The personal attacks need to stop and nothing I say below takes away from that. I think the tone that Jo uses is deplorable but feel there is for definite something in what he says - that the great issues and themes of the world in which
Tolkien lived do indeed find an echo in his work. More than an echo.
Tolkien wants us to read LotR as a good story, and noone disputes that. Tolkien did not intend parallels to be drawn between his created world, and either his beliefs as a Christian or his experiences in the turmoil of the first half of the last century. But I think it is difficult to argue that, in a story about the fight of good against
evil, that either his personal beliefs or his experience of war will have had no impact. Any portrayal of evil will rest on what you believe evil to be, or evil you believe you have witnessed.
I think the analysis (seperated from the abuse) that Jo offers falls down not on the specifics of case by case analysis of observable parallels. In most cases they are soundly argued. But it doesn't help to insist that there was a kind of subconscious intent in these, in a way that sounds like a form of schizophrenia. I see it more of the natural process of internalisation and externalisation that is the flow of how an
artists creates.
I've seen in a number of threads a really strong resistance to this idea from a number of people who insist on repeating 'Its not allegory, its just a story' - to which I say 'Its not allegory - its great literature'. So you have a text which stands on its own legs as a marvellous story with characters you 'believe in' and love and care for. But you can read it on so many levels, and one is the level at which Joe does - looking for signs that JRRT has internalised and transformed the world in which lived into his creation.
If you don't see it that way, you won't bring that interpretation to the text. So equally Ciryaher sees
Gondor as a parallel for the US (although he doesn't state that this is JRRT's intent). I can imagine that many in the world with a less favourable view of US foreign policy would not see this at all.
But taking the tone of Joe's posts aside, I'd also request a bit more tolerance of his views too (well not the personal attacks) because if someone wants to share what he gets out of the
books, that's what the forum is for, no?
*****************
Back on the theme of the thread - I think
Bilbo and
Sam are portrayed well in the film, but
Frodo,
Merry and
Pippin are far too lightweight. I saw Frodo as serious and brave, Merry as Mr Organised, and Pippin as jolly and careless, but still no prankster. In the film they are not half the
halflings I wanted to see.