The Mythic Dimension chapter was highly innovating due to many insights that I had not noticed before. Shippey mentions how Tolkien used allegory in his other lectures and works, such as Beowolf. This goes to show that he was not completely against Allegory, but only against it within his work of Middle Earth. He dismissed the Lord of the Rings being a clear allegory because the overall plot has nothing to do with the war that he was involved in. Shippey mentions several examples such as the ring not being used against Sauron, Barad-dur not being occupied, Sauron not becoming enslaved, as well as Saruman not making a ring of his own. It is quite peculiar how critics and other individuals of the audience make the quick conclusion of pure allegory within Tolkien’s work, when they don’t even bother to notice the major points of World War II being completely missing from Tolkien’s narrative.
Another aspect that I found highly intriguing was when Shippey started talking about Saruman being compared to a Socialist and Denethor being compared to a Conservative. I could not help but laugh at this notion due to the recent hype over the Presidential elections. I ended up comparing Saruman to Obama and Denethor to McCain. It is interesting to see how many different ways one can use the terms of Socialist and Conservative to define something. Clearly I do not picture Obama as a cunning, evil, and self-centered individual, who cannot decide if he is with society, only select parts of society, or not with society at all. McCain can also not be compared to Denethor because he is not a lonely, self-centered individual, who gives up on all hope when things do not particularly go his way. Not only are the specifics of associating these men of power with ones in the real world a topic that interests me, but the sheer fact that Shippey briefly brings of politics in general is awkward in itself. I had never really cared to notice a certain political aspect within the Lord of the Rings, mainly because the narrative is a Fantasy that could not possibly include the corrupt politics and government of the real world. However, as Shippey had mentioned before, people cannot be completely void of their lives affecting their writing. Tolkien was definitely one such writer and influences of the war and his childhood can be seen throughout all of his narratives. Politics most likely had a strong effect on Tolkien as well. This is shown most severely through Saruman commanding his army from the top of Orthanc. However, he commands and rallies his troops in a way that they cannot help but believe that everything would be all right, just like a politician.
One final aspect that interested me was when Shippey mentioned how one can see the slow change in Frodo slowly becoming a Pacifist. He shows this through Frodo threatening Gollum but later protecting him, giving away sting and using an orc-blade that he soon discards as well, as well as doing nothing in the Scouring of the Shire. However, Shippey makes sure to note that Frodo is not a complete Pacifist because he would allow killing if that meant the Hobbits could remain safe. This really interested me because I had not truly noticed Frodo’s Pacifism until the Scouring of the Shire scene, making it seem like his sudden dislike for violence suddenly appeared as soon as he had destroyed the ring.
Lauren Brych? November 07, 2008, at 09:01 AM
