As a literary device, an allegory is a narrative in which a character, place, or event is used to deliver a broader message about real-world issues and occurrences. Eliot in “The Waste Land,” or the way in which allegory is subsumed with great subtlety and dexterity within the works of Homer and Shakespeare and by modern novelists, such as Evelyn Waugh. Just as the Flood in the OT can be seen as a type of Baptism, Galadriel’s in her rejection of the Ring at the mirror can be read as a type of the Virgin Mary’s humility–to give just one of many examples. It is, indeed, astonishing to realize that we cannot even think a single thought without the use of allegory—a mysterious fact that subjects all perceptions of reality to the level of metaphysics, whereby the literalness of matter is always transcended by the allegory of meaning. The latter ‘fact’ perhaps cannot be deduced.” (Letters, 288) He seems to me to be saying that there are no explicit references in his stories to Roman Catholicism. xxiii-xxiv, [3] Carpenter, ed., The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, p. 246. This reinforces the concept of the “Great Chain of Being” in the belief that nobody of lower class, such as an Orc, have the right to try to defy the system… He was a highly respected philologist and professor of language and literature at Oxford University. To say that Galadriel has imagery, ideas, and principles which are Marian is applicability. Replying to a letter in which he was asked whether The Lord of the Rings was an allegory of atomic power, he replied that it was “not an allegory of Atomic power, but of Power (exerted for Domination)”. — J.R.R. Such an applicable connection is also an allegorical connection. In this edition of the “Questions For Corbett” series, James tackles your questions on constitutional challenges to the Federal Reserve, the 28 pages and 9/11, Steve Jobs and the New World Order, political interpretations of “The Lord of the Rings” and much more. As you will see, this debate can be confounded by how one defines “allegory” and “applicability,” and moreover by the notion of intent. This isn’t allegory because it is an explicit literal element of the story. Similarly, as Mr. Pearce points out, Lembas and Miruvor do not stand for, or represent the Eucharist in the story, but they have undeniable applicability to the Eucharist. It anticipates Christianity without encompassing it, on which see (6) below. The Uses of the Capitol Hill Riot. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers." The existence of Christian themes in the story is both obvious, and mysterious. Those who read the symbols do so at their peril.”. Surely he must know. “All art is at once surface and Symbol,” wrote Wilde. Such allegories may have the good and noble purpose of teaching or preaching, but they do so at the expense of the power and glory of the imaginative and creative relationship between a good author and his readers.”. Although Tolkien did not write a formal allegory in which characters simply represent historical figures, it is true nonetheless that several members of the fellowship represent, albeit with subtlety, significant Christian typological figures. (Forgive me for not having the reference at hand.). Let’s allow him to answer definitively. It is this kind of allegory to which Tolkien is evidently referring in the foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings: an allegory of the PhD? He insisted, however, that he had tried to eliminate purely sectarian elements. I’ve been told and shown lot’s of reasons how it is allegory by my relatives and been trying to ask my teacher questions on it. Perhaps Tolkien simply adopted the language the fan was using because he was tired of correcting people about allegory, or didn’t want to be pedantic about correct terms in the context of this letter to a fan, or perhaps he simply didn’t feel that the distinction was as important as the rest of the ideas being discussed in that particular context. Eru is not an allegory of God he is God. “Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. If there is no literal reference to Christ or the Church and no allegorical level of meaning, the work cannot be Catholic. Writers and speakers typically use allegories to convey hidden or complex meanings through symbolic figures, actions, imagery, or event He is the author of numerous books, which include The Quest for Shakespeare, Tolkien: Man and Myth, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Literary Converts, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. Subscribe to Intellectual Takeout's Daily Digest! Linguistically “allegory” derives from the Greek word allegoria, itself a combination of two Greek words: allos, meaning “other”, and agoria, meaning “speaking”. A word is a label that signifies a thing. I would suggest another possible reading of this and other instances. And on another occasion he wrote that “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision”. It’s as simple as that. This has helped me conclude that it is an allegory I can tell my teacher so! Is The Lord of the Rings an allegory? Many other forms of allegory could be discussed, such as the intertextuality employed most memorably by T.S. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings not … Those who read the symbols enter a perilous quest into the presence of dragon-slaying truth. 