The Secondary World in the Lord of the Rings, Essay Example

Arguably, R.R. Tolkien is widely credited for been one of the founding fathers of the genre of contemporary literature now known as “fantasy writing” among patrons. Central to this genre is the emphasis it places on an alternate world order in our universe that will be characterized by a complete paradigm shift in the affairs of humanity; his writings are clout in a dense atmosphere of a high degree of fiction. Unlike his contemporaries who pursued similar literary paths, Tolkien has consciously deflected the basic conventions by emphasizing a world order which is poignantly unique and re-enforces what he stands for. By and large he has accomplished these positions using his books On Fairy-Stories and the The Lord of the Rings amongst many others to espouse his world order stance.

It is against this background that this essay seeks to embark on yet another deliberate attempt at examining another classical work of Tolkien using the conspicuous literary approaches that is so close to his genre. Taking the following quotation as an example, “there are many elements in fairy-stories (such as swan-robes, magic rings, arbitrary prohibitions, wicked stepmothers, and even fairies themselves)…”, the writer is seen trying desperately to make his writing genre known for what it is and what is not. As the quotation implies, the dimensions of fair-stories are not limited to a few narrow conscriptions as some critics sought to make it appear to be. It is this same position that is also expressed in “The Lord of Rings,” where the story brings together an array of fictitious characters, purposefully manipulated to suit the purpose of the writer. Superstition, religion, faith, mystery and the perpetual struggle between virtue and vice is seen to be actively employed in “The Lord of Rings” in a manner that shares striking similarities with the above quotation.

Having made this known, the writer continues to make explicit emphasis on what his writing genre can do and what it always does best, when he says that “For the moment, I will say only this: a “fairy-story” is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. (p.4). Looking at “The Lord of Rings” beyond the superficial level then one can easily understand why the writer is not leaving anything that he considers to be relevant to the realization of the central core of his message. What can be also seen in his writing is that, he makes it known to the reader that the writer chooses to make any character what that character should be. Characters in their most apparent form assume the role and bare the burden of the task placed upon them by the writer. As a fantasy writer, he has demonstrated this skill sparingly throughout his writings, thus further enriching the dynamism within the scope of fiction writings.

The “One Ring” invented by the Dark Lord Sauron came with the intention of taking control and consequently monopolizing every form of power in the civilization of Middle-Earth. The antagonist is being used by the writer to use the “one ring” to serve as an instrument of power that will be used in the quest to achieve this lofty goal. It is this hunger for power control by the antagonist that eventually culminates into a very devastating warfare called the “War of the Rings.” Looking at this story from the perspective of contemporary realities, one cannot help but remember similar cases of extreme lust of power that eventually plunged our own real world into very bloody world wars. With this in mind, it will not be farfetched to argue that there is an element of satire creeping into this statement made by Tolkien. The German government under Hitler’s regime fits in this illustration brightly giving the fact that, they came with an ambition to conquer and subdue the rest of the world, and whatever happened as a consequence of this insatiable desire for power is within reasonable comparison to what Tolkien is referring to, thus introducing the satiric element. As a veteran fighter of the First World War, he is strategically in a better place to present a very convincing argument.

A good example of what can be said to be a presentation of a classical artistic fantasy genre is that “If you are present at a Faerian drama you yourself are, or think that you are, bodily inside its Secondary World.” (p. 19). Indeed, using the case of “The Lord of the Rings” again, it is very difficult for one to make a distinguishing line between the chaos presented in the story line with that which is happening in our day and age. Once again, the writer has made Middle-Earth the stage of what is clearly the battle of human civilizations as part of the glossy nature of a desire for supremacy. As the story is being told, the ring that is at the center of the controversy remains a highly divisive issue because its possession constitutes power and authority. Power by its nature is being revealed here as a factor that induces covetousness at whatever cost to human and material resources. It is also seen at the crust of the story that its possession is no guarantee of security; on the contrary it opens up new channels of animosity, distrust and pandemonium. From what the writer tells his readers, it is known that, the chaos is triggered by Isildur’s violent confiscation of Sauron’s “Ruling Ring,” which eventually set the stage for a stream of violent assassinations, sabotages, and total confusion amongst the characters; resulting in a spiral of troubles that are carried in bulk to succeeding generations who naturally have nothing to do with the initial trigger troubles.

What is interesting with this approach is that “He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter.  Inside it, what he relates is “true”: it accords with the laws of that world.  You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside.  The moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken…the magic, or rather art, has failed.  You are then out in the Primary World again,” (p.14). Over a considerable period of time, it becomes easy to identify with not just the characters mentioned in the novel but also the entire broad picture of the story line. The ease with which this can be accomplished is that the writer is weaving a twine that runs through both the events in the story of “The Lord of the Rings,” but also our day and age. Political power, its possession, utilization and mandate are clearly very hot issues in the world of today, further leaning credence to a timeless fact which the writer talks about.

