Emily Marvin

Dear Emily

You have made an excellent start on your paper.

Your thesis statement needs some work.

Slang words such as “bash” should not be used in formal writing. Also, some of your word choices are awkward: “backdrop” instead of “background,” “exerting” instead of “expressing.” You need to rewrite the sentence beginning with “The feminist critics’ assertions…” — how can a scolding finger belittle something?

You have also overlooked the most important source for information about how Tolkien felt about women – himself! Get hold a copy of his published letters and check out the index under “women.”

You do develop your material and make your points well. You need to have someone proofread your paper — there are some punctuation errors, especially misplaced commas. I would suggest showing your completed paper to one of the tutors at the Writing Help Desk in Butler Library 214.

As you say, you need to use all ten of your sources. Some of your citations are unclear — what does (6) mean? Please check the MLA Style Sheet on the Butler Library website for the correct form for internal citations. Lydia Fish November 24, 2008, at 05:28 PM

You seem to have found a lot of sources and I bet that made writing this paper much easier. You have a topic that is original yet I bet it was fairly easy to write about. Your points seem to be very good on each of your strong women characters, such as Arwen. Tolkien definitely did not hate women and I think you proved that well. Nice paper. Donald Turner November 13, 2008, at 04:48 PM

You have a very interesting paper and topic! The organization, detail, and flow are superb. Great job. Steven Wilser? November 13, 2008, at 04:34 PM

This is a great topic, and your paper is very well organized and thought out. Your topic seems very original and I am sure there is not much written on the subject, but you did a great job finding critical statements and so on. I find the representation of females in almost any work interesting, and it is also fascinating to see the critical analysis. One art professor of mine looked at a picture of a nude model and said some critics would say the photographer is objectifying women, but if he was a woman, she would be empowering the model. SO it is interesting to see how people interpreted Tolkien’s portrayal of women. Eligh Hanning

Wow, this is a really great paper. I love the topic. This paper is very well organized and it looks like you put a lot of time and effort into it. Everything flows well and I think the topic is really interesting.Sarah Chudyk? November 13, 2008, at 09:26 AM

I thought your paper was well-organized, and very intriguing…because I didn’t ever think about Rosie Cotton…I wonder if Tolkien put her in their solely to aid Sam on HIS quest…or maybe he put her in for kicks, and then adapted her? Joseph Bella? November 13, 2008, at 01:42 AM

I really liked your topic! Arwen was one of my favorite characters in the Lord of the Rings and I really liked the section of your paper that discusses the role Arwen played in Tolkien’s books. There are some strong topics discussed in this paper but with the addition of some commas and a quick proofread, your paper will be more fluent and powerful. This will add to the strong topic you chose. Your comments on sexism were also very interesting! Carly Lopez? November 12, 2008, at 11:07 PM

This is a great topic to begin with. One of my favorite sentences was, “What critics such as Fredrick and McBride don’t understand is that the number of female characters does not hold precedence over the quality of female characters and the functions they fulfill within the plot.” Definitely a great point to make. Everything is so well-organized that I really can’t think of anything to improve upon. Devon Cozad? November 12, 2008, at 07:24 PM

I love your topic! The source of the letters that Tolkien wrote are really fascinating and the examples your chose to use fit very well with your topic and ideas. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for Shelob. Great Job! Elizabeth Delano? November 12, 2008, at 05:40 PM

You have a great paper so far. Your ideas are fully developed with details to abacke them up. You seem to have fixed the few errors that were pointed out to you so keep it up. Trudy Antwi November 12, 2008, at 05:16 PM

I found your topic interesting and wish that I had thought about writing on it. Your paper is detailed and backs up everything that you talk about. Your argument is well developed and presented logically as well. Very nice paper so far! Keilah Bradley November 12, 2008, at 03:39 PM

I really like the approach you take on this subject, rather than getting wrapped up in in the Feminist aspects you logically present your arguments defending Tolkien. I found the section on Eowyn to be the most interesting, no matter what gender she is still blessed with many talents. How many Warrior are able to convert to such a task as healing after experience death and victory on the battle field? For Hon 101 I am writing a research paper on a female character, I also noticed that alot of my sources where more frequently written by women then man. Your paper is turning out great, awesome job! Sarah McNutt November 12, 2008, at 08:49 AM

