This paper will focus on the forces of good and evil that conflict with each other, the power of companionship, some themes of surveillance that are present in the novel, and the race of man’s struggles. The conflict between good and evil will be presented through characters who represent the ultimate good in middle earth, such as Gandalf and Tom Bombadil, and characters who embody pure evil, such as Sauron, Saruman, the Nazgul, and Shelob. Companionship will be represented by Sam and Frodo; Frodo would not have been able to complete his mission without the assistance of his loyal companion Sam. The ever-watching eye of Sauron and the spies sent out by Saruman will be used to represent the themes of surveillance. Aragorn, the manipulation of King Theoden, and the decay of Minas Tirith embody the struggles of the race of man. All of these points will be expanded upon in the paper.
- Sam and Frodo’s discussion about being in tales in “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol”
- Aragorn bringing the army of the dead to the Siege of Minas Tirith
- Sam carrying Frodo up mount doom
- Gandalf facing down the Nazgul
Sauron’s eye never stopped searching for the ring, and thus there was no man, elf, dwarf, or hobbit, safe from his gaze.
John Garth, Tolkien and the Great War
Scull and Hammond, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion