Greg Powell



Gregory Bassham sees six main messages in The Lord of the Rings that Tolkein is trying to help us see. The first is to delight in simple things. The hobbits of the shire and the Elves are very focused on nature or their jobs. In our fast paced lives of the modern world we forget the small delights that the inhabitants of middle earth seem to find. These simple wonders also happen to be quite frequent and all the more enticing to enjoy, if we can stop to see them.




The second message is to make light of our troubles. In the face of mortal peril a hobbit is happy to sit down and talk to you about his ninth removed cousin and his antics. We often forget to enjoy the life that we have while we have it. The priority system on which the Hibbiton culture is built allows the hobbits to not loose sight of the big picture and realize the pettiness of our troubles. In the words of St. Augustine "rejoice and be glad for life is short."

The third message is to get personal. Friendship is completely necessary to any form of happiness or success in life. Without Sam, Frodo would have never made it all the way to Mordor and conqurered Saruman. Even Aristotle devoted a fith of one of his major works "Nicomachean Ethics" to the importance of friendship. The reliance of the hobbit lifestyle on friendship is essential to to the happiness of their community.




The fourth Message is often seen as cliche, however the cultivation of good character goes much deeper than good and bad. Tolkein does not ignore the fact that bad things happen to good people. However those who seek selflessness especially in their relationships with their friends; happiness finds them. Frodo's struggle with the ring's evil power tried to send Sam home, but Sam's selfless dedication to Frodo and the destruction of evil drove him right back to Frodo's side.

The Fifth message is to cherish and create beauty. Frodo's travels take him from the beauty of the shire and Rivendale to the ugly horror of Mordor. As Frodo looses the beauty of his surroundings, his actions loose a parallel beauty. The happy characters in The Lord of the Rings are those who create beauty in their work and lives. The elves are some of the best artisans and crafts men of the relm. Frodo's sword and Nethril armor are Elvish and highly valueable. On the opposite end of the spectrum the ugly characters try to destroy all of the beauty of Middle Earth. Saruman's Goal is the domination of evil throughout middle earth. From the christian View, God is the supreme artist and we are made in his image and likeness, so we we too strive to be artists and creators of beauty.

The Final message of The Lord of the Rings is to rediscover wonder. Tom Bombadil lives a reclusive life in that he retracts from the distractions of life to find amazement in all of his surroundings. This total detachment to desire and want rendered the ring of power powerless on Tom. Tom truly lives the hobbit motto of finding love in the simple things. In wonder we loose our reliance on the material and in Middle Earth at least our desire for evil.