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Well, If we're to debate whether or not the reader must accept Tolkien's meaning, or is free to interpret the text in their own way, we have to have a clear understanding of what Tolkien did mean, before we can debate anything.
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For me, that does not logically follow.
As I stated earlier, I am not at all sure that any of us can ever gain a complete understanding of what meaning Tolkien' attributed to his works, regardless of our beliefs. But, even though we can gain an approximate understanding, I see such authorial meaning as irrelevant to the reader's appreciation of the text unless the reader wants it to be relevant.