Well, the absence of dwarves, and the elves leaving Middle Earth, helped emphasise that it was "The Age of Men".
If you take it up a notch, and delve deeper into the idea of LotR being a book exploring human nature, you get the impression that humans alone have to take such responsibilities. Like in our own world, evil is created by men, and only men can protect us from it.
Or at least, thats a little of what I got from it.
|