So, while some have seen the story as an allegory about World War II or nuclear war (the ring is the atomic bomb, etc.), Tolkien explicitly denied these claims when fans or interviewers asked him. “Leaf by Niggle” is the only thing Tolkien wrote that qualifies as an allegory, and he wrote in the foreword to the second edition of The Fellowship of the Ring that he didn’t like the allegory format.
#LORD OF THE RINGS LEAF SIMBL SKIN#
Lewis added moments throughout the Narnia books that intentionally echo the Bible (Eustace losing his dragon skin after being baptized in a lake, etc.) but don’t make the story an allegory. Lewis explained in a 1958 letter that he created Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia not as an allegorical figure, but as “ a supposal,” imagining what it would look like if Jesus appeared in another world. Tolkien and Lewis both read classic allegories like A Pilgrim’s Progress but were more interested in doing something else. This means, as Devin Brown observes in The Christian World of the Hobbit, that most allegories have boring plots. An author must also set up the allegory so that readers are thinking about the ideas, not the story, by the time they finish the book. In The Road to Middle-Earth, Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey says that allegories are designed for readers to “start making equations.” Each element in the story must connect to an idea.
Niggle’s release to a land where he finds the real tree represents artists entering heaven and realizing that their work was just a glimpse of God’s glorious work. Niggle’s time in the institution represents dying and going to purgatory, which some Catholics see not as punishment but as a final time of sin being purged. Niggle’s need to paint a perfect tree represents artists trying to capture beauty perfectly. Tolkien’s faith also informed his writing, although not how you might think.Īs an allegory, “Leaf by Niggle” is about how artistic people relate to God. Lewis’s stepson Douglas recalled that after his mother died and Lewis’ health took a downturn, Tolkien let Douglas know he had a place to stay if anything happened to Lewis.
Tolkien said in a 1965 letter that he owed Lewis “un unpayable debt” for constantly encouraging him to finish The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien also disapproved of divorce, which meant that he disapproved of Lewis’ marriage to divorced writer Joy Davidman.ĭespite these differences, Tolkien and Lewis maintained a strong friendship. Tolkien and Lewis held opposing views about whether Christians should be cremated and whether “lay people” should interpret Scripture and write about spiritual matters. Lewis came from an Irish Protestant background and had to unlearn some anti-Catholic stereotypes after befriending Tolkien and other Catholics.
He continued to practice Catholicism until he died, which sometimes clashed with others’ denominational beliefs. In a 1941 letter to his son Michael, Tolkien wrote that his mother died young from a disease “hastened by persecution of her faith.”Īfter his mother died, Tolkien and his brother were raised by a Roman Catholic priest, Francis Xavier Morgan. His mother died from diabetes in 1904, and Tolkien partly blamed her death on Baptist relatives deserting her after she joined the Roman Catholic church. His father died when Tolkien was three, and shortly afterward, his family converted to Roman Catholicism. Tolkien (1892-1973) came from an English family that initially followed Anglican Christianity. Many people have read his epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, and especially in the last 20 years, many have wondered whether Christian themes or symbols are hiding in his work. Tolkien’s 130 th birthday, and his work is even more popular than during his lifetime.
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