The Lord Of The Ring - Research Paper Example

Lord of the Rings: Free Will, Choice, and Temptation It would be hackneyed to say that the story in the Lord of the Rings, concerns the struggle between good and evil this is when an individual does not comprehend the essence of good and evil and their real nature. The essence of evil is to be found in domination and control with the essence of good found in free will. In the story, the ring at once personifies and symbolizes evil and gives all those who are confronted by its power the fundamental ingredients of evil. The ring subverts, tempts, and, if owned, is very dominant over the individual in a similar manner as Sauron wants to control and dominate the world. It removes one’s freedom to choose and conquers one’s free will. However, it is good’s nature to prevent this from occurring because at all times, good allows the free individual to choose whether to follow the evil or good path. In this manner, good is reliant on the inherent good nature that dwells within a person to make proper choices. This, however, does not imply that a person is lost once they make a bad choice to embrace evil, as there is always a chance at redemption. Again, the chance to exercise one’s right to choose to turn away from evil becomes available. The ring is, primarily, a source of temptation as it tempts those who are not in its possession to attempt to seek and own it (Barker & Ernest 11). It also tempts those who possess it to utilize it and tempts those who were once in its possession to attempt its recovery. A fine line exists between choosing to utilize the ring or not to choose. Frodo has an urge to use the ring while in the Shire. However, it is while he is at weather-top that the black riders who are of stronger will overcome his resistance to this temptation. When he put on the ring, it was not as a result of temptation, although this did, initially, overcome him. After Aragorn treats Frodo, he bitterly regrets his foolishness and the weakness of his will since he perceived it as obeying the wish of his enemies rather than his own desire (Barker & Ernest 11). The fundamental morality ruling the Middle-earth and that acts as the indicator of freedom is the free will to choose (Barker & Ernest 11). All of the free people possess the freedom to choose, a fundamental attribute of good. Since evil seeks to dominate, control, and rule. Good allows free choice and free will, even though it might actually result in a disastrous ending. The whole story in The Lord of the Rings, especially from the point of view presented by Frodo, is a tale of choice, as well as the exercise of free will. Frodo elects to use the road to fire at Elrond council. In electing to do this, not only does he expose himself to a path of extraordinary danger, but also makes a choice to put himself in a position where continued challenges and temptation presented by the ring are present (Barker & Ernest 11). The confrontation between Frodo and Boromir acts as, perhaps, the best and most graphic example of issues presented by choices since it involves a number of elements (Bustard 41). First, Boromir is tempted, and it is clear that the ring had concerned Boromir from the very first minute he saw it. Boromir considered that the ring needed to be used as a weapon to counter Sauron and for the relief of Gondor. Boromir’s desires are clearly known to Galadriela, and even the fellowship members in Lorien are tested. Sam came to the realization that the ring dominated Boromir’s mind with Boromir becoming introspective as the journey by the fellowship continues down the river. He finally confronts Frodo at Amon Hen slopes with a friendly and conciliatory attitude, which is until he desires to see the ring again. He changes his attitude and denotes to the idea that it is not easy to corrupt truehearted men, which, in saying so, demonstrates hubris. He goes on reiterate the suggestion he first made at Imladris that the enemy’s power needs to be used to counter him (Bustard 42). He goes on to envision himself as the ring’s owner if Aragorn should refuse this burden. Boromir attempts to persuade by adopting an amicable approach, although his goal has to do with the ring. He begins by saying he needs it, begs Frodo to lend it to him and demands the ring before using force to attain it. Frodo wears the ring to escape, bringing Boromir to the apprehension of what he has done and goes on to claim that madness had taken him over (Bustard 42). However, he continues his fall after he fails to confess what had occurred to the fellowship. Only when he is dying does he make the confession to Aragorn that he attempted to take the ring away from Frodo, and this had led him to pay. The ring uses Boromir’s weakness to push him closer to possessing it. Boromir is a captain and soldier of Minas Tirith. He tends to think in terms of the city’s defense and the vanquishing of his enemy. While seeking a way to do this, the ring appears as the best option. However, the ring’s insidious nature means that it also goes to work on his pride (Bustard 42). The ring becomes a weapon since it is used to chase off the Mordor hosts while also enabling him to take over the role of king (Chance 33). However, overall, the ring allows him to gain the power of command. The free will that he will have, through yielding to the temptation should see him depriving others of their free will since the command of power is meant to compel obedience. A command dictates the actions of others and is not a request that gives one a choice. Boromir’s fall to temptation is graphic, as he is gripped by temptation and finally yields to temptation’s power by being ready to utilize force to possess it. However, we see the other side after