Spiritual Metaphor

[Rivendell]

The real world metaphor of LOTR that I can most blatantly see is the spiritual battle that each person is consciously part of every day in every era: the choice to do good over evil and vice versa.  To me, Frodo is similiar to many prophets in the Bible who follow God no matter what the cost and to any end, and sometimes slip up like Frodo does when he temporarily decides to take the ring at the very end (this mirrors in my mind when Moses loses faith in God right before seeing the promised land--I think, but I may be wrong, when he doesn't believe that God will provide water; also mirrors Samson when he uses his strength for his own glory instead of God's glory) instead of destroying it for the good of Middle Earth.  I am sure there are also a lot of current politics that are similar to the LOTR metaphor, such as the Middle East War as similar to the Middle Earth War (ironic how they both start with "middle" and "Ea"!), however since I am no news buff, I will leave further indepth metaphors to those who live and breathe the world news.

[screams]

well, as tolkien said, there is no intended allegory in the books. i think though, that even if he didn't put any real metaphors or allegory in there, there is certainly influence from his faith, and his experiences in the war... i think you can take any sort of interperatation you like from it, because as a book it is a piece of art, and art is supposed to be interperated.

[Gliowien]

I agree with what screams is getting at here. Although Tolkien didn't intend to metaphor real events with his writing, it can't be helped but to have metaphorical qualitites. Like he did it subconsciously or something.

[HalfElf]

I have to agree, as an art form it screams of
metaphors; it is then up to each person to find
his or her own spiritual identity

[Gil Galad]

I definately agree, but still you must be cautious as to interperatation. Tolkien did not intend for it to be an allegory but they ae unmistakeblt there and Tolkien knew it and did not look down on that, but especially for those who share his faith there are many allegories in his works and they are definately helped along by his faith. Three wonderful books on the subject are "Finding God in Lord of the Rings" by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware and the devotionals "Walking with Bilbo" and "Walking with Frodo" by Sarah Arthur. They are wonderful books.

[Amroth]

   I believe the book was also fueled by Tolkien's disdain of modern technology, and the world's enslavement to "progress."  He seemed to use a lot of powerful sayings such as "His mind is metal and gears, now.", or something of the sort, and a lot of stuff from Treebeard.  He also seems to point out that the defenders of Rohan call Saruman's bombs "devilry."  This obviously comes from a war experience, in which bombs made his time very hard, as well as Lewis'.

[Gil Galad]

Definatel, his war experienced impacted him severly

[Beren One-Hand]

Gliowien: I like the way you put it: "metaphorical qualities."  That's a good way of describing it.  Tolkien definitely had certain themes and ideas, and even symbolism within LOTR's.  But as it has already been said, he did not write it as allegory.

[Camlost]

You've already touched on Tolkien and his loathing of industrialisation.

He grew up in Birmingham like me, but saw much more of a radical change in landscape than I have. Brum has always been an industrial and urban sprawl to me, but not to JRR.

Sarehole when he lived there, and Moseley where he played around the  bog, were villages on the outskirts of Birmingham, and like so many villages they were eventually swallowed up by the rapid expansion of the city. Now they are merely suburbs of a city of a million people.

I think even from a young age, JRR was keenly aware of this change. He felt the encroachment of industry on his boyhood haven.

This is the bit where the Shire started as the epitomy of peace and tranquility but was industrialised and ruined by Sharkey and his minions.

[Bombadil_Ulmo]

Frodo's journey from the Shire to Mordor could represent the passage of time and progress in one place.  Say, a place started out as a farm and ended up as a huge city full of factories.

A lot of metaphors in writing come out subconciously, like it's in human nature to tell our history, even if it's in some obscure way. 

[Melian]

I agree with what screams is getting at here. Although Tolkien didn't intend to metaphor real events with his writing, it can't be helped but to have metaphorical qualitites. Like he did it subconsciously or something.

As Glio says but to extend it all authors were readers before they became writers. Tolkien disliked having his work allegorized but any book or text can still be interpreted in a context and there are some clear indications of what his literary context was like.

For example the uprising of the forests allegedly a reference to the industrial revolution.