You pose a strong argument for the female role within the Lord of the Rings. I particularly enjoyed the notion that Eowyn strongly displays the overall theme of preservation of peace. Your final subject on Shelob should be a good addition for finishing off your paper. Lauren Brych? November 11, 2008, at 04:27 PM

I really like how you present opinions on the opposite side in order to support your argument. It works well to present these views, and then denounce them by other critics’ views and specific examples from the text. I also liked your incorporation of Goldberry, and how her personification of nature emphasizes Tolkien’s respect of her character (nature is my topic)! I also liked your mention of Galadriel’s dominance over Celeborn. While reading the book, I would often forget his name, but never forgot Galadriel’s! My only suggestion would be a quick proofread… I remember seeing a “however” without commas surrounding it and a couple of minor typographical errors. Good job! Kelsey Till November 09, 2008, at 02:43 PM

Thank you for pointing out that comma error. It’s funny that my mom was proofreading my paper at about the same time as you were reading my paper. I think she caught the other typos that you were talking about, which I have corrected before most of the class will comment on my paper. Thanks! Emily Marvin? November 09, 2008, at 03:03 PM

You have a really strong paper so far. Maybe you could incorporate quotations from some papers that claim Tolkien’s work is sexist. I think it would provide a good contrast to the information you present. Nice Work Annika Laughlin? November 11, 2008, at 08:25 PM

Female Gender Roles and the Absence of Sexism in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings

Word Count: 3,205

Many critics of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings have bashed his fiction for supposedly misrepresenting women and leaving them in the backdrop of the plot. They claim that Tolkien and his male colleagues, one of whom was C. S. Lewis, were living in a male-dominated society and as such created men’s worlds in their novels. Ironically, most of the critics who exert opinions regarding Tolkien’s ill treatment of women characters in his narrative are females themselves. The feminist critics’ assertions about women stereotypes found throughout The Lord of the Rings, and those that point a scolding finger at Tolkien’s “sexist” attitudes towards women, are ill-founded and often belittle the important roles Tolkien appointed to females in Middle Earth. Female characters in The Lord of the Rings take on a number of prominent and vital roles including motivator, villain, warrior, leader and healer.

Tolkien himself, in a 1955 letter to the Houghton Mifflin Company, wrote: “The only criticism that annoyed me was one that it ‘contained no religion’ (and ‘no women’, but that does not matter, and is not true anyway)” (Letters 220). In response to this letter, critics Candice Fredrick and Sam McBride admit that there are women in The Lord of the Rings, but “the number of these female characters is significantly less than the total number of male characters” (Battling the Women Warrior 32). They also grudgingly hint that Tolkien’s statement that the criticism doesn’t matter is a suggestion that women are irrelevant in the progression towards the end of the Third Age. What critics such as Fredrick and McBride don’t understand is that the number of female characters does not hold precedence over the quality of female characters and the functions they fulfill within the plot.

One of the female characters, of whom many people would not immediately think of, especially when defending the view that Tolkien’s female characters play an important part in his fiction, is none other than the female hobbit Rosie Cotton. There is not much story of Rosie Cotton, however, Tolkien recognized her silent role, which was important to Sam’s journey with Frodo to destroy the Ring. In a letter to Milton Waldman around 1951, Tolkien states:

As seen in Tolkien’s letter, Rosie provides encouragement for Sam to fulfill his quest through “the promise of her actions after the Ring’s destruction –loving Sam, of course, and also performing her ‘ordinary life’ activities of cooking, homemaking, nurturing, and mothering (Sturgis 1). Rosie’s role of empowering Sam would not satisfy critics like Doris Myers who, in an article titled “Brave New World: The Status of Women According to Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams,” claimed that Middle Earth is “based on the traditional masculine-feminine stereotypes” (14). It is shameful that critics like Myers would seek to discount the roles that are still embedded in society of women as mother and provider, as well as the level of emotional strength that is demanded of such roles.

