Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of The Ring, by J.R.R Tolkien features Frodo, a character of Middle Earth, who becomes influenced under the corruption of power. The ring possesses magic far beyond the controls of one singular man and with the impacts of the ring’s force, comes corruption, or the inability to utilize such power with self control. The ring itself is the power, but questions arise as to what makes this particular power corrupt. Literary critic Roger Kaufman attributes homosexual desires to Frodo’s seemingly indecisive conduct. On the other hand, literary critic Susan Anderson claims it to be man’s desire or the divine longing for a heroic or manly image, while Augustus Kolich believes the driving factor to corruption is the
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Tolkien’s novel parallels itself to the bible, helping to explain the few phenomena that had catalyzed the events to his fantasy. Like Gandalf, Sauron and other magical beings were “Maiars” or “spirits that descended to Arda to help the Valar shape the world” (Tolkien). These characters are very similar to that of angels in the bible; spirits who descended down from God to help nurture the human growth. However, like the bible, Fellowship of The Ring presents a sinful character, the Dark Lord, also known as Sauron. The Ring, created by Sauron, reflects Sauron’s “desire to the great strengthening of his powers” and his temptations to own all power forms to control the Middle Earth (Tolkien). Sauron becomes the equivalent to the bible’s ‘devil’, and the formation of the ring parallels that to the blooming of Adam and Eve’s apple. His longing for power is then incorporated into the creation of the ring, causing any wearer to experience Sauron’s inclination for strength. This persuasion is analogous to the devil’s influence on Adam and Eve to go against their goodwill and eat the apple; in this case, the ring persuades the user to crave an endless amount of power, drawing out a character’s greedy personality. Even Gandalf, the novel’s most angelic character, cannot possess the ring “for it is too great a strength for [even him] to wield” (Tolkien). Even though Gandalf is one of the ‘angels’ sent from above, his inability to control himself over the tempting power helps render a realization that sin is everlasting and always existent. The corruption of power is inevitable, as the bible depicts, because it has always been human image that has been susceptible to sin. Tolkien creates mythical heroes that share a communal trait with humans, and eventually, they too give into
Tolkien’s novel parallels itself to the bible, helping to explain the few phenomena that had catalyzed the events to his fantasy. Like Gandalf, Sauron and other magical beings were “Maiars” or “spirits that descended to Arda to help the Valar shape the world” (Tolkien). These characters are very similar to that of angels in the bible; spirits who descended down from God to help nurture the human growth. However, like the bible, Fellowship of The Ring presents a sinful character, the Dark Lord, also known as Sauron. The Ring, created by Sauron, reflects Sauron’s “desire to the great strengthening of his powers” and his temptations to own all power forms to control the Middle Earth (Tolkien). Sauron becomes the equivalent to the bible’s ‘devil’, and the formation of the ring parallels that to the blooming of Adam and Eve’s apple. His longing for power is then incorporated into the creation of the ring, causing any wearer to experience Sauron’s inclination for strength. This persuasion is analogous to the devil’s influence on Adam and Eve to go against their goodwill and eat the apple; in this case, the ring persuades the user to crave an endless amount of power, drawing out a character’s greedy personality. Even Gandalf, the novel’s most angelic character, cannot possess the ring “for it is too great a strength for [even him] to wield” (Tolkien). Even though Gandalf is one of the ‘angels’ sent from above, his inability to control himself over the tempting power helps render a realization that sin is everlasting and always existent. The corruption of power is inevitable, as the bible depicts, because it has always been human image that has been susceptible to sin. Tolkien creates mythical heroes that share a communal trait with humans, and eventually, they too give into