XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis, rec.arts.books.tolkien
From: spamgard@blueyonder.co.uk
Joseph wrote:
> Tolkien's theme was as follows:
When you take a _strong_ position like this, claiming to speak for
Tolkien, it might be an idea to find some quote from his writings
(either his stories set in Middle-earth, or one of his /Letters/ or the
material published by Tolkien's son after Tolkien died).
> It was time for the race of Men to inherit ME. In order for them to
> grow into the position of responsible custodians of ME, and of their
> own destiny, they would have to *earn* ME, not have it handed to them
> on a silver platter. The task at hand would be for *men* to overcome
> their own weakness for power and thereby earn the custodianship of
> ME. This theme is inherent in the basic argument of Tolkien's LOTR.
> This is *not* an invention of the movie.
The theme in the books is rather that the time of the Elves is over
(that was something the movie did get right). Regardless of what
happens, the Elves are departing. The only question is whether free Men
will rule their kingdoms free from the shadow of Sauron, or whether
Sauron will cover the lands in a second darkness.
> Elrond didn't compel Isildur to destroy the ring, because that
> wouldn't have acheived the stated goal (Tolkien's goal). The goal was
> never to simply have the ring destroyed, but rather to have *man*
> destroy the ring.
Where is this stated?
Why did a dwarf, wizard and elf join the Fellowship of the Ring?
> What makes the ending so interesting is the question of whether this
> goal was acheived. Ultimately, Frodo did the absolute best that he
> could and despite not being perfect, Tolkien decides that that was
> good enough! There's a lesson in there as well...
Yes, but that is a lesson in personal salvation for Frodo.
Christopher
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