One concept that I believe Tolkien consistently argues in all of his work is that inspiration and ideas are given by nature and that humans or other living creatures are influenced by nature most. People tend to think that they are the center/ protagonist of all things and typically fail to acknowledge that they are simply actors that are driven by outside influences (usually social, but not always). I suppose the "not always" is when I begin to be reminded of Tolkien. Sometimes we get our direction from the earth or from creatures.
Unfortunately, another thing that I believe Tolkien wants us to consider is how our subsequent reactions create consequences for others, nature, and animals. Sometimes these consequences are good and sometimes they are bad. There's something to be said about the world changing with or without one's actions, but sometimes I don't know which of these Tolkien would have preferred. I think he acknowledges that all things change and typically come to an end, but I think he cares more about how they come to an end. For instance, the Elves were leaving Middle-earth anyway, because they were fleeing from evil. But even after men come to power they still left and it was disheartening.
Do you think it is true that Tolkien focuses on the end too much? Does he seem to prefer the journey or the goal?
2 comments:
I definitely think that Tolkien cares deeply about the end of a story because it must be built correctly. He spends so much time filling in all the potential holes in his mythology and creating a story that is seamless and relatable, so I think he's justified in focusing on endings. So I would agree that he cares about how eras come to an end, but only because he develops the journey so meticulously.
I agree with Arien in that Tolkien cares about the end because of the way he so carefully crafted his story. I also think Tolkien's Catholic faith may have played a part in why he focused on the end of the story. To Catholics, being on the earth is being a foreigner in a strange land and so the end of the journey through life is primarily the focus. That is not to say that life is something one should pass by blindly, but that having an end in mind is the surest way to stay on track.
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