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dizzytinfoil t1_j2birs2 wrote

Reply to comment by bhbhbhhh in I finished re-reading The Lord of the Rings by EldritchHugMachine

God literally wins in LotR. Evil is destroyed and banished, men are renewed in strength. It’s uplifting.

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Griffen_07 t1_j2bkmnx wrote

For a generation. Then the fall resumes as the last of the old world dies. There is no God in these books or anything Tolkien himself published.

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Crimson_Eyes t1_j2c1wdw wrote

Utterly false. By Tolkien's own words, "The Author Himself (Who is not me)" caused Gollum to slip at the Cracks of Doom.

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pierzstyx t1_j2chnis wrote

>“The Lord of the Rings' is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out practically all references to anything like 'religion,' to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and symbolism.” ―Tolkien

God is not in one place in Lord of the Rings. God is everywhere in Lord of the Rings. The reason you can't see it is because you have no understanding of the Christian worldview generally or the Catholic worldview specifically.

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Rymbeld t1_j2bkrwk wrote

Nope. They fight in spite of the fact that they world they are fighting for is not going to survive the conflict.

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dizzytinfoil t1_j2bpno9 wrote

Their world does survive the conflict. It is not the Dagor Dagorath. Sauron is defeated. Men do win. The stage is set for the eschaton in the future but Aragorn is crowned and the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor are united.

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bhbhbhhh t1_j2bj00k wrote

I don't feel as uplifted by the defeat of evil in a desolate, declining world.

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pierzstyx t1_j2chuf4 wrote

The world isn't desolate. Its full of life and free peoples. Nor is it declining, though it is transforming. God's purpose for the Elves in the world has been accomplished and even the rebellious ones are returning to the fold. As a result now Men can take center stage and God's purpose in Creation of them can be fulfilled.

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bhbhbhhh t1_j2ci1os wrote

It's so full that the party travels hundreds of miles through uncultivated, uninhabited land, that seems like it would be fine for agriculture.

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pierzstyx t1_j2cjmun wrote

The presence of wilderness is the exact opposite of desolation. Wilderness is full of life, as we see in Fellowship as they travel through rich lands full of flora and fauna, where even the trees have a form of animal-level consciousness. It is in fact beautiful and in any other circumstances (fleeing the Ringwraiths) would have been a charming and beautiful experience.

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daiLlafyn t1_j2dipdx wrote

The reason for the wilderness is the presence of evil forces - Orcs were still numerous, evil strongholds still held sway over vast tracks of open land and forest, the rule of law had declined. By the end of LotR, Mirkwood becomes Greenwood the Great, the Brown Lands can now be populated, the Kings Road is in use and peace can be made with the Easterlings, the Dunlendings and the former slaves of Mordor. The melancholy comes from the decline and return of the Elves and that Frodo himself can no longer live here - the Shire has been saved, but not for him. He is broken by his loss, his injuries and his survivor's guilt.

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