Thesis Statement: In the novel The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien shows that man has the ability to decide between good and evil, contrasting Golding who views that all man is innately evil. This difference is portrayed through the characters Ralph and Frodo, Roger and Sauron, and Piggy and Gandalf.
I. Golding uses the character Ralph to show that man struggles between choosing good versus evil and chooses evil, compared to Tolkien’s novel where Frodo has to make the choice for good and ultimately chooses good.
A. Ralph finds himself having to decide between going back to the beach and joining Jack’s evil dance during the thunderstorm.
1. The narrator states that the Littluns get scared of the thunder and Jack starts a dance where, “Piggy and …show more content…
To embrace is to accept and support a belief or action. Ralph struggles with choosing what to embrace as seen when he chooses to join Jack’s group in the dance. Ralph gives into Jack’s group due to this struggle.
2. As Ralph faces various situations, the critic explains that Ralph struggles with his actions due to his conflict between determining good versus evil. Ralph decision to join the dance is an example how he struggles defining the line between right and wrong. He continues to find it hard to choose what is right throughout the remaining time spent on the island.
C. Similarly, in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo is faced with the task of carrying the ring, yet he has the strength to resist the evil temptation of the ring, seen when he takes it back off his finger.
1. Gandalf looks at Frodo and thinks, “There was a faint change, just a hint as if it were of transparency, about him, and especially about the left hand that lay outside the coverlet” (Tolkien 223).
2. Frodo has resisted the temptation of the ring and places his hand of the pouch in which it lay inside. This action displays his choice to resist evil, as he not only chose to take the ring off but to lay his hand over the coverlet to show his desire to separate himself from …show more content…
As he throws more rocks, the critic explains that Roger is letting evil corrupt him and start its destruction.
C. Similarly, in the Lord of the Rings, Sauron too is once good, but he gives into the temptation of the evil ring and it swallowed him.
1. The narrator states that, “He was now of that shape, in which had wrought so great an evil, so that he could never again appear fair to the eyes of men” (Tolkien 173).
2. Sauron has been corrupted completely by evil to the point where it is impossible to ever again become fair. Sauron who is once good and has the trust of all man chooses to be evil rather than good and turns on mankind. Sauron has become so corrupted by evil that he no longer looks human and cannot regain the trust of man forever.
D. One critic says, “The ring gradually enslaves and destroys that person. It is clear that Tolkien saw the lust for power as a dangerous temptation” (Mathison).
1. The ring is said to have been the evil temptation of power that first corrupted Sauron and continues to until it is lost. Sauron’s inability to resist the evil powers of the ring and separate himself from it begins his path to
I. Golding uses the character Ralph to show that man struggles between choosing good versus evil and chooses evil, compared to Tolkien’s novel where Frodo has to make the choice for good and ultimately chooses good.
A. Ralph finds himself having to decide between going back to the beach and joining Jack’s evil dance during the thunderstorm.
1. The narrator states that the Littluns get scared of the thunder and Jack starts a dance where, “Piggy and …show more content…
To embrace is to accept and support a belief or action. Ralph struggles with choosing what to embrace as seen when he chooses to join Jack’s group in the dance. Ralph gives into Jack’s group due to this struggle.
2. As Ralph faces various situations, the critic explains that Ralph struggles with his actions due to his conflict between determining good versus evil. Ralph decision to join the dance is an example how he struggles defining the line between right and wrong. He continues to find it hard to choose what is right throughout the remaining time spent on the island.
C. Similarly, in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo is faced with the task of carrying the ring, yet he has the strength to resist the evil temptation of the ring, seen when he takes it back off his finger.
1. Gandalf looks at Frodo and thinks, “There was a faint change, just a hint as if it were of transparency, about him, and especially about the left hand that lay outside the coverlet” (Tolkien 223).
2. Frodo has resisted the temptation of the ring and places his hand of the pouch in which it lay inside. This action displays his choice to resist evil, as he not only chose to take the ring off but to lay his hand over the coverlet to show his desire to separate himself from …show more content…
As he throws more rocks, the critic explains that Roger is letting evil corrupt him and start its destruction.
C. Similarly, in the Lord of the Rings, Sauron too is once good, but he gives into the temptation of the evil ring and it swallowed him.
1. The narrator states that, “He was now of that shape, in which had wrought so great an evil, so that he could never again appear fair to the eyes of men” (Tolkien 173).
2. Sauron has been corrupted completely by evil to the point where it is impossible to ever again become fair. Sauron who is once good and has the trust of all man chooses to be evil rather than good and turns on mankind. Sauron has become so corrupted by evil that he no longer looks human and cannot regain the trust of man forever.
D. One critic says, “The ring gradually enslaves and destroys that person. It is clear that Tolkien saw the lust for power as a dangerous temptation” (Mathison).
1. The ring is said to have been the evil temptation of power that first corrupted Sauron and continues to until it is lost. Sauron’s inability to resist the evil powers of the ring and separate himself from it begins his path to