Another female character that is close to the Shire, and one who exhibits mystical qualities, is Tom Bombadil’s wife Goldberry, the “River daughter.” She is “mythologically similar to a water nymph or a dryad” (Enright 95). Goldberry’s link to nature, like her husband, is shown in descriptions of her clothing. Her “long yellow hair rippled down her shoulders; her gown was green, green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots” (I/7). Tolkien’s personification of nature in Goldberry’s character hints that he valued her because the preservation and appreciation of nature was near and dear to his heart. Goldberry fulfills a different role than that of her husband, but they both open up their home for Frodo and his hobbit companions as a safe shelter until they commence on the next segment of their journey. Although Tom Bombadil is called “master,” it is evident that “both husband and wife are equally in command of their household” (Enright 96). If the critics’ complaints are not suppressed by the likes of Rosie Cotton and Goldberry, there are other female characters whom Tolkien shows exerting more independence and physical strength.

Eowyn, the White Lady of Rohan, is given her own fully developed character that acts independently of men. Eowyn is the chief female character who is in the position to challenge all the critics that misread the role of women in Tolkien’s epic. Eowyn is a leader, warrior, heroine, preserver, and healer. According to Melissa McCrory Hatcher in an article titled “Finding Women’s Role in The Lord of the Rings,” Eowyn is “a self-realized women” who “embodies equal strength in physical violence, but more importantly, she is equipped to pursue what is essential: peace, preservation, and cultural identity” (4, 9).

Eowyn is a strong woman; Aragorn himself describes her as “strong” and “stern as steel” (III/6). When Eowyn pleads with Aragorn to ride with his company into battle, Aragorn does not patronize her, but tells her that her leadership over Edoras is no less of an honorable task than his, even though it may go without praise (V/2). Critics will agree with Eowyn when she replys, “All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house” (V/2). From the beginning, Eowyn is pleading with Aragorn, not to win his love, as some criticisms argue, but to gain glory in fighting alongside the men in battle. In Ernelle Fife’s reflection of the tense relationship between Eowyn and Aragorn, she avers that “[Eowyn] has never loved [Aragorn], only what he represented—valor, activity, movement, travel, a warrior’s life and death” (4). According to Hatcher, Eowyn puts words into Aragorn’s mouth that she has heard from her uncle King Theoden and brother Eomer throughout her life (4). Contrary to what some critics have said, Tolkien does not place women into submission of men, but relates the plight of women in the 20th century to Eowyn’s dissatisfaction. Instead of slighting Eowyn, Tolkien recognizes her struggle to overcome the limits placed on her, a woman, in a traditional society. She does not meekly follow the orders of her uncle and Aragorn to stay behind, but disguises herself as Dernhelm and rides with the men of Rohan to battle on Pelennor Fields.

Many critics have claimed in their defense that Tolkien oppresses Eowyn by showing that she cannot take on the masculine role of fighting in battle unless she disguises herself as a man and separates herself from other women. Fredrick and McBride state that “to depict Eowyn as an actual warrior, Tolkien must transform her into a man” (Women Among the Inklings 113). As Hatcher points out, Eowyn’s transformation occurs not when she is forced to dress as Dernhelm to ride with the Rohirrim, but when “she comes to a point of self-realization in her life” (5). In fact, Eowyn has been dressing like a warrior before dressing as Dernhelm; when Merry is first introduced to Eowyn “she wore a helm and was clad to the waist like a warrior and girded with a sword” (Return 60). Hatcher makes a valid argument when she notes, “even with a disguise, there is no real transformation into a man” (6).

