Frodo’s mercy towards Gollum that he himself is saved. Most significant of all is the personal growth of the 4 hobbits, evidenced by how they face the evil that awaits them on return to the Shire.
I am glad you touched on this subject,dearest one. So many do not even realize the background of this story! I have had so many non-christians argue with me saying that it was NOT written by a christian,ect. And I think the worst- when people say that it is like,and in the same category as,Harry Potter.Grrrr! I hope many people see this & it will help to change alot of views. 🙂
9 responses to “Tolkien’s themes and the LotR filmmakers: did they get it?”
Thank you for this article Josephus. I know I’m probably painting a target on myself… but I tend to agree with this article in that a lot of people don’t see what is really written in Tolkiens works. And I think that’s a shame. Sure it’s a great fantasy story. I love the books and the movie and everthing about them. But I also love how both Tolkien and CS. Lewis managed to weave the Truth of our Creator’s love into their stories. Even though we do not face the truth or believe the truth, or even want to acknowledge the truth… it still calls us. We still need it, and the truth is still truth. It isn’t something that we find by looking into ourselves or that we can find by any means other than talking to God and asking Him about it. Trust me… I found this out the hard way. 🙂 And most of all, the love of God is not going to change just because we don’t believe in it. Thankfully. 🙂
I think it’s a shame that one can act in such a monumental film and not see and hear the truth either. To be so blinded… well, it’s sad. I offer a prayer for them all. Many prayers…
Anyway, thank you Josephus. I noticed this problem with the films as well, but I wasn’t going to let it hide the Truth from me and my friends. And I certainly wasn’t going to let it ruin the story for me. I appreciate Tolkiens work, and I think he did an increadible job.
LadyGrey
I agree with the article and with you LadyGrey. It is a shame that the actors and writers cannot see the very Truths they are portraying. Isn’t it wonderful, though, that Tolkien’s Christian worldview comes shining out of the movie anyway? It is a tribute to the greatness of the author and to the undeniable Truths of our Creator. I love the books and the movies and I am thrilled that PJ was inspired to make the movies so more people will be introduced to this classic work.
And, you’re right, wisdom is not found within ourselves. The heroes of the story modeled this well when they constantly sought the counsel of the wise or looked to history and lore for guidance. When Frodo was about to give up or wasn’t sure what to do next, he remembered the advice of the wise (like Gandalf and Galadriel) to help him stay on the right path. Aragorn constantly sought the counsel of Gandalf and Elrond. Only those who looked for wisdom within themselves (like Saruman and Sauron) ultimately fell.
Below you will find an adapted version of an article I have written for a Catholic newspaper on some of the Christian elements in Tolkien’s work.
It may help with respect to the debate on the inspiration for Tolkien’s work.
________________________
Spiritual combat is the key to understanding The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings, published 50 years ago, continues to top the list of most popular books, most recently the BBC’s The Big Read competition. The third instalment of Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptation of the book, The Return of the King, was the 14th most successful film of all time after only 4 weeks on release and there is little doubt that it will probably be only the second film ever to make more than $1 billion.
1,000 page fantasy stories don’t tend to seize the public imagination like this. Tolkien’s saga is so successful because it captures the deep-seated themes in human nature more authentically than many other works of fiction. God created us for union with Him, and this desire is written deep in the human heart whether recognised or not. It makes sense that Tolkien’s myth, touching so deeply on fundamentally Catholic concepts, should strike a chord even with those who have seemingly grown cold to the Faith. Truth, goodness and beauty have a universal appeal to the human heart.
While Tolkien detested allegory, he did claim that “The Lords of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision…the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolismâ€. Indeed, Catholic imagery and themes dominate Tolkien’s Middle Earth to such an extent that only a Catholic could have written it.
The key to The Lord of the Rings is the reality of spiritual battle. This battle must be fought by everyone – ignoring evil will only delay, not avoid, the conflict. In The Silmarilion, Tolkien’s account of the creation of Middle Earth by Iluvatar (meaning All-Father), the most powerful of the angels, Melkor, rebels against the Creator so that “about his throne there was a raging storm, as of dark waters that made war upon the other in endless wrathâ€. Everything in The Lord of the Rings must be interpreted from this starting point of the spiritual battle between a mythical equivalent of Heaven and Hell, a battle for the heart of the Children of Iluvatar (God).
Just as we have spiritual weapons in our combat here on earth, so too there are spiritual weapons in The Lord of the Rings. Consider the Eucharistic symbolism of the Elven bread wafers which “had a potency that increased as travellers relied on it alone and did not mingle it with other foods. It fed the will, and it gave strength to endure, and to master sinew and limb beyond the measure of mortal kindâ€. It is significant that Gollum, who is unworthy, cannot eat the bread. Similarly, the souls in Purgatory, who by their prayers can assist us in our journey on earth, appear as the Army of the Dead – those who were unfaithful in life and can find no rest in death until they make reparation for their infidelity. Recourse to the aid of Our Lady is even represented by the hobbits’ song to Elbereth, the Elven Queen, the translation of which is strikingly similar to the words of “Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Starâ€.
The most important part of our spiritual combat on earth is recognising the fact that we are actually in a battle that requires us making the right moral choices, in other words, the requirement to grow in virtue. This is precisely the spiritual journey taken by the characters in The Lord of the Rings, and it explains why Gandalf, who is actually an extremely powerful spiritual being, rarely solves problems for the characters in the tale – his role is to awaken the world to the necessity to fight evil and to encourage all to grow in the virtues necessary for this task.
This growth in virtue is represented by Aragorn facing his fear of the “doom of choice†to become king. In many ways Aragorn embodies Aristotle’s image of ideal masculinity – a balance of active and contemplative virtues.
But other characters exhibit growth in virtue as well. Theoden King overcomes his moral cowardice to become a hero worthy of his lineage; Eowyn accepts her feminity and achieves victory precisely because she is a woman; Boromir repents and achieves salvation through self-sacrifice and Frodo, aided by the ever-loyal Sam, carries the burden of duty even though it crushes him. Indeed, it is through Frodo’s mercy towards Gollum that he himself is saved. Most significant of all is the personal growth of the 4 hobbits, evidenced by how they face the evil that awaits them on return to the Shire.
I am glad you touched on this subject,dearest one. So many do not even realize the background of this story! I have had so many non-christians argue with me saying that it was NOT written by a christian,ect. And I think the worst- when people say that it is like,and in the same category as,Harry Potter.Grrrr! I hope many people see this & it will help to change alot of views. 🙂