“His love for Frodo rose above all other thoughts, and forgetting his peril he cried aloud: 'I'm coming Mr. Frodo!” Throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien, one of the most prominent themes present is the life and world changing effects of love. Tolkien reveals the importance of both love, and the different types of love; love among brothers, family, lovers, leaders, animals, and of country are all shown. With numerous examples of the different kinds of love responsible for saving Middle Earth, Tolkien is able to convey the significance and impact of love.
Sam’s love of Frodo is of the greatest importance. Without Sam, Frodo wouldn’t have made it to Mt. Doom, or consequently saved the world. “Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam”, Sam gives Frodo the courage to carry on, and bear his burden. Though Sam is Frodo’s servant, their relationship is that of best friends. When Smeagol killed his best friend to obtain the ring, a stark contrast is drawn between those two and Sam and Frodo. In this comparison it is important to note that Sam never tried to steal the ring as his love was too strong to allow the seduction of power, even when Sam has the chance to leave Frodo and take the ring for himself, “it was the love of his master that helped the most to hold him firm”. This love made it possible for Sam to reject the ring, and therefore save his master, leading to the destruction of Sauron.
Also, Merry and Pippin’s love for Frodo is what brings them along on the journey, “you must go-- and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you.” Then later, when the members of the fellowship were being decided upon and Elrond wished to send the two younger hobbits back to the shire, “’ we don’t want t...
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...es of love present in The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit as well, are constantly being shown as the impetus behind all things that eventually lead to the demise of Sauron. These examples start off simple, a love for a friend, one’s homeland, a leader, but they result in saving Middle Earth and it’s people from the theft of their free will and the dominion of Sauron. Tolkien successfully demonstrates throughout the entire series that the most powerful force in existence is love.
Works Cited
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Revised Ed. Del Ray Books, 1982. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Instead of thinking about himself, Frodo thinks of the people around him in the Shire. Like Luke where he leaves despite his fears, Frodo leaves and not only faces his fears of the unknown but goes in order for the people of the Shire to stay safe despite the fact that he may die showing his selflessness. While on the Death Star, Luke shows his selflessness when goes to save Leia when hearing of her presence on the Death Star. He insists when he talks to Han in the control room that “The droid belongs to her. She's the one in the message.. We've got to help her” (Lucas New 56). Risking his life to save someone he barely knows, Luke shows his selflessness as he wants to save Leia. Both J.R.R. Tolkien and George Lucas have their heroes commit these acts in order to show that they are selfless because through this it is shown that they care about others. Frodo and Luke demonstrate selflessness when Frodo takes up the ring at Rivendell and when Luke joins the Rebel Alliance. When taking up the responsibility to take up the ring at Rivendell at the Council of Elrond, Frodo shows his selflessness as he is cognizant that no one else is willing to take the ring and speaks up as“No one
Along their journey, they have memorable experiences and learn about the One Ring’s imperceptible powers. Furthermore, Frodo and his fellowship discover the powers of the One Ring growing along with the armies of Sauron with respect to time. Ultimately, Frodo and his eight companions must do what it takes to destroy the One Ring and
Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. PDF File.
· Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Religion and Fantasy in the Writing of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien. United Church Press, 1971
Through his burden of carrying the ring, Frodo is subject to many new perspectives that make him realize the importance of the group. Without the help of the others, especially Sam, Frodo would have not been able to accomplish the great task he was given. At first Frodo does not want Sam to come along as he feels it’s too dangerous to subject his friend to. This illustrates his perspective in the beginning of the story of being selfish and thinking that his journey can be taken alone, “It would be the death of you to come with me, Sam," said Frodo, "and I could not have borne that.""Not as certain as being left behind," said Sam."But I am going to Mordor.""I know that well enough, Mr. Frodo. Of course you are. And I'm coming with you.” He later learns through new perspectives that without the help of Sam he would not have gotten far in his journey. Frodo is foreign to the harsh reality he is thrust into. Not only is he away from home, he is also burdened with the task of keeping the ring safe. This burden becomes quite a strain on Frodo, “There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?” J.R.R Tolkien The Lord of the Rings. With the help of Sam and the realization that he is doing this for more than himself,
The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” - J.R.R Tolkien
...; and if by life or death I can save you, I will,” (194). Aragorn, also known as Strider, accompanied the hobbits from the Prancing Pony Inn all the way to the Council of Elrond. Gandalf was also a guiding path for Frodo keeping him updated on the evils of the Ring. I CAN’T FIND A QUOTE. But even with all his guidance Frodo still feels temptation from this Ring of power. “A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his Ring. He hardly dared to breathe, and yet the desire to get it out of his pocket became so strong that he began slowly to move his hand. He felt that he had only to slip it on, and then he would be safe,” (83). Frodo Baggins with knowledge and guidance was able to make good choices throughout his journey to Mordor in the Fellowship of the Ring because of his knowledge of the Ring and the guidance that surrounded him.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Frodo Baggins, the main character in the movie faces many compelling circumstances in his quest and is challenged to sacrifice much of himself. The first challenge Frodo has to face when Gandalf as...
But the tone of the book rapidly becomes more serious as the Black Riders pursue the hobbits through the forest. The hobbits come to the village of Bree, and arrive at the home of Tom Bombadil. Frodo meets a man named Aragorn, or ‘Strider’, who convinces him to go to the city of Rivendell. "In Rivendell you will be safe from their magic," Aragorn tells him, "for Elrond is a sensible man, and does not believe in it." With that Aragorn leads them rapidly to Rivendell, with the Riders in hot pursuit. As they ford the last river between them and Rivendell there is a spell cast on the river-water, causing it to rise up and wash away the Black riders, and our heroes make it to the safety of Rivendell.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Print.
The two Hobbits set off on a journey in which they meet up with others that join them on their journey such as Gimli the "Dwarf", Legolas the "Elven" archer, Boromir a "Human" tracker, Aragorn the heir to the "Human" throne, two more "Hobbits" Merry, Pippin and the powerful "Wizard" Gandalf. They travel across "Middle Earth" fighting off many "Orcs" and "Black Riders" which are in search of the ring by the orders of the powerful evil "Wizard" Sauron. During their quest, they encounter many ambushes by the "Orcs" which they overcome and usually slay. In some of the ambushes, Frodo uses his ring to become invisible to escape from the "Orcs" and "Black Riders".
Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Fantasy in the Writing of J. R. R. Tolkien. United Press, 1971