Excellent Outline! Lydia Fish October 30, 2008, at 11:53 AM
Topic: Nature in The Lord of the Rings
I. Introduction: Without nature, The Lord of the Rings would lose much of what makes it appealing to its readers. The detailed, beautiful descriptions of the various landscapes throughout the book maintain a sense of other-worldliness that is at the same time overwhelmingly familiar. The aesthetics of the book are dependent on these passages, and the movies, set against gorgeous New Zealand backdrops, further set the stage for the unfolding of the story. In the book, the characters are also deeply connected to nature, which reaffirms their various personalities and gives the reader a clue of each character’s tendencies and emotions. Nature, and the absence of nature, is also utilized to portray the war of good versus evil, which is parallel to nature versus technology.
Thesis Statement: In The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien utilizes nature to create a world that harkens to an environmental warning and therefore connects the reader to the story and its characters in a deeper, more meaningful, and effective way.
II. Section of Body Paragraphs 1: the aesthetics of Tolkien’s nature
1. Example of passage from the book: “There were no clouds overhead yet, but a heaviness was in the air; it was hot for the season of the year. The rising sun was hazy, and behind it, following it slowly up the sky, there was a growing darkness, as of a great storm moving out of the East. And away in the North-west there seemed to be another darkness brooding about the feet of the Misty Mountains, a shadow that crept down slowly from the Wizard’s Vale.” (p. 141–42 TT)
Opening to any chapter or section in the book, the reader will come across endless beautiful descriptions of nature. Without the locations mentioned, the above passage could easily be mistaken as a scene from our own world, in which the air is heavy, and the day proves to be hot and stormy. This connects the reader to the book in a clever way, by integrating a key element of human existence into the book. By doing so, the reader is able to make the transition from reality to the fantastic (Brisbois 199). There is a “profound presence of the natural world,” in which Nature itself is almost another character (Curry). The reoccurrence of the word “shadow” throughout the book is a constant reminded that Middle-earth is NOT our home, and that Sauron is growing more powerful, creeping into the beauty of nature and threatening to overwhelm its presence. The detail is used as a tool to visualize Middle-earth as well as to project the events of the story (and Sauron’s actions and growing power) onto the backdrop to further emphasize the far reach of destruction in the book.
“Nature in The Lord of the Rings serves as the basic element of the imaginary world the reader perceives. The representation of nature in The Lord of the Rings is at once comforting in its familiarity and Fantastic in its personifications” (Bribois 197).
Other points to consider in this section:
2. About 400 place-names in non-English languages: the names are unfamiliar, but the geographic features are easily recognizable and identifiable; these are the means of Tolkien to express his love of languages and the meanings behind the names do make sense to the reader as they have a ringing of truth and “rightness” to them because of their connotations. The naming of places gives the story “history and integrity” and reflects Tolkien’s love of England and “sense of place” (Curry)
3. Nature as a character: Nature is sometimes hard to read in its actions but most of the time has strong reasoning and motives for its “behavior” but is sometimes irrational, just like a human being. By anthropomorphizing nature, humans are able to grasp its concept better- this is often done in other works to bring concepts across to the reader, for example the personification of God, the angels, and Satan in Paradise Lost. Also nature generally punishes the bad, for example, Caradhras hinders the Fellowship’s crossing but does not detain them- it is apparent that it “punishes” or “rewards” characters for their individual actions, also Old Man Willow attacks the harmless hobbits, who it sees as killers of trees and nature (to be explained further in the next section
Each forest in Middle Earth has its own unique personality (Curry). Nature is NOT romanticized, and individual trees have importance. Also mention the Minas Tirith tree and its significance.
III. Section of Body Paragraphs 2: Characters’ connections to Nature
The characters of LOTR are deeply connected to the land on which they live. This is apparent in their comfort in certain places and their discomfort in others. As stated in Curry’s article, “…most of the races are closely tied to a particular geography and ecology…” (127–28). This is also true for human beings- the way in which we identify with a particular piece of land and where we came from is similar to the love of “home” (specific areas of Middle-earth) that the characters have, and their delight of homecoming or stumbling upon similar landscapes that resound their homeland.
1. Hobbits and the Shire The Shire is often seen as an idealized nature, a kind of pastoral paradise. While many of the critics seem to think so, Flieger points out that Old Man Willow goes after the hobbits in the Fellowship regardless of whether they are good or bad. Although the hobbits tend to the earth and seem to live amongst it in perfect balance, there is still “tilled earth” in the Shire, not old, ancient wildlife and woods. Therefore, Old Man Willow is only acting against those who act against him and his kin. “In fact or fiction, where there are people, trees are in danger” (Flieger 150).
Frodo (and, subsequently Gandalf, are the only wanderers with no true home in Middle-earth). At no point in the book does Gandalf show any particular bias towards a particular area of Middle-earth. Frodo, in contrast, begins in the Shire but must have some urge to leave it to be able to go on his quest. He often laments about his homecoming, but when he does return he realizes that it is no longer “home” because he is so affected by what happened. He comes to realize that he does not belong in Middle-earth anymore, and decides to leave for the Grey Havens with Gandalf and others.