Viewed from another position, Tolkien has sought to focus his efforts on yet another sticky area of the human experience, that is the perpetual battle between “good” on the one hand and “evil” on the other hand. This is somewhat understandable judging from the linkage that arises from the preceding paragraph that was devoted to the discussion of the place and influence of grand scale mythology in conceptualizing the Middle-earth.

Rather strangely, many observers gave many reasons why they were convinced that in making this submission, the writer has used allegoric devices to support his case of a perpetual war between the forces of good and evil. In hindsight, this view can be excused because of the writer’s extensive description of the First World War and the anarchy that it brought upon humanity. There are those who still see the “ring” symbolizing the current nuclear age that emerged in the mid parts of the twentieth century. Without dedicating too much space in discussing what Tolkien wants to tell his readers covertly or overtly, a fact that is hard to dispute is that the issues raised still represent the massive political, social and ecological crisis that have besieged our world of today, further keeping the battle flames of good against evil burning.

Our world, like the Middle-Earth is besieged by a series of turbulent activities orchestrated and proliferated by humankind against humankind as well the environment that sustains every form of life. It makes the message very consistent because in this context the “sub-creation, rather than either representation or symbolic interpretation of the beauties and terrors of the world….”(p. 8). Once more for example, it is understood that “sub-creation” as stated in the above quotation in many ways remains dominantly present in both writings. The sub-creation is by every stretch of imagination a basis upon which a perceived higher reality is in consonance with an earthly reality. What is also undeniable is that, Tolkien’s writings have significantly filled a conspicuous gap in what was in the simplicity of pre-modernity. Hobbits, though not directly cited in this writing, has become the most convenient character that offers the easiest point of reference used by the writer to strengthen his case practically.

In coming out with his concept of the Middle-Earth, Tolkien benefited immensely from other non-orthodox Christian theological inclinations. For example, he introduces the race factor where a race of celestial angels called Ainur, who are charged with the responsibility of representing the Middle-Earth. Besides the Ainur, he also has a legion of other celestial beings like the Valar, and the Maiar who amongst other things engage in everything in the process of “Fantasy, the making or glimpsing of Other-worlds, was the heart of the desire of Faerie. (p. 15) keeping the world functioning at full capacity. His approach brings together collective myths from a host of civilizations represented in our real world.

Besides the celestial beings mentioned above, which are outside the domain of traditional theology of Christendom, the mention of Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and the Ents represent another dimension of the adoption of non-Christian myths in the writings. Indeed, the names he gives to some of his characters as well as the celestial beings are graphic illustrations of the universal touch he tries to give to his message.

Still within this framework, those who ascribe the use of allegory as a literary tool by the writer to communicate to his readers may have reached that understanding unconsciously because, it is glaring that at some point the heavy imprint of allegoric inclinations become sparingly reflected in the writings. But the caution sounded by the writer “For the moment, I will say only this: a “fairy-story” is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. (p.4) In other words, the admonishment to treat the text as product of pure literature in application to the events of our times should remain unchallenged. With this in mind, ascribing allegory to the work is still reasonable permissible within the freehand offered by the writer to his readers. In proving this point, there is also an amplified instinctive awareness that the message contained in the essay have timelessly resonating capacity that permeates into this and even succeeding generations. As an illustration, talk about “The Lord of the Rings” then it becomes abundantly clearly that diversity should sound as a unifying force that will enable human beings to recognize and appreciate their inherent differences but still using these differences to chart a comprehensive path that will ensure that ultimately our differences have to be buried and a new spirit will resurrect from the demise of it thereof.

By saying that, “We “are capable, of course, of literary belief, when the story-maker’s art is good enough to produce it.  That state of mind has been called “willing suspension of disbelief,” one is tempted to assume that the derogatory connotation of racial degradation because of the mention of “dwarves”, “elves,” “orc” to illustrate the perpetual conflict between virtue and vice has a direct connection with their respective races.  But as long as it is known that “Art is the human process that produces by the way ….Secondary Belief.” (p. 20), then any misleading suggestions such as the racism charge raised here will be disregarded for what it is as opposed to what it is not.

Finally, fantasy once again is clearly at play in this regard. What is even striking is that the real world of today continues to engage in this perpetual battle. At various times this battle takes profound heights with occasional recourse to seek scapegoats and other subtle forms of vindication if you like. It is a battle showing the extent to which the battle lines are clearly drawn and no compromises are tolerated whatsoever. Even within this stage, the mystery remains unresolved, judging by the fact that there still remains an incomplete explanation as to why this perpetual battle has pitched humanity against itself and leaving our earth in a state of misery.

Reference

Anna Vaninskaya’s “Tolkien: A Man of his Time?” Accessed on November 23, 2009 from http://www.walking-tree.org/cormareBookInfo.php?number=9

Shippey, Tom. J. R. R. Tolkien Author of the Century, HarperCollins, 2000

Tolkien, R.R. The War of the Ring: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

Tolkien, J.R.R. Humphrey Carpenter. ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000