I will concentrate on the relationship of Frodo and Sam, which is the most central to the whole story, since Frodo is the Ring-bearer. Therefore, in this thesis I would like to introduce a new insight on the interpretation of The Lord of the Rings that explores friendship as its major underlying motif.
#Bilbo and frodo baggins relation movie
Even though many readers do notice the importance of this kind of relationship in The Lord of the Rings, and it was also wonderfully depicted by the Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation, Tolkien scholars just seem to show no interest in it. When I searched for the topic of friendship in Tolkien’s writings, I could not find any authorized academic research. It is as if the mere fact that it involves unreal, supernatural characters such as elves, hobbits or ents make it impossible for people to relate to them and consequently study their behavior towards each other in strictly human terms. And if they ever happen to be discussed, it is only to detect the resemblances with the author’s life (like in the case of Aragorn and Arwen’s love story representing that of Tolkien and his wife Edith). However, being a fantasy book and moreover, a prototype of fantasy, the relationships in The Lord of the Rings are hardly ever seriously analyzed. Apparently the power of friendship is what has made the book so appealing to generations of readers for the last sixty years. Towards the end, it turns out that friendship is essential for the completion of the task. Though total strangers at first, in their struggles they soon become more intimate, and always act to save their fellows – their friends. When the fellowship is later formed, the new characters that are chosen to be its members are also supposed to be bound together by friendship to avoid possible betrayal. And as the story evolves, it is again the very same feeling that disallows them to leave him. It is their mutual love that makes them go. Even the subtitle of the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, suggests it.Īt the beginning of the quest, the younger hobbits decide to follow Frodo, not because of any family duty or curiosity and desire for adventures. Not magical devices, nor fantastical creatures, nor the perpetual battle between good and evil, but friendship lies at its core. But when I read The Lord of the Rings, I got a feeling that more than anything else it is a story of friendship. The novel, with its quantum of characters, generates a complicated web of various relationships – from enmity, through purely political affectionless war alliances, to romantic love. In my opinion, the one which in applicability comes closest to real life is the interpersonal level. And in its analysis it can be approached in as many ways. Tolkien, is a powerful story consisting of multiple layers, so every reader can find in it something to his liking. The Lord of the Rings, the most famous work of J.R.R.
Author’s Note: In the text I use the following abbreviations:
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