An Analysis Of The Symbolic Images In The Lord Of The Rings

The Lord of the Rings was published in1950s in the context of industrial civilization,World War I and World War II. Tolkien witnesses the expansion of desire and thedegeneration of human nature. Although Tolkien does not describe these in The Lord ofthe Rings directly, readers can still feel them. To better express the expansion of desireand the fall of human nature, Tolkien employs lots of images full of symbolic meanings.This paper mainly makes a whole analysis and research of the trilogy The Lord of theRings by J.R.R Tolkien from a symbolic point of view.This thesis consists of an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. Its maincontents are as follows:The first part is the introduction, which mainly introduces previous researches of TheLord of the Rings overseas and in China, and points out research purposes and greatsignificances of this thesis. The Lord of the Rings has been well received since itspublication. Lots of critics have done researches on The Lord of the Rings from differentperspectives, but no one has ever made a study on it from symbolic point of view.Literatures in different periods have different characteristics. In the era of technology,technology is everything. It is necessary to integrate technology and fantasy intoliterature writing because only in this way, readers can be attracted. That’s why The Lordof the Rings and Harry Porter are so popular nowadays. Fantasy fictions will be amainstream literature form in the future. This thesis aims to make people betterunderstand fantasy literature. Besides, symbolism is one of the main literature theories.The form of literature should be symbolic and implicit rather than describing andexplanation; thus we can find deep meanings under superficial world. Tolkien hasexperienced World War I, World War II and industrial civilization; therefore, he has adeep understanding of the expansion of desire and the degeneration of human naturewhich is the main theme of The Lord of the Rings. In modern society, people areconstantly attracted by power and money, etc. temptations which are modern “One Ring”testing human nature all the time. The Lord of the Rings is more like a cautionary tale.Human beings can be destroyed by desire if they do not control themselves.The second part is the main body, which is made up of three chapters:Chapter One concentrates on symbolism in settings. This thesis mainly analyzes several typical representatives and their symbolic meanings. Three settings in the novelare symbols of different development status of human beings. The first one is Shirewhich symbolizes a paradise after materialization and alienation. Shire is also a hope ofTolkien. The second one is Mordor, which is the symbol of human society corrupted byindustrial civilization and hi-technology. The third is Gondor, the symbol of the modernsociety of human being. The last one is the One Ring, the symbol of the shackles ofmaterialism, desire and evil.Chapter Two discusses symbolism in plots. This paper covers several typical plotssuch as the choice of the fellowship of the Ring, Boromir’s death and the “happy” endingand their symbolic meanings.Chapter Three focuses on symbolism in characters. There are lots of characters inThe Lord of the Rings who belongs to different races such as simple and kind hobbits,immortal and perfect elves, greedy but brave dwarfs, wise and farsighted wizards andslow Ents who choose to fight eventually. These characters not only symbolize differentthings and characteristics but also symbolize different people in the world and theirinfluences on the destiny of the world. Only when different forces and nations gettogether, human society can have a bright future.The last part is the conclusion, which makes a summary of the preceding critiques,and points out the main purpose of this thesis. Human beings can survive in thismaterialized and alienated world only when they unite to each other and controlthemselves. Although Tolkien denies that there is symbolic meaning in his works, whenreaders read through The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s experience, they can find manyimages full of symbolic meanings. These images play a crucial role in deepening thetheme of the fiction. People must remain simple and kind to avoid being corrupted bydesire.