18 Ways Lord of the Rings is Christian Allegory, Books and Those Who Read Them Are the Real Endangered Species, An Unleashed Feminine Mystique Is Destroying Higher Education. The corruption of early humans by Melkor is not an allegory for the fall of man it is … Mr. Pearce sites an instance in which a fan wrote to Tolkien asking if the LoTR was an allegory of Atomic power and Tolkien responded that it was not an allegory of nuclear power, but perhaps of power for the sake of domination. In one sense, The Lord of the Rings is an allegory; in another sense, it is not. —Tolkien's famous quote. And yet, it can’t be as simple as that because Tolkien also insists that it is “religious and Catholic,” prefixing the assertion with “of course,” as if to state that the religious and Catholic dimension is obvious. Insofar as Frodo or Sam or Boromir remind us of ourselves or others, The Lord of the Rings is an allegory. No, say others. – leekonghian Oct 25 '17 at 7:14 1 In the question you mention "a very obvious allegory for the First World War" but in a comment you mention "the parallels between LotR and the second world war". Having confessed the allegory of power, he asserted that this was not the most important allegory in the story: “I do not think that even Power or Domination is the real centre of my story …. This would be to say that there is no theme, no ideas, no real character or feeling to the story. Tolkien himself said that he preferred applicability to allegory. [2]. Now before I begin, I want to state that The Lord of the Rings can be enjoyed without reading through Christ-colored glasses and I will never accept the idea that The Lord of the Rings is a Christian allegory. In order to teach and preach, the author of a formal or crude allegory dominates the reader’s imagination, forcing the reader to see his point. Beyond Spoiled: Introducing the ‘Squishy Generation’. To see The Lord of the Rings as an inherently Christian work is to not fully see it as a whole with all of its parts and with all of its meanings. Thank you for the good article! In the letter to Fr. The dominant symbol of Christ in The Lord of the Rings is Gandalf; evidence of this can be found by first looking at how Gandalf came to Middle-Earth and then considering his actions throughout the story. How detailed is the “summary” supposed to be? That is the whole point of the Ring, that is literally what it does. Thus, for instance, the Lady Philosophy in The Consolation of Philosophy is not a person but a personified abstraction. But wait a minute. Tolkien’s publishers were forced to split up the multi-thousand … In this article Tolkien denies that his books are an allegory towards the Great Wars; however, it is hard to for a writer to not have bits an pieces of events that influenced their life into the story. Whatever else Tolkien is, he is not an idiot. The Strange Gospel of Masking and Public Policy. February 26th 2021 by Mike LeSuer. ” Whereas good stories bring people to goodness and truth through the power of beauty, formal allegories shackle the beautiful so that the goodness and truth become inescapable. … In literary terms what Tolkien was pointing out to that fan were not the major allegories of the story, but the major themes of the story. — J.R.R. Perhaps, at this juncture, it would be helpful if we took a moment to discuss the various meanings to which the label of “allegory” is attached. The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been a lot of things to a lot of people since it was unleashed in theaters twenty years ago—a thinly veiled Christian allegory, the first in a series of post-9/11 franchises toting sharply black-and-white moral absolutism (very pretty and very white good guys versus bad guys that are goopy slaves from hell), a rare movie where Viggo Mortensen does … Direct allegory was not a part of Tolkien’s repertoire, ... the references of drugs are far more elaborate in the motion picture versions of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, the references are far more understated than those in the books. Keep in mind that essays represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its editor or publisher. If you are interested, please tell me how I can share it with you. Does The Lord of the Rings series have Christian themes? No need for allegory or what not. Your donation to the Institute in support of The Imaginative Conservative is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. I think what Tolkien is saying when he points out that there is no allegorical meaning is that the story is written for it’s own sake, not for the sake of some other point. It goes without saying that The Lord of the Rings is not this sort of allegory. Although Tolkien claimed to “cordially dislike” allegory, “The Hobbit” – say many Tolkien scholars – is unmistakably permeated by the events of World War I. For example, in the moral sense, Aragon’s servant leadership is an example of how those in authority should behave. Surely, as the author, he has more authority to answer such a question than anyone else. Tolkien (Foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings.) Authors have used allegory throughout history in all forms of art to illustrate or convey complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to its viewers, readers, or listeners. It seems, therefore, that Tolkien contradicts himself, describing his work as an allegory in one place and denying that it is an allegory in another. The