It is seemingly the entire purpose of the quest that caused Frodo and Sam to leave the Shire in the first place. The destruction of the Ring might seem to be the most important event in this story, the ultimate heroic act. However, in this fantastical environment, we learn the truth, and we realize it makes sense not only in Middle Earth where we see it, but in our own world as well where we want to see it. In our world, that almost seems to be a contradiction in terms as we become numb to our typical environment. It is Tolkien’s entrance into fairyland that invites us to follow and discover why the ordinary can be heroic in his world. Tolkien is showing that it is indeed heroic to be an ordinary person in an ordinary town who does whatever he or she can to make a small corner of the world a better place. However, one of the most powerful, yet surprisingly hidden, themes in The Lord of the Rings emerges because of this authorial decision to make the humble the “chief hero” rather than any of these three.
Lord of rings hero full#
“Gandalf Frodo Aragorn: None of these characters is exactly a Christ figure in the full sense of that phrase, though perhaps cumulatively they add up to one.” Gandalf seems to represent the role of the priest, Aragorn points to the role of King, and Frodo qualifies as the suffering servant.
In fact, these three characters have been highlighted by scholars such as Donald Williams who points out in his book An Encouraging Thought, that each one can be seen as symbolic of the different offices of Jesus Christ. Gandalf, Aragorn, or Frodo might seem to be more reasonable choices for this most prominent position given their centrality to the narrative at large. Interestingly, he was referred to by Tolkien in a letter to publisher Milton Waldman as, “the chief hero.” In a story of epic proportions full of good and evil, this may be a somewhat surprising admission from Tolkien. Samwise Gamgee, a gardener by trade, was thrust into an adventure he was not looking for. Tolkien used his own personal fairyland to show the true heroism in the ordinary. It is not earth that judges heaven, but heaven that judges earth so for me at least it was not earth that criticized elfland, but elfland that criticized the earth.” Even though some may dismiss these fantasy stories as childish, fairyland can be used as an effective tool to illustrate truths about the world we inhabit. Specifically, he wrote, “Fairyland is nothing but the sunny country of common sense. Chesterton defended the value of fairy tales as he wrote Orthodoxy. Frodo will endure many trials throughout the tale, alternating with near-death crises (six o'clock), receiving special gifts or rewards (seven o'clock) and the additional assistance of more allies.G.K. The next point on the journey is where the hero goes through some sort of trial, or test, to continue on his quest. As they are embarking on their travels, Sam remarks, "This is it if I take one more step, it will be the farthest away from home I've ever been " (The Lord of The Rings). The departure marks the point where the hero leaves his ordinary world and enters an unfamiliar world for the majority of his journey. At this point, Frodo also gains his first allies: his gardener, Samwise Gangee, and his relatives "Merry " Brandybuck and "Pippin " Took, all hobbits, accompany him on his quest. The next point, representing three o'clock, is the departure of the hero on his journey. Gandalf is both older and wiser than Frodo, and is the perfect example of both the mentor and herald archetypes. The next point on the journey occurs when the hero receives assistance in his task, usually from someone older and wiser than he. Frodo's inheritance of the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo is his "call to adventure " (Winkler). At one o'clock, the hero receives a message or challenge that sets the journey in motion. Just like a clock, "the journey begins and ends " at twelve, "in the hero's ordinary world " (Winkler). Matthew Winkler compares this cycle to a clock, with each hour representing a different point in the hero's journey. Using these patterns, Frodo can truly be seen as a hero. Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, discovered such a pattern, as well as a collection of archetypes, "running through hero myths and stories from around the world " (Hamby). Most heroes in literature follow a proven pattern, or cycle. A hero is defined as "a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities " ("Hero "). In The Lord of The Rings, Frodo Baggins, a simple hobbit, is seen by many as the hero of the story.