J.R.R Tolkien

        "It is not thestrength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit." Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein,South Africa, on January 3, 1892, to Arthur and Mabel Tolkien.  After Arthur Tolkien died due to peritonitis,Mabel moved Tolkien and his siblings into England. Mabel Tolkien died in 1904, due to diabetes. After the death of his parents, Tolkien went to boarding school under the guardianship of a Catholic priest. Tolkien later went on to Exeter College, specializing in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic languages. Tolkien enlisted as a lieutenant in World War I. During World War I, Tolkien fought in the Battle of Somme that incurred over a million casualties, making the battle one of the largest in World War I. Tolkien was later relieved of duty due to illness. During his military service Tolkien married Edith Bratt. After the war, Tolkien became a professor at the University of Leeds in 1920. A few years later he became a professor at Oxford. During his years at Oxford, Tolkien and several other academics from the university such as CS Lewis, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams formed an informal literary group called the Inklings. They were a group of writers who enjoyed the narrative and fictional style of writing; they would often read each other's work and offer criticism about it. One day while grading a paper, Tolkien spontaneously wrote the sentence: In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. This one sentence created out of boredom spiraled into the story of The Hobbit and subsequently The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien is not a traditional hero by any means. The dictionary definition of a hero is a person who is greatly admired for brave acts or fine qualities. Tolkien's heroism, however, lay in his ability to see the fundamental good in human nature even after he had come face to face with the horrors unleashed by the base instincts of mankind. His vision of the redeemability of the human soul, his creation of the "humble hero", and his great ecological sensitivity, exemplified in his works such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, continue to inspire more than fifty years after his death.

In the pervasive atmosphere of nihilism, moral relativism and confusion that prevailed after the two World Wars, Tolkien's moral vision provided a beacon of light. Whilst reflecting on his youth, Tolkien wrote."For myself, I findI become less cynical rather than more--remembering my own sins and follies;and realize that men's hearts are not often as bad as their acts, and veryseldom as bad as their words" (TheLetters of J.R.R Tolkien).  Theevents that transpired in Tolkien's life, from the bloodbath of the First WorldWar, the sickening genocide of the innocent during World War Two, shapedTolkien's beliefs, though in a direction different than his peers. Many of hiscontemporaries succumbed to despair in the face of the madness of the twentiethcentury, in the belief that the universe had no fundamental meaning or purposeand that man's corruption had destroyed the good in the world. But, theviolence of the twentieth century revealed something else to Tolkien; man is notevil in his heart and soul; however man's actions, motivated by hate and greedcould be evil. The events of the twentieth century made many see the worst inhumanity. Tolkien looked at the worst of humanity and saw the potential greatnessin humanity. In a letter to C.S Lewis Tolkien wrote, "Man is not wholly lostnor wholly changed/ Disgraced he may be, yet is not de-throned, /and keeps therags of lordship once he owned/" (Letters of J.R.R Tolkien) In this passage ofTolkien's poem, "keeps the rags of lordship." refers to the tale of Adam andEve and how even in their disgrace they retained a divine spark that was imbuedto them by their Creator.  Tolkien'smoral vision of redeemability is shown by the words "Disgraced he may be, yetis not de-throned." Tolkien's hope in mankind is shown in his belief that, manmay commit the most horrible of crimes impelled by hate and greed, but thatdoes not make man inherently evil. Tolkien still had faith that mankind couldredeem himself through its indomitable spirit. Tolkien's moral vision isparticularly inspiring due to the fact that he chose to have faith in humannature. He not only chose to believe in the best of mankind but also inspiredothers with this belief by infusing ideals of redemption into the characters ofGollum and Grima Wormtongue in the TheLord of the Rings. Both of them have committed horrible acts; however, theprotagonists show them pity, and have belief that they may redeem themselves.Tolkien used his literature to inspire hope in the world, showing that nomatter what man does, he is always capable of redeeming himself. Tolkien,despite the endless slaughter that he saw unfold due to the first and secondWorld Wars, did not shatter or collapse under the belief that mankind hadbecome malevolent and cruel. He instead chose to believe in man, to trust inman, to have hope in man when there was apparently none.

Tolkien's heroism correlates to the heroes he created the humble folk who could step up in times of need through their common sense and courage. In an article about Tolkien's novels GinaDalfonzo states. "The role of hero is given, notto any of the bold warriors or mighty wizards that inhabit the pages, but to 'athree-foot high bundle of timidity with furry feet'" The Lord of the Rings is an epic novel,dealing with war, kingship, and the corrupting influence of power. However, themain protagonists in all of this are small hobbits who prefer the comforts ofhome to the glory of battle. Making the heroes of his epic novel miniaturepeople reveals a lot about Tolkien himself and how he defined heroism. Tolkiencrafted his heroes not from great myths of old, but from his Christian faith.Christianity respected the power of character over the power of physical strength,and Tolkien's heroes were created from that belief. Bilbo Baggins, FrodoBaggins, and Sam Gamgee, the main protagonists of Tolkien's novels all possessno extraordinary physical strength or prowess. It is their courage in the faceof danger, honor, and undying loyalty to their friends that make them heroic. Thisredefinition of the "hero" provides his readers with examples worth emulating -they hold steadfast to an elevated moral code these "humble heroes", but theirvery ordinariness makes them all the more inspiring. In his novel The Hobbit the great Elven KingThranduil says to Bilbo Baggins. ".'You are more worthy to wear the armour ofelf-princes than many that have looked more comely in it" (The Hobbit). The "armour of the elf princes" symbolizes the garb ofa brave hero; however the armor is not relegated only to brave warriors. BilboBaggins proved himself worthy of the outfit of a hero not through his prowessin battle, but through his extraordinary moral courage, bravery of spirit, andhis humble wisdom. The fact that Bilbo deserves the title of a hero more thanthose who ".have looked more comely in it" shows Tolkien's ideology. Tolkienbelieved that sometimes those who appear to be heroes such as soldiers andwarriors, lack heroic qualities of character on the inside. Bilbo Baggins's courageand common sense make his a truer hero than the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield whoseems like a traditional, strong, heroic, archetype. However, Oakenshieldsuccumbs to greed after he gains the treasure of the dragon Smaug.  Oakenshield loses his heroic qualities whentempted with greed, while Bilbo Baggins keeps his moral code throughout hiswhole journey. This kind of hero has had a prevalent influence in today'ssociety. In today's society the common hero is respected and admired. Tolkien'sbelief that to be a hero, one does not have to be someone of great stature andimportance, heroes can be the smallest of people and yet they can still changethe world continues to inspire to this day. The heroes Tolkien created provedthat moral courage rises above the strength of warriors. 

