The Lord of the Rings: a Moral Story
The moral dilemma in the series, The Lord of the Rings, is between good and bad. The main concentration of the story is on the efforts of Frodo Baggins and his companions to destroy the ring and overcome the evil plans of Mordor. The elves, dwarfs, and Gondorians all band together to fight the orcs of Sauron and Saruman. This war is ultimately a moral war over right and wrong. The orcs have been looting middle-earth and establishing an empire that oppresses the people. The elves, dwarfs, and hobbits, overcome the orcs and preserve the purity of Middle-earth.
The main representation of evil is in the Ring of Power. This ring allows the wearer to become invisible, but each time it is worn, the wearer becomes dependent on it. The ring attracts power hungry people toward it, and it is very tempting to possess it. However, as is shown in the movie, Frodo has to struggle within himself to find the courage and strength needed to sacrifice his health and mind in order to journey into Mordor and destroy the ring. In a sense there is a comparison to Jesus here. Frodo must sacrifice himself, partially, in order to save the entire Middle-earth from sin and destruction.
There is also a moral dilemma within the fellowship. At one point in the story Boromir confronts Frodo about taking the ring and creating there own empire of power. The dilemma here is between being selfish or trying to help those that are in need. Ultimately, Boromir realizes that he was being tempted by the ring and sacrifices himself for the protection of Frodo and the fellowship.
I think that the main moral of the story is to be wary of temptation and avoid it at all costs. Throughout the story different people all become tempted by the ring. Smeagol is the epitome of what happens to those who give in to sin. At one point he was a hobbit, but he killed his friend for the ring and from then on he became a slimy smelly disgusting creature. Gollum's only focus was on finding "his precious" and having it all to himself. As a result, he never took care of himself, and he became an animal. By seeing the effects of temptation and sin on Gollum, I learned to avoid sin at all costs. The series Lord of the Rings also challenges me to love my enemies. Frodo never once killed an orc unless it was self defense. He lives up to the example Jesus taught us. Frodo, one man, saved his world from evil with the help of his friends. I will always to look to Frodo as an exmaple of a selfless person who is always there to help.