theme of power to dominate and the theme of immortality and death are woven through out the entirety of Tolkien’s legendarium from beginning to end. He cordially disliked such allegories because they enslaved the imaginative freedom of the reader to the didactic intentions of the author. Does he contradict himself because he doesn’t know what he is talking about? Galadriel is, therefore, Marian – but she is not Mary! If the Orcs accepted their lower status in the hierarchy, the tragedy of the war for Middle-Earth would have never happened. In an allegory, the writer begins with the point he wishes to … At its most basic level, therefore, an allegory is anything that speaks of another thing. For reasons I will not elaborate that seems to me fatal.” (Letters, 131) It seems to me “not merely erroneous but patently perverse” to ignore Tolkien’s statements on this point. Whereas good stories bring people to goodness and truth through the power of beauty, formal allegories shackle the beautiful so that the goodness and truth become inescapable. (Gifts may be made online or by check mailed to the Institute at 9600 Long Point Rd., Suite 300, Houston, TX, 77055. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. And the things a story like that stirs in us are possibly more real and rich as a result. Your article really helped me articulate what I wanted to say in terms of what Tolkien did and didn’t want in terms of drawing Christian conclusions from his works like The Lord of the Rings. Insofar as the parable reminds us of ourselves or others, it is an allegory. Significant improvements are coming soon! The sort of allegory that he dislikes is formal or crude allegory, the sort of allegory that employs personified abstraction, such as Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and C. S. Lewis’ Pilgrim’s Regress. "I cordially dislike allegory." The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. This is incorrect; Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings in 1937, long before the start of the Manhattan Project. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion,’ to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. I believe Tolkien elsewhere in his letters makes the distinction between allegory and applicability, which is what I believe Mr Pearce is getting at here. In his 1951 letter to Milton Waldman he criticizes the Arthurian legend because it “explicitly contains the Christian religion. What the Ring IS has great applicability to the prime creation, the real world, but that is very different than the Ring “meaning” something else, or “standing” for something else. Robert Murray, in December 1953, or is it, as he claimed in the foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings, devoid of any intentional meaning or “message?” If Tolkien dislikes allegory in all its manifestations and if he insists that it is “neither allegorical nor topical,” how can it be Catholic? There are no such allegorical figures in The Lord of the Rings because Tolkien dislikes them. ©2021 Charlemagne Institute. Clearly, Tolkien is not confused about the meaning of allegory. As such, we can safely assume that he is using the word allegory in two distinct senses. Answer: The Lord of the Rings series is extremely popular, well-written, and fascinating to millions of readers. I do not, of course, say that Galadriel is the Virgin Mary, which would be absurd; I do say, echoing Tolkien’s own words in one of his letters, that Tolkien put all of his love for the Blessed Virgin into his characterization of Galadriel. There’s no mention of Christianity in the whole work, Catholic or otherwise, or of any organized religion. Neither Frodo, nor Gandalf, nor Aragorn ARE Christ, but they all have Christ-like qualities that give them applicability. Tolkien disliked allegory because he felt it led to the domination of the author by the story. But how can it be “fundamentally religious and Catholic”? Similarly the beautiful woman in shining armour in Lewis’ Pilgrim’s Regress, whose name is Reason, is no more a fully real person than are her two younger sisters, Philosophy and Theology. If it didn’t have any internal meaning it would not be a story, and certainly not a good one. Letters to the editor: Click here to send an email. I’m a 7th grader and currently in the middle of confusion to which my English teacher says the lord of the rings is escapism and not allegory. C.S. [1], As for any inner meaning or ‘message,’ it has in the intention of the author none. In the Shire, the Hobbits come naturally to living a beatific life that Christ calls Christians to live by. Tolkien, the book's author, was not trying to write a Christian allegory. by Dave Pritchard. This is the form adopted by Christ to convey the truth He wished to teach. The Lord of the Rings is neither an allegory nor metaphor for any kind of Christianity. EvilAn obvious interpretation of the One Ring is that it symbolizes, quite simply, Evil. The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. Murray and Mr. Pearce, however, assert “references to cults and practices.” They think Galadriel is the Virgin Mary (and so is Elbereth) and the Elven waybread (lembas) is the eucharistic wafer. It is suggested that this proves Tolkien intentionally put allegories into the Lord of the Rings. It is in this sense that The Lord of the Rings can be seen as part of the great Tradition of western civilization and as one