Cyril Nadar - Week 12 - One Ring to Rule Them All / And in the Darkness Bind Them
J.R.R Tolkien, the author of Lord of Rings and The Hobbit, offers what I believe to be one of the most profound interpretations of power in literature. In Lord of the Rings, power is symbolized by the One Ring–a powerful artifact that grants the wearer immense power, however slowly corrupting them the longer they hold it.
Tolkien’s skepticism of power was born in his participation in the first world war. He watched as the great powers of Europe destroyed lands and corrupted men. We can see this reflected in his work, as the One Ring cannot be used for good, no matter your intentions–it only leads to destruction, death, and pain.
Even Frodo Baggins, as we read through three books of his extreme resilience, determination, and perseverance, inevitably loses to the corruptive power of the One Ring. In Tolkien's world, the question is not “if it will corrupt” but “when it will corrupt.”
Tolkien also shows the visceral nature of power, through the tale of Smeagol, or more commonly known as Gollum. He is a tragic victim of the One Ring; centuries of holding it slowly degraded his mental faculty leading to the development of mental illnesses–most prevalent is his split personality. His acquisition of the ring is devastating. He found the ring with his cousin Deagol at the Anduin river. And upon seeing it and touching it, he was corrupted by the power that the ring promised and he strangled his cousin in the river.
Tolkien also warns us of the corruptive and evil nature of power before even reading or watching the movie in his iconic poem:
“Three Rings For the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for the Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where shadows lie.
One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”
Quite literally, Tolkien is saying that the One Ring–the epitome of power comes from a land of darkness.
He reflected the natural tendency for humans to crave power, yet his legendarium serves as a warning: we must be careful, for there is no such thing as “power for good.” No matter the intention, it will corrupt and it will leave behind destruction.
Hi Cyril! I found your blog incredibly compelling and a little haunting. Your opinions on J. R. R. Tolkien’s view of power immediately reminded me why The Lord of the Rings is so beloved by all. The concept that power itself is corrupt is astonishing yet relatable to me. I can picture it, everytime I go to an event and I see the VIP sections I wonder what the people in those plush and cushioned seats did to get there, and I picture what I would do to get there. Honestly, I understand why its so corrupting, although I don’t think its a sentiment I should understand. But even as someone as pure hearted as Frodo Baggins could not escape its influence, I believe it emphasizes your point that its not a question of if power corrupts, its a question of when. I particularly appreciated when you connected Tolien’s experiences in World War I to his opinions and his book. The war must have certainly contributed to his belief that ambition and control can twist the most noble of intentions, assuming the intentions are even noble to begin with. His portrayal of Gollum is especially tragic, as it demonstrates how corruption despite its immense influence and great effects individuals still must choose to be corrupted by said power. Which leads me to Believe Tolkien’s book is less about fantasy and more about the dark revelations of human nature. Your blog caused me to reflect on the examples of this corruption we have seen in history and in the modern day. But my insights aside thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAbsolute power corrupts absolutely, goes the saying. History has extolled this lesson time and time again. When will we learn that no single person should ever have unilateral control over…well, anything, really? Restraint is probably one of the more important lessons to learn in life. It’s applicable to a macro and micro scale, ranging from the ability to prioritize long-term gains rather than immediate gratification to simply turning a phone off to better focus on work. Personally, I know that I must keep myself in line. If I let myself slip, I inevitably end up falling down a three-hour long Wikipedia rabbit hole or watching several hours of some trashy television show without anything to show for it.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never watched or read Lord of the Rings, but I know that it involves an item which completely overrides the user’s sense of morality and reprograms them to fulfill a singular mission: to keep the ring at all costs. (I think, at least.) It’s probably more accurate to say that the ring does not introduce a new instinct, but rather draws a singular, dormant one out to rule over the user. Tolkien’s dilemma, independent of the world it takes place in, is uniquely haunting and thought-provoking.
The one ring is such a simple symbol, yet it is implemented so effectively in Tolkien’s story that if anyone else were to attempt to illustrate the corruption power can bring they would likely inadvertently reference The Lord of the Rings. Hats off to Tolkien, he knew what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteI tried reading The Hobbit once in Elementary school and didn’t get very far, which is probably expected for an Elementary schooler, but even now the world in the series seems very big and very complicated and hard to connect to on the characters’ level. I know that kind of world building is some people’s bread and butter, but most fantasy doesn’t hook me because of it (although I did read The Long Look and really recommend it, and I will never shut up about Terry Pratchett).
You mention the series being Tolkien’s response, in a way, to the first world war and that suddenly makes a lot of sense, with all the escapism and heroism associated with the books (which may or may not be accurate, forgive my scant knowledge on the subject). I also listened to a video essay a while ago which mentioned The Lord of the Rings—specifically a character named Boromir whose character arc seemed to align with the current political turmoil we are seeing in the United States, so to speak—so maybe someday soon I’ll pick up The Hobbit again and actually finish it this time since reading this reminded me of it. Good job on your blog!