I want to talk about J.R.R. Tolkien’s experience with war and loss and how those experiences have influenced The Lord of the Rings. At the age of 12, Tolkien was orphaned with his father dying in 1846 with rheumatic fever and his mother dying eight years later from complications due to her diabetes (Whitt). Twelve years after the death of his mother, Toklien joined the first world war fighting in the trenches on the front lines and simultaneously losing four of his five closest friends in the war (Whitt, Imperial War Museums). Reflected in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien creates “The Fellowship” consisting of nine members, four of which are hobbits, Frodo, the protagonist, Samwise (Sam), Peregrin (Pippin), and Meriadoc (Merry).
The character of Frodo shares many similarities to Tolkien. Frodo lost both of his parents quite young and went on a quest that cost the lives of his friends and, if failed, would plunge the world into eternal darkness. Throughout the three novels, there is a constant question of sides. Whenever the fellowship, either together or broken up, encounters another person, they almost always begin their line of questioning with asking whose side they are on. This question mirrors Tolkien’s experience in the Great War, a heavily sided war with the side Tolkien was fighting against, the Central Powers, going down in history as the bad side. The long journey brought Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship to lands unknown to them, just as Tolkien was sent into battle in countries that he had never been in.
The death of Boromir in the beginning of The Two Towers, the second novel in the trilogy, is what really drew me to looking into Tolkien’s history with war. Frodo was unaware of Boromir’s death when he runs from the group, but he runs knowing that death is on the horizon. He has seen a vision of death and does not want those around him to be hurt. Tolkien’s loss of his closest friends in the war deeply impacted him and his writing of Frodo of going on the journey to Mordor alone in order to save his friends lives could be what Tolkien wished he could have done. Of the Fellowship, only Gandalf and Boromir are killed, but Gandalf is later resurrected. Tolkien saving Frodo’s companions and friends are the complete opposite of what happened to Tolkien during the war, and most likely what he wished had actually occurred.
Sources:
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. New York, Del Rey, 2018.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. New York City, New York, Del Rey, 2018.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York City, New York, Del Rey, 2018.
“Second Lieutenant J R R Tolkien.” Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/history/second-lieutenant-j-r-r-tolkien. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Whitt, Jeremy. “Understanding J.R.R. Tolkien through a Christian Perspective.” Celebrating J.R.R. Tolkien – Library News | Pepperdine Libraries, Caruso School of Law – Pepperdine University, 18 Sept. 2023, library.pepperdine.edu/news/posts/2020-01-jrr-tolkien.htm#:~:text=After%20their%20return%20to%20England,Morgan%20of%20the%20Birmingham%20Oratory.
I really like the way this post discusses intentionality. I remember seeing across the internet (so I don’t know if it’s true or not!) that he continuously flatly denied any sort of intentional allegorical reading of his works. Yet, WWI literature like Mrs. Dalloway and The Wasteland reflects a traumatic bewilderment as to where to go next after such a cleave in world order and myth of progress. Even if Tolkien did not intend to allegorize, his personal history of being on the front lines must have left him with very heavy baggage perhaps reproduced in his novel.
The Shop Around the Corner, this post is a wonderful dive into the exploration of how Tolkein’s biography might’ve affected his writing. I especially like your reading of the character Boromir, whose death has always been utterly tragic to me—it tore my heart out when I first read it, and only now in recent years am I beginning to understand why. Tolkein’s experience with war really could have affected how Boromir’s character was written: Boromir is a man obsessed with proving himself through being a warrior and ruler. He is drawn to the ring (and easily corrupted by it) due to his intense ambition, something that has been coded into him by his upbringing and war-obsessed civilization. He, much like propaganda relating to soldiers, values bravery in battle, sacrificing himself for a cause, and using all resources at his disposal (no matter how dangerous) to fortify the defenses of his people. Even his redemption is in death in battle, because it is the only way he can think to redeem himself—the only fitting end for his intense mindset. However, his death is tragic because we as readers can see the mental influence of his soldier lifestyle, and how it causes him to grapple with humanity and companionship. Though our relations of the text to Tolkein’s personal experiences are context-driven speculation, I don’t think it is unreasonable to say that at least some of Boromir’s character came from his experiences of war.