Boromir is redeemed as he acknowledges that he is wrong. This tragic realization for his evil choice is manifested in actions of destruction that cannot be undone (Chance 33). Only by his demise, can the slate be wiped clean and only then can he say that his sins are paid for to be followed by redemption. Frodo is horrified by the aggression shown by Boromir causing him to wear the ring and run off. He flees to Amon Hen’s summit and sees the world in turmoil using the perceptive power afforded by the ring on the Eye of the Men’s hill. At this point is where Frodo’s real problems start. Despite Gandalf’s warning against using the ring, he has done so, and it remains on him and works on him (Isaacs & Rose 51). Once he has seen the world of destruction as set in motion by Sauron and setting his eyes on Barad-dur, he is left devoid of all hope. The eye seeks him out, and two powers strive for control within him. We later come to the realization that Gandalf has acted to interpose himself, and he suggests that Frodo takes off the ring. However, the use of two powers in conflict is demonstrative of good and evil vying to influence his choice. Good allows the exercise of free will while evil compels (Isaacs & Rose 52). Gandalf allows Frodo to exercise his free will rather than compelling him to take off the ring. The conflict that goes on in Frodo is the conflict that all individuals face when they are needed to exercise their free will when faced by temptation (Kiernan 41). In this aspect, the author is portraying to the reader a reflection of the world. If Frodo refuses to take off the ring, the eye will look for him, and he will lose the ring. At the same time, he will fall under evil’s way and become lost, as it is in every case when one is confronted by temptation. Because this temptation occurred on a high hill, is also religiously significant in the sense that Christ was tempted in a high region of the wilderness when the devil, who was the tempter, offered him the world’s kingdoms (Kiernan 42). The conflict’s solitary nature indicates that the exercise of free will and temptation, as well as the choice to do well is a trial for the individual all the time. Clearly, when one makes the wrong choice, it results in a fall or leaves the door open for evil to waltz. The positive choices that can be made by Boromir are shown; when Faramir says no to the ring and reiterates that, he would not take it even if he were on the highway. The positives from choosing to be good can best be exemplified in the manner in which the ring is gotten and owned in the first place (Russell 67). Bilbo’s discovery of the ring has no blemish because he exercised his choice to be pitiful when presented with the chance to end Gollum’s life. In this manner, Bilbo avoids being under the ring’s power. It is thus clear that the right choice of action is a vital imperative for the cosmos as shown by the author. When Gandalf talks about rules, he is referring to the immutable rules and laws that are used to govern human action in Middle-earth (Russell 67). Frodo’s acceptance of this burden is colored by specific choices he makes; which involves taking the ring and guarding it (Tolkien 132). By taking this world-view, the ring, will take a longer time to blemish the holder. To have elected a goal that was less laudable would have been to make the wrong choice and demonstrative of the importance of the right choice, as well as the importance of a well-wishing motive for one’s choice. There is a similar motive at Imladris when the Elrond council decides to send the ring to the fire. Frodo accepts that the ring needs to be destroyed and accepts the burden. He announces that he aims to shoulder this burden and act as an agent of good even though he has no idea how to get to mount Doom. He is also unaware of the trials that face him on this journey. He shows the heroic aspects that the exercise of free, will have to allow an individual to accept the burden that will follow from a difficult yet ethically and morally right decision. Once again, during the confrontation against evil, Frodo demonstrates that this and all similar confrontation are personal (West 101). The issue surrounding choice and the significance it possesses is made clear in the instance when Frodo finds himself at the Cracks of Doom. The manner in which this concept developed is interesting. Frodo was first to comment in Sauron defeated – Mount Doom that he could not do what he had come to accomplish and that he would not do it (Tolkien 134). However, one can disagree with this because, although, the author may have wanted Frodo to choose not to destroy this ring, his use of the word cannot destroys the issue of free will. This is so since by saying cannot, the inference would clearly have been that some external influence that was preying on his mind and was affecting his free will. Works Cited Barker, Martin. & Ernest, Mathijs. Watching the Lord of the rings : Tolkien's world audiences. New York : Peter Lang , 2008. Print. Bustard, Ned. The Lord of the Rings Comprehension Guide. Dublin: Veritas Press, 2007. Print. Chance, Jane. Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. Print. Isaacs, Neil. & Rose, Zimbardo. Understanding The lord of the rings : the best of Tolkien criticism. Boston : Houghton Mifflin , 2009. Print. Kiernan, Denise. The lord of the rings. New York : Scholastic , 2012. Print. Russell, Gary. The lord of the rings : the art of The return of the king. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 2011. Print. Tolkien, Reuel. The lord of the rings. London : Grafton, 1992. Print. West, John. Celebrating Middle-Earth : the lord of the rings as a defense of Western civilization. Seattle : Inkling Books , 2009. Print. Read More