In the most dramatic battle scene in The Return of the King Eowyn reveals herself to be a woman. Merry watches Dernhelm face the Lord of the Nazgul after Theoden has been struck down. He observes that the King’s men either were dead around him, “or else mastered by the madness of their steeds were born far away” (V/6). Merry goes on to describe Dernhelm in this moment of defeat: “Yet one stood there still: Dernhelm the young, faithful beyond fear” (V/6). Tolkien therefore displays Eowyn as an unwavering brave warrior when the other men have been frozen by fear, or driven away. Then Merry hears a voice that “seemed strange, recalling some other voice that he had known” (V/6). Eowyn’s voice change indicates that from the beginning of her confrontation with the Ringwraith, she was no longer disguising herself as a man. She remains firm even when the Ringwraith, in his cold voice that would test the tenacity of any other male warrior, says to her, “Come not between the Nazgul and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shriveled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye” (V/6). The Nazgul scornfully reminds her of the prophecy, which says that “no man may hinder [him]” (V/6). The moment that follows is a turning point for Eowyn. When Eowyn laughs at the Nazgul, it is as if she knows she is about to prove her worth as a woman. At this critical moment for Rohan, Eowyn tells him, “But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Eowyn I am” (V/6). Hatcher states that the response that ensues from the Ringwraith is “indicative of a cultural overlooking of women in general” (6). The Ringwraith’s silence suggests that he is in disbelief that a woman would try to fight him and now questions if this loophole in the prophecy will result in his defeat. Merry, a male hobbit, aids Eowyn by stabbing the wretched monster from behind, but it is Eowyn who takes the final strike.

Eowyn is not excluded from the other male characters in delivering important themes of Tolkien’s work. A well-known theme that Tolkien emphasizes throughout his work is that the little guy can have an impact and do great things. Eowyn brings Merry with her to fight because she is the only one who can relate to him in that no one wants either of them to fight. In the scene with the Nazgul, Eowyn is side by side with another character that is judged by others merely because of his size, while Eowyn has felt persecuted throughout her life because of her sex. This triumph they share shows that Tolkien believes that a woman and a hobbit are just as important in the fight against evil as their counterparts.

The next side of Eowyn the reader sees is her time of healing after the face-to-face fight with the Nazgul has taken a toll on her body and mind. Critics Fredrick and McBride allege “Eowyn’s healing is a victory, not only for Faramir but for their civilization: an unruly impulse to transcend prescribed gender roles has been successfully thwarted” (Women Among the Inklings 113). This is not at all true. Tolkien’s main theme in his trilogy is preservation of peace. Eowyn takes part in displaying this theme. She only goes to fight to preserve life and peace in Middle Earth. She announces to Faramir, after he has helped her restore to good health, “I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren” (VI/5). After she herself has had her health revived, she turns to the art of healing to continue that preservation; it is by no means merely her succumbing to what society expects from her as a woman. It is not shameful for her to “have an active role in rebuilding Middle Earth as a healer” (Hatcher 8). Earlier, Eowyn says to Aragorn that she does “not fear either pain or death,” but “to stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire” (V/2). Faramir helps her realize that she has avoided this fate of being unrecognized because of her gender. Faramir shows his love for her by saying, “I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten” (VI/5). He does not pity her or act her superior because he, like Tom Bombadil, considers his wife his equal. Eowyn is content to give up a potential life of glory and honor in battle and become a healer alongside Faramir. According to Ernelle Fife in her article titled “Wise Warriors in Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling,” she maintains that “a shieldmaiden is not the only path to follow that requires courage and action” (4). It is Eowyn who makes this choice for herself to become a healer, not the “dominate men” of whom the critics speak.

Arwen is another female character who holds important roles in Tolkien’s epic. Arwen, daughter of Elrond, has a less active role than Eowyn, but is none the less of a powerful female figure in The Lord of the Rings. When Aragorn first sees Arwen, he is dumbfounded by her beauty. She was “clad in a mantle of silver and blue, fair as the twilight in Elven-home; her dark hair strayed in a sudden wind, and her brows were bound with gems like stars” (Appendix A, v). Many of Tolkien’s females are portrayed with exquisite characteristics of beauty. Arwen’s beauty reveals more about her than outward appearances. Frodo’s acknowledgement of her depth of understanding and spirituality are seen through his thoughts upon first seeing her at the dinner before the Council of Elrond. As Frodo observes her, he notices, “thought and knowledge were in her glance, as of one who has known many things that the years being…Such loveliness in living thing Frodo had never seen nor imagined in his mind” (II/1). Arwen’s beauty is a window into her wealth of Elvish intelligence.