2. Ents and Fangorn The Ent and the Entwife counter gender stereotypes of the male being more active, and the female more passive. It is the complete opposite of this as reflected in the song which Treebeard sings. When Treebeard speaks of the Ents’ superiority to Elves and Men, he shows the values of the Ents, such as humility, being “changeable,” and also their steadiness of mind. These values are deeply contradicted in the song of the Ent and the Entwife, as both fail miserably at humility and their steadiness is seen more as stubbornness. It is a sad state of affairs, as “The Ents and the Entwives, if unified, would balance and complete each other” (Olsen 46). Yet they are so reluctant to yield toward the other that they risk the very distinction of their own species for lack of procreation. “The danger that the Ents face is to tallow their patient communion with nature to lapse into mere lassitude.” It is obvious that both the Ents and Entwives love the land deeply, but in different ways. “The Ent and the Entwife have allowed their love for their lands, itself a good thing, to skew their priorities. They have become so entrenched in their own ways of thinking that they have forgotten their dependence on each other and shared destiny. They have devoted themselves so completely to that which they love in Middle-earth that they will not turn toward the higher and greater world for which they are destined” (Olsen 51).
They also reflect two different environmental perspectives: the Ents are “preservationists,” who value Nature for nature’s sake and maintaining its original form, and the Entwives are “conservationists,” who believe in managing the earth without destroying it (40).
3. Tom Bombadil and the Old Forest He is often seen as a sort-of “nature spirit” who is incapable of destroying Sauron. He is also uninterested in doing so because he is more concerned for the earth as a whole than the affairs of men and other creatures at this small moment in time. He is ancient, as ancient as the woods or even more so, and therefore would not fight Sauron unless Sauron directly attacked his home. The ring does not affect him because he is “clearly the moral opposite of Sauron. He has no desire for power, no will to dominate” (Treschow and Duckworth 187). As Tolkien says, he is a “natural pacifist” and “…he also has a thorough understanding of his land and his lady. The whole bearing of his life is to serve them. Indeed, as a nature spirit he would seem to be bound to his own locale and to be wholly content therein. He knows his place because he is as rest with it” (Treschow and Duckworth 190). He is more of “the embodiment of an idea” (191) than anything else.
4. Other characters that may be addressed (although the first three are the most important ones): Legolas (the Elves), Gimli (the dwarves), the Balrog, the Huorns, the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains, the thinking fox (Part I, FR)
IV. Section of Body Paragraphs 3: Good v. Evil, Nature v. Technology
Tolkien uses the concept of nature as a warning against the evils of mankind and their desire to “rule the world” through manipulation and power. The depiction of the Enemy, Sauron, those connected to him, and the various landscapes associated with them make the reader further understand the extend of their destruction and carry a warning of what could very well happen (and is happening) throughout the globe. Tolkien was also well-known for his concerns about the dwindling English countryside.
1. Frodo and Sam in Mordor yearn for water and nature the most. The absence of nature furthers the descriptions of the place, and adds to its horror and ghastliness. (Excerpt of description of Mordor from the book to show the desolation of the place). It is apparent that all of the beauty and culture are lost along with the loss of nature. This makes the reader think: is this what our earth is coming to?
The closer that the Hobbits get to Mordor, the more it becomes a “blighted industrial wasteland”
Life is cheap, “ecocide” (combines the root words for “home” and “kill”), the Ring is addictive
The weak are the first to go, Mordor is like the death camps, they are all slaves to some power higher to them, and are driven due to fear or hatred, or both
2. The Ring as a mega machine: there is no greater power than the Ring in the material realm. Its transformative power is unavoidably destructive to all forms of life. Sauron wants to use the Ring to make Middle-earth into a place of sameness. The beauty of various cultures and peoples will be no longer there without Nature and its variances.
3. Saruman, according to Treebeard, “has betrayed the natural world with which he used to have an intimate realtionship in the times before his fall..” Also, “The story of Saruman is that of another fall, from a desire to understand nature’s complexity into a yearning to dominate it” (Carretero-Gonzalez 156).
Quest for knowledge to the extreme
Saruman tempts Gandalf (when he has him imprisoned) with “Knowledge, Rule, Order” (Part II, FR)
Genetic engineering is seen in the creation of the Uruk-hai
4. Nature and good people are on the same side! (Simply look at the ending of the story). “…although they had to pay the price of seeing evil brought home, nature rewarded them fully. In the Third Age of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, the natural world and the Free Peoples who try to overthrow evil are definitely on the same side” (Carretero-Gonzalez 157).
V. Conclusion: Nature is used in The Lord of the Rings for various reasons. These reasons differ from aesthetic quality to showing the difference between good and evil. Through the use of detailed natural descriptions, characterization through the linking of characters to their natural habitats, and the contrast between the natural and the technological, the reader is able to move beyond the realistic aspects of the story into the more fantastic realm, while at the same time maintaining a sense of familiarity and warning. It is obvious that the story of Frodo and the crisis in Middle-earth echoes the ecological dilemma that the world is now facing, and warns of the possibility of a Mordor on earth. The increase of populations, deforestation, the extinction of species, cryogenics, and many other issues facing today’s world brings forth the strong desire in mankind to dominate over everything, even Nature. “Strong and free societies value and protect their natural contexts (including sacred places), which return that trust by protecting and supporting them. Realizing this and acting on it, there is hope” (Curry 71). This is clearly seen in the renewal of the Shire at the conclusion of The Lord of the Rings, which gives a sense of hope to our situation. Even so, we must realize that “ ‘what must be conserved before anything else is the desire in ourselves for Home- for harmony, peace and love, for growth in nature and in our imaginative powers- because unless we keep this alive, we shall lose everything” (Curry 135, quoting Fraser Harrison). Human beings must also be able to realize the significance of our impact upon the rest of the world and existence on this planet, as there are many other ecosystems and beings at risk because of our risky behavior. Will Planet Earth hear the message of Tolkien? Or will it simply give in to the desire to dominate and the draw to power, and become a Second Mordor? We can clearly see that Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is valued not only for its immense literary worth, but for its worth as cautionary tale and the reflection of our own situation.
Kelsey Till October 29, 2008, at 08:46 PM
