Tolkien and Lewis: The Battle of Good over Evil - Essay Example

Tolkien and Lewis: The Battle of Good over Evil Two friends, Oxford academics and members of an informal group called the Inklings spent many hours by the fireside discussing their ideas and concepts regarding many aspects of life following their first meeting in 1926, including their fascination with myth and fairy tales they’d heard as boys. At each other’s encouragement, each began to write some of these ideas down in novel form, each telling their tales the way they saw fit, yet each having a tremendous influence on the other as their individual tales progressed. In the end, these two men produced two of the most well-known and well-loved adventures in the world. Each of these stories features a group of individuals on the side of good working to thwart the plans of a single evil character and his (or her) minions. Each worked from a decidedly Christian theological base which was used as a base upon which many of their ideas began. Each created alternate worlds for their readers to explore again and again. In The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia series, both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis structured their unforgettable stories around the concept of a titanic battle between good and evil, pulling in elements of their respective Christian faiths to widely different effect. Born in Africa in 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was introduced to Catholicism by his mother, who converted when he was 8 years old but then died only four short years later (de Koster, 2000). He remained close to the church throughout his life and this Catholic influence is perhaps one reason for his emphasis on the concept of original sin and the fall of man within his trilogy. This is first suggested in the greater ability of the Hobbits to resist the pull of the One Ring over that of the humans, who have presumably already fallen out of the Garden of Eden and therefore have already demonstrated a greater susceptibility to evil. This is primarily shown through the quick seduction of Boromir by the ring versus the slow working of it upon Frodo. However, the Hobbits remain connected in some distant way with humans and are susceptible to the ring if exposed to it for long periods of time, which can be seen in both the Gollum and in Frodo Baggins (Tolkien, 1991). A complicated theological discussion can be argued at length regarding the origin of the Hobbits, their connection with man and the increased resistance they demonstrate to the ring through their separation from mankind and return to the soil. Another example of the ability of humans to fall to evil can be found in the turning of the Lord Sauron, who wasn’t always evil, but becomes one of the more dangerous figures in the trilogy and the wizard Saruman, who had once headed the good wizard’s council. Quoting Gandalf, “’Nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so,’ which suggests that he [Sauron] is, like Satan, a fallen being of great power” (Purtill, 2000: 87). Unlike Tolkien, Lewis, born in 1898, grew up in an Anglican household, being taught to pray at an early age and resorting to prayer when his mother lay dying when he was just 10 years old (Jacobs, 2005). However, his intellectual pursuits exposed him to new ideas that called his beliefs into question, “Freed from the burdens of prayer, by the time he left Malvern Jack had ceased to be a Christian” (Jacobs, 2005: 40). Although cracks in his atheism appeared sporadically prior to his relationship with Tolkien, it wasn’t until he began talking with Tolkien on a regular basis that Lewis began his conversion back to Christianity (Duriez, 2003). It is perhaps because of this later conversion and difficult acceptance of the teachings of the Bible that Lewis’ allusions to Biblical stories are so much more obvious than those of Tolkien and that his stress lies more upon the divine origin of man. This theme is started in the presence of Digory and Polly at the very creation of Narnia, much like Adam and Eve appearing in the Garden of Eden and is reinforced through the continual reference to man as either a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve. Mankind is given dominance over the animals despite the fact that the animals are also given the power of speech and the power of thought and awareness. Throughout the series, it is seen that it is only when a son of Adam rules over Narnia that the land is able to live in peace. While this becomes contentious in The Horse and his Boy and Uncle Miraz, also human, rules Narnia to great disaster, it is later revealed that this is because he is a servant of Tash rather than of Aslan. Despite their different emphasis, each author includes a great deal of reference to the redemption of man throughout their stories. For Tolkien, this is perhaps most evident in the figure of Gandalf the wizard. It is this figure who originates the first adventure in The Hobbit when he convinces Bilbo Baggins to set out on his adventure with the dwarfs, indicating a sense of foreknowledge into the events to come: “I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself” (Tolkien, 1980: 19). Gandalf becomes the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring as well, leading his companions through the dangerous dark places until he finally comes face to face with the Balrog of Moria and falls with it into a deep chasm. From the perspective of his companions, Galdalf has died in his attempt to protect the rest of the world from this fiery creature. When he returns in The Two Towers, he is no longer Gandalf the Gray as he had been, but is now Galdalf the White, appearing to have omnipresent knowledge as to what the three friends – Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli – are doing and whom they are seeking. “For the Christian, this is akin to their Patriarch Jesus Christ, who after suffering on the cross, died and was resurrected. In the Bible, Jesus’ return is not filled with the glowing and light that Gandalf had shining about him, though the similarity lies with him not being recognized” (Burdge, 2006). Perhaps one of the most obvious Christ figures in literature is the intentionally allusional Aslan, the lion who figures prominently in all of Lewis’ Narnia books. In terms of the redemption of man, the strongest allusion to Jesus’ sacrificial death is found