Arwen’s role of healing takes place specifically when she “offers her jewel and journey to the West to Frodo” (Enright 98). This just shows how females in Tolkien’s Middle Earth have sacrificed of themselves. In Arwen’s case, it was out of love for Aragorn. Tolkien points out in a 1963 letter to a reader: “Arwen was the first to observe the disquiet growing in [Frodo], and gave him her jewel for comfort, and thought of a way of healing him” (Letters 327). Once again, critics would aim to downplay praise for such qualities of love and healing in a female because of their traditional origins. Nancy Enright makes her case in defense of the power given by Tolkien to females in Middle Earth by stating: “In fact, if The Lord of the Rings shows anything about power, it makes clear the fact that true power for anyone comes from renouncing earthly dominance and from giving of oneself for the healing and love of others” (106). In the same article, Enright further defends the position by recommending that “the choice of love over pride—[is a] central message to the novel and one that transcends all gender roles” (95).

Arwen not only takes on the role of a healer, but is crucial when it comes to the road Aragorn takes to becoming king. Lynnette Porter describes Arwen as a “hero” in her book, Unsung Heroes of The Lord of the Rings from the Page to the Screen, because of what was involved in her devotion given to Aragorn and that the encouragement she gave to him was imperative to his actions (118–25). Arwen inspires events closer to Aragorn from where she resides in Rivendell with her father. Aragorn becomes Strider because he knows they will not be together until he has become king. As in the case of many Elves in The Lord of the Rings, Arwen is portrayed as having more strength that is intrinsic, rather than extrinsic. Arwen has the efficacy to forfeit her immortality, as paralleled by the story of Beren and Luthien in times past, in order to be with a mortal. She is then left behind by her father and painfully suffers when she is forced to face the day she knew was inevitable, the day she “tasted the bitterness of the mortality that she had taken upon her,” as she watched Aragorn die (Appendix A, v). Arwen’s loss as an “Elf-Human” encapsulates the sacrifice of the Elves, at the end of the Third Age, bequeathing Middle Earth to the dominion of men (Enright 98).

Arwen’s grandmother, Galadriel, Lady of the Galadhrim and of Lothlorien, is the most influencial female character, whose power exceeds many of the male figures in The Lord of the Rings. She is one of the Elven ring-bearers. She uses the power for healing, not to yield power over others. Elrond explains at the Council that the three rings were made, not by Sauron, but “those who made them did not desire strength or dominion or hoarded wealth, but understanding, making, and healing, to preserve all things unstained” (II/2). Therefore, when critics point out that the traditional role of women as healers is condescending and diverts attention away from their potential abilities, they fail to acknowledge that the other Elven ring-bearers, of whom are male, also fulfill a role of healing. However, Galadriel’s role goes far beyond this traditional role of healing.

Galadriel is a leader in Tolkien’s world. She is important, “not only as a queen of Elves, but as a mover and planner of the great things in [Middle Earth], affecting all its people” (Enright 99). She tells the Fellowship when they have reached Lothlorien, “I it was who first summoned the White Council” (II/7). In fact, Galadriel is portrayed as more of a leader than her husband, Celeborn. They rule together, but Galadriel is more powerful and insightful. When Haldir is leading the Fellowship through the wood to meet Galadriel, he tells them that when entering, they do not feel the presence of Celeborn, but “the power of the Lady of the Galadhrim” (II/6). She taps into the thoughts of the Fellowship members and knows that “Gandalf the Grey set out with the company, but he did not pass the borders of [the] land” (II/7). As Nancy Enright states, she “is the one who mentally tests each member of the Fellowship, offering him a choice between the danger that lies ahead and something else that he greatly desires” (99). Once again, Galadriel shows that Tolkien values moral strength above any physical strength that is mostly proven by force and bloodshed, of which he knew firsthand through his experiences in World War I. Galadriel shows her quality when she is able to resist the power of the Ring and the prying thoughts of Sauron, when other male characters, such as Boromir, could not. She says before Frodo offers her the Ring:

When critics denounce the roles of Tolkien’s females, in a way they are treating them more harshly than they claim Tolkien has treated females throughout the plot. Fierceness of character……

For my final draft, I might insert a discussion of Shelob before the section about Eowyn, finish my conclusion, and try to use the rest of my ten sources (I have yet to use 5 possible sources from my annotated bibliography) to further support my argument against the critics who claim Tolkien is sexist.

Works Cited