Tolkien possessed great ecologicalsensitivity. He argued against the motives behind industrialization, and thismoral fiber is to be admired. In a letter to Milton Waldman, Tolkien wrote

.bulldozing the real world, or coercingother wills. The Machine is our more obvious modern form though more closelyrelated to Magic than is usually recognised. . . . The Enemy in successiveforms is always 'naturally' concerned with sheer Domination, and so the Lord ofmagic and machines. (The Letters of J.R.RTolkien)

 "The Machine" symbolizes the industrialrevolution while "The Magic" represents light and growth, the wonder inherentin the natural world. The "Machine" is a modern form of "Magic' because in themodern world the "Machine" has taken over the role of the "Magic". However thedifference between the two is that "Magic" preserves the harmony of the naturalworld. The "Machine" in contrast, uses its force to destroy all that thenatural world stands for benefiting only the wielders of the "Machine". TheMachine also represents man's arrogance; Man's desire for power and controlover the world blinds him to the cost of destroying nature. Tolkien's concernis even more relevant today since mankind stands on the cusp of disastrous andirreversible change.   Tolkien is a hero because when one of thethings he loved the most, the natural world was being destroyed as a result ofman's desire to control, Tolkien cried out. Tolkien is heroic for his effortsto sensitize his readers to ecological concerns when it was not a fashionableview. In Tolkien's novel The Two Towersthe Ent Treebeard explains."He is plotting to become a Power. He has amind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except asfar as they serve him for the moment."(The Two Towers)This passage refers to Saruman the White and how heonce cared for the growing things that lived on his doorstep has become corruptedby visions of power and control. He destroyed the world of green and beautyaround him and created a world of fire and ash. The "Power" Saruman seeksrepresents the power that mankind seeks when destroying the natural world. Technologythat did not adversely affect the environment met with Tolkien's approval. Forexample the architectural design and planning of the city of Gondor isdescribed approvingly by Tolkien. However, when Man seemed not to care aboutthe progress of humankind and used technology to fuel his hubris and desire tocontrol the world, destroying nature in the process, Tolkien states that naturewill rebel and fight back. This was shown when in The Two Towers giant trees, or Ents, rose up from the forest anddestroyed Isengard where the once green and rich area had been reduced to pitsspewing black smoke. Tolkien's opinions about the industrialization and thedestruction of the natural world are heroic because he not only believed thatthe natural world is precious, he inspired others to protect everything thatthe natural world stands for. 

Despite all of Tolkien's legendary accomplishmentsas a writer, it is his belief in mankind's redeemability, his formation of newtypes of heroes, and the love he possessed for the natural world that are histruly heroic qualities. Unlike many of his peers, Tolkien did not lose hisfaith in humankind after the bloodshed of the early twentieth century. Rather,the carnage of World Wars I and II reinforced Tolkien's Christian beliefs ofredemption. Tolkien's unique concept of heroism is shown by the heroes hecreated, who all fell outside the traditional definition of a hero. The unconventionallycommon heroes that Tolkien created redefined the concept of heroism, inspiringhis readers with the belief that to resist evil one does not have to possesssuperhuman powers. Tolkien also possessed a great love for the natural worldand all that it contained, and he did not remain silent when the rise ofindustrialization began to raze the natural world. Tolkien does not seem to fitthe traditional definitions of a hero. However one does not have to be a traditionalhero to possess heroic qualities. Tolkien inspires me not for what he did, eventhough his accomplishments are remarkable, but for what he had to say. All mylife I have been surrounded by the essence of Tolkien, whether it be the manyeditions of The Lord of the Rings ownedby my sister, or the Peter Jackson movies, which I could never say no towatching. Tolkien's work helped shape me into the person I am today. However Inow realize that Tolkien's work, epic though it is in scope, by itself does notmotivate and inspire me. Rather, it is the strong moral vision and ideas thatare infused in his work which inspire and elevate me. Through the character ofGollum, I saw the importance of hope and belief in the good within. Through thecharacters of Sam and Bilbo, I saw that heroism does not come from the strengthof your body but the strength of your character. Through the character ofSaruman, I saw the danger of letting illusions of power and control cloud myjudgment. The works of Tolkien inspire me as well as others due to theimportant values infused in them. Truly,it is the strength of Tolkien's spirit that makes him admirable. 

WorksCited

Dalfonzo,Gina. "Humble Heroism: Frodo Baggins as Christian Hero in The Lord of theRings." In Pursuit of Truth A Journal of Christian Scholarship.N.p., 28 Sept. 2001. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

Tolkien,J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1966. Print.

Tolkien,J. R. R., Humphrey Carpenter, and Christopher Tolkien. The Letters of J.R.R.Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981. Print.

Tolkien,J. R. R. The Two Towers; Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings.Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Print.