of the priceless gems of Christendom. Instead, Tolkien talks of ways in which events in a story are “applicable” to events in our own lives and our own world. Saruman, an older gentleman, invites his best friend Gandalf over and shows off his new rainbow-print swag. After Trump’s Trial, What Next for Due Process Under the Democrats? This essay has drawn extensively from the opening chapter of Joseph Pearce’s book, Frodo’s Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings. It is this broader meaning of the word that Tolkien has in mind when he speaks of The Lord of the Rings as being an allegory of power or of its being “fundamentally religious and Catholic”. Yet the story of the Prodigal Son has a timeless applicability because we can all see something of ourselves and others in the actions of the protagonist and perhaps also in the actions of the forgiving father and the envious brother. Infinity. Big Tech is suppressing our reach, refusing to let us advertise and squelching our ability to serve up a steady diet of truth and ideas. The mystery deepens when we realize that Tolkien, on another occasion, refers specifically and unequivocally to The Lord of the Rings as being an allegory, thereby contradicting what he says in the foreword. https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2016/05/lord-of-the-rings-allegory.html Linguistically “allegory” derives from the Greek word allegoria, itself a combination of two Greek words: allos, meaning “other,” and agoria, meaning “speaking.” At its most basic level, therefore, an allegory is anything that speaks of another thing. Boethius’ Lady Philosophy and Bunyan’s Giant Despair are not fully real characters because their only purpose is to personify the idea that they represent. “It is neither allegorical nor topical,” Tolkien insists in the Foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings. Is he confused, or is he simply guilty of employing the same word to denote two different things? I think it applies to all art, really. A word, if spoken, is a noise that points our mind’s eye to the thing that the noise signifies; if written, it is a series of shapes that points our mind’s eye to the thing that the series of shapes signifies. Now, you can of course say that this is just splitting linguistic hairs, but I would answer that precision in vocabulary is valuable and just lumping them all together as “allegory” is confusing and perhaps overly simplistic. When Tolkien describes in the preface of the 1966 edition what would be different in the The Lord of the Ring if it were an allegory, he reveals what he thinks would be the allegory. To say that Galadriel IS Mary would be allegory. As a professor of philology at Oxford University, he knows that a word such as “allegory” has several meanings. It’s a question that continues to divide lovers of Tolkien’s magnum opus. Fr. Is The Lord of the Rings an allegory in one sense of the word and not an allegory in another? To extend this thought, LOTR can fruitfully be read in all three spiritual senses in which the Fathers of the Church read the OT. "The Shadow mocks, it cannot make" Although there is no obvious employment of intertextuality in Tolkien’s work (though it is present), there are numerous parallels between the ways in which allegory is subsumed in The Lord of the Rings and the manner in which this is achieved by the greatest writers of epics, tragedies, comedies, and novels. The allegory assumption is also in question as Tolkien mentions the term “applicability” and its agency “resides in the freedom of the reader” (Smith). All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Joseph Pearce is Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. But Tolkien wrote to Deborah Webster in 1958, “I am a Christian ( which can be deduced from my stories) and in fact a Roman Catholic. In The Silmarilli… It has been a few months since I have finished my thesis paper on a similar topic. There is no doubt that The Lord of the Rings is a profoundly Christian myth, but that is not the same as saying that it is an allegory. They do not have personalities but merely exist as cardboard cut-outs signifying an idea. [RELATED: 18 Ways Lord of the Rings is Christian Allegory] Instead, Tolkien talks of ways in which events in a story are “applicable” to events in our own lives and our own world. A far less subtle type of allegory is the formal or crude allegory in which the characters are not persons but personified abstractions. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. You may notice some bugs in submission and user experience. Many people thought that the One Ring was the symbol standing for the Atomic bomb. For those who have not read The Silmarillion, the Valar are basically the gods and goddesses of Middle-Earth and Valinor is the land of bliss in which they dwell. All rights reserved. We don’t need it to be. As a writer of fiction myself, I just want to thank you for that extremely astute point. As a formal or crude allegory, every character in Bunyan’s story is a personified abstraction. With the creation of the movies, the series has reached millions more worldwide. This being so, let’s continue with our exploration of the different types of allegory so that we can discover what sort of allegory The Lord of the Rings is and what sort of allegory it isn’t. LGBT Allegory in Lord of the Rings. Such an applicable connection is also an allegorical connection.