Thursday, February 10, 2011
Powerful "Objects" in LotR
A topic that was constantly touched on in discussion is the idea of certain powerful objects exerting holds over even the most powerful of people. The Ring casts its shadow over Frodo, its carrier, and goes as far as to tempt even Gandalf, Saruman, and Galadriel, among the wisest of beings in Middle-Earth. All the different factions want something different from The Ring and this leads to constant friction between the characters. The Mirror in the forest of Lothlorien (spelling?) is also a powerful magical object. Both Frodo and Sam are reluctant to try using its power and yet they do so anyways. Gollum dedicates his life to searching for The Ring and keeping it for himself, regardless of the dangers that come with it. Throughout the novel I've noticed that Tolkien gives each character certain temptations that come with harsh consequences if the character in question succumbs to temptation.
2 comments:
I really like the way you wrote about this. It made me realize something pretty obvious that I don't think I've ever directly thought of before. You mention the ring and the mirror. Isn't it interesting that both of these can be seen as symbols of vanity? I think it may be significant that he chose objects that would have allure even without magical properties. I'm sure I've read a short story or two about people being destroyed because they become obsessed with their reflection/appearance. One thing that might contradict my idea here is that the one ring also is the most plain apparently.
Hmm I actually didn't think about the ring and mirror being symbols of vanity and I think I'd agree with you. Tolkien does tend to attribute magical properties to things that seem insignificant (which is an important theme as well!)
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