In Book 5, Chapter 1 of The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf and Pippin enter the great city of Gondor, Minas Tirith. As they walk through the city, Pippin notices that the city seems to be in a state of decay, therefore, emphasizing the diminishing state of the race of man. Gandalf and Pippin meet with Boromir’s father and the current steward of Gondor, Denethor (p. 749). Denethor will maintain his temporary rule over Gondor until there is a viable person to take on the role as king. In Volume IV, Chapter 3 of The Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn compares the tumor in his stomach to the poisons that infect the country from the Archipelago (p. 632). The state of Minas Tirith can be compared to the state of Russia as described in these parts of the two books.
Solzhenitsyn’s tumor and Gondor’s lack of a king have been detrimental to Russia and Gondor. Denethor is not necessarily described as a poor leader, it is not his presence that is causing Minas Tirith’s decay, it is merely the city’s lack of a true ruler. Throughout The Lord of the Rings, it is made clear that the population of man is fading from middle earth. Minas Tirith is the last great city of man, Tolkein portrays the status of man through the condition of Minas Tirith. Just as the tumor poisons Solzhenitsyn from the inside, the Archipelago poisons Russia from inside. The lack of a king in Gondor is causing the collapse of man from within their greatest city. As opposed to the Archipelago’s presence, which poisons the country, the absence of a king poisons the world of man.
Denethor does not accept the idea that there is anyone worthy of taking on the role of king. Gandalf warns Pippin to avoid mentioning Aragorn because Denethor knows that he is the true king but does not want to let go of his power. Denethor’s distorted view and lust for power can also be interpreted as another form of poison that is infecting Denethor’s goodwill and leading to the decay of Gondor and Minas Tirith. In one of his notes in Volume IV chapter 3, Solzhenitsyn writes about constant fear. When writing about constant fear, Solzhenitsyn describes the lingering danger of being arrested and being taken to the Gulag, which Solzhenitsyn described as the abyss. The race of men has lived in constant fear for years because they understand that the dark powers of middle earth seek to rid the world of man.