in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as it is in this volume that Aslan sacrifices himself in order to save Edmund in a scene that is obviously and intentionally reminiscent of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Like Jesus, Aslan is sent to die for someone else’s crime, yet he goes to his death willingly as well as fearfully. “But how slowly he walked! And his great, royal head drooped so that his nose nearly touched the grass. Presently he stumbled and gave a low moan” (Lewis, 2005: 147). Although he is not forced to wear a crown of thorns, his mane is shorn away from his head in a similar attempt to mock and demystify the individual godhead and all four of his feet are injured as he is pushed and shoved into his death position. Like Jesus, Aslan is watched over by women who love him throughout the night of his death, cleaning his body and setting it as right as they can. As dawn breaks, the sacrificial table in Narnia breaks at the moment of Aslan’s resurrection in a motion just as shocking as the movement of the stone in front of Jesus’ tomb. There are several smaller examples of redemption, or triumph over evil after great temptation, throughout both series as well. Almost every character in Tolkien’s mythology faces a test of character at some point, forcing them to individually defeat evil on their own terms and through their own understandings. Frodo Baggins’ journey is most obvious as he struggles with the temptation of giving in to the ring despite his knowledge of what it would do to him. In many ways, he can be equated to a pariah figure as well. “From the beginning, he accepts the burden of the Ring purely for the sake of others. It is no mere adventure that sends Frodo riding out of the Shire, but a willingness to suffer so that others may be saved” (Purtill, 2000: 89). Even characters as highly enlightened and wise as the Elves are seen to be tested, as when Frodo meets Galadriel. He offers her the ring and a great battle can be seen to be occurring within her. The great power she might wield is illustrated, “And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!” (Tolkien, 1991: 473). Yet a moment later she drops her hands and is content to fade and disappear in the west, remaining simply and only herself. Just as the most lovely of the creatures of Middle Earth are tempted by the One Ring, so the most vile are given a chance at redemption. When Gollum begins to serve Frodo, remembering more of his life as Smeagol, he begins to find his way back to the side of good. It is arguable whether his final desperate act of biting off Frodo’s finger in order to retrieve the ring for himself as he fell into the molten lava was done as he gave in at last to the evil or was acting on the side of the good in ensuring the ring was destroyed. Similar sets of redemptive actions run throughout Lewis’ books. This is established from the creation of Narnia, as Digory is sent on a special mission to try to atone in some way for his crime of bringing sin into the world however innocently it was done. Shasta in The Horse and his Boy is sorely tested prior to his final homecoming, already a hero because of his noble deeds and because he trusted to Aslan, following his directions. The four children become targets for arrows in as the result of not following Aslan’s way when they attempt to find their way to Caspian and the remaining talking beasts in Prince Caspian and Prince Rilian suffers ten years in an enchanted trance as the result of his submitting to temptation in The Silver Chair. The transformation of Eustace in The Dawn Treader is particularly interesting. This is a boy who is described as a bully who eventually transforms into a decent fellow as the result of his harrowing experiences as a dragon. “Eustace is turned into a dragon because of his irresponsibility, childishness and selfishness. In the form of this ugly beast he learns to value his friends and to help others” (Lindskoog, 1979: 73). As with all the others, it is only through submitting to Aslan’s rule that Eustace is able to return to his normal state and rejoin his friends in earnest. While each tale conveys a sense of great battles of good and evil from a Christian context and as the result of conversations had between the two writers as these epics were being produced, it can be seen through this discussion that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis had very different ideas when approaching their subjects. While Tolkien emphasized the concepts of original sin, the closest Lewis truly comes to this is when he has Digory accidentally introduce the Winter Witch to Narnia in its earliest moments of creation. In contrast, Lewis focuses on the divine nature of man in celebration of his relationship with God. However, both authors placed great emphasis on the concept of the redemption of man, incorporating allusions to the Christ figure within their novels as well as providing several examples of the redeemed or tested spirit. Works Cited Burdge, Anthony S. “Biblical Allusions within the Lord of the Rings.” The Northeast Tolkien Society. (11 January, 2006). March 21, 2007 Duriez, Colin. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship. New Jersey: Hidden Spring: 2003. Jacobs, Alan. The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2005. Lewis, C.S. The Magician’s Nephew. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lewis, C.S. The Horse and his Boy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lewis, C.S. Prince Caspian. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lewis, C.S. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lewis, C.S. The Silver Chair. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lewis, C.S. The Last Battle. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980. Lindskoog, Kathryn. The Lion of Judah in Never-Never Land: God, Man and Nature in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Tales. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1979. Purtill, Richard. “Christian Morality in The Lord of the Rings.” Excerpted from Purtill, Richard, Lord of the Elves and Eldils: Fantasy and Philosophy in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1974, reprinted in de Koster, Katie, Readings on J.R.R. Tolkien. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York: Ballentine Books, 1980. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991. Read More