Aelfwine
Ossiriand
Oct 6 2022, 9:45pm
Views: 1556
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At least in The Lord of the Rings, the central themes are 1) renunciation of power, particularly over others; 2) self-sacrifice; and 3) persevering in doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing, not because of any realistic expectation of success.
In Tolkien's legendarium as a whole, the overarching theme is the inherent evil of wishing to coerce the will or otherwise dominate the minds and actions of others, even for what might seem like good purposes. (I.e., ends do not in themselves justify means, to coin an original thought).
Friendship etc. are certainly present as themes in LotR (not so much in the broader legendarium, but they are neither central nor core to what is in fact a much more profound meditation on creation, sub-creation, and the meaning of life (mortal or immortal). These far more profound themes are the true distinctives in Tolkien, and give his work its lasting significance,
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Carl F. Hostetter
(This post was edited by Aelfwine on Oct 6 2022, 9:47pm)
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