Allegorical tales?

I'm new here, so forgive me if this has been discussed before.

I remember reading many years ago that Tolkien never intended "The Hobbit" or "The Lord of the Rings" as allegorical tales. (A lot has probably been written about this more recently, but I haven't seen it.)

I'm wondering if anyone has interpreted his works as allegories, and if so, in brief, what was your interpretation.

[Rimbaud]

I think Tolkien's direct rebuttals of allegorical content were intended to deny that the books, LOTR especially, were allegories of the Second World War. At the time of press, this accusation was prevalent; Sauron and Saruman as Hitler and Mussolini was particularly popular. I don't believe he ever denied the books having ANY allegorical meaning. For instance the theme of vanishing, ravaged and destroyed countryside was a direct broadside at the industrialisation of England's once green and pleasant land.

There are other themes, hidden in plain sight, that are allegorical in nature; your point is right in that the books were never truly intended as a political commentary in the vein of, say, Orwell's "1984". Tolkien's experiences in WW1 doubtless affected the battles of LOTR, and the central battles are reminiscent of some of the larger conflicts of that War, but I do not think the books in any way are intended as a reference to those events.
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[Aiwendil]

Tolkien remarked many times that he detested allegory - by which he meant conscious, explicit allegory. Tolkien did admit, however, that allegory and story converge in truth. That is, the better written an allegory is, the more valid it will seem as a story; and the better a story is, the more likely it will have relevance to the real world. This latter is what Tolkien called "applicability". So Tolkien would say that, for example, the destruction of the country side does NOT "represent" the industrialization of England; but there is a similar theme in both of these things, as a result of the fundamental truth embedded in the story.

Thank you for the replies. They were very helpful!

[Mayla Took]

Yes, I got the feeling also that LOTR is an allegory for war. Not necisarily WW2 but war in general. Lets see, I wrote a paper on this! Man, I wish I could find it now. Well, I will get back to you on that anyway.

[Mayla Took]

Okay! I'm back! Aren't you all just thrilled? Okay, here is the paper that I wrote on Tolkien. It is not very good because I was in an exstream rush to finish it. But I just thought you all might enjoy it.

The Teachings of Tolkien
One of my favorite authors is J. R. R. Tolkien. Due to the recent film based on one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, I was enthusiastic about re-reading Tolkien’s novels which are a part of my own personal collection of books.
Some issues were brought to my mind while reading his works. These issues exist in Tolkien’s world, “Middle Earth”, but may be compared to some issues in my world. Tolkien created many races and species in his books, such as Hobbits, Ents, Elves and Dwarfs.
One of these issues is racial discrimination that takes place in the fantasy world of “Middle Earth.” A specific racial issue in “Middle Earth” exists between the Elves and the Dwarfs. The Elves and the Dwarves in Tolkien's works are extremely hostile to each other. The Elves and the Dwarfs both believe that their race is superior to the other. An example of this hostility is found in one of Tolkien’s first books entitled The Hobbit. The main characters in the book The Hobbit; Bilbo the Hobbit, Gandalf the Wizard and Thorin the Dwarf are traveling to one of the Elf cities called Rivendell. On their way to Rivendell the company encounters a group of Elves. Tolkien’s narrative in The Hobbit, explains saying,
“They were Elves of course. Soon Bilbo caught glimpses of them as the darkness deepened. He loved elves, though he seldom met them; but he was a little frightened of the too. Dwarves don’t get on well with them. Even decent enough dwarves like Thorin and his friends think them foolish, (which is a very foolish thing to think), or get annoyed with them. For some elves tease them and laugh at them, and most of all at their beards” (59).
This racial discrimination may be compared to racial issues of today wherein different races may be insensitive about social differences or even physical traits of a race that is different from there own.
One of the major themes in Tolkien’s books is the war that is continually waging between good and evil in “Middle Earth.” The evil in Tolkien’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings is, of course, the One Ring but also the maker and controller of the Ring, Sauron, who is the ultimate evil. I could not help but compare this aspect of The Lord of the Rings to the recent war against terrorism and Osama Bin Laden. I noticed that Sauron, the villain in The Lord of the Rings and Osama Bin Laden have a lot in common. Both Sauron and Osama Bin Laden have many, if not thousands of people (or in Sauron’s case, species) that are ready to obey their leader’s command. Both Sauron and Osama Bin Laden acquire and use many of their resources to accomplish their objectives. For example, Osama Bin Laden is known for attempting to provide people with wealth to accomplish his objectives. Where Sauron is also known to provide people and things with his immense power and offering to share such power when in reality he has no intention of doing so.
Another aspect of Tolkien’s works that I enjoy is the message that no matter how heavy a burden is, whether emotional or physical one must carry it through until the very end. This message is portrayed through the character of Frodo in the series of books The Lord of the Rings.
In The Lord of the Rings Frodo is given the One Ring of power that he must carry through various difficult circumstances in a quest to destroy the Ring. As Frodo journeys to destroy the Ring he must go to the evil land of “Mordor” where the Ring was forged. As Frodo approaches the land of “Mordor” the Ring becomes heavier. Near the end of the journey Frodo finds the Ring so difficult to bear that at one time his faithful companion, Sam, carries him on his back. At this point of the book I felt that the subject matter may apply to issues in reality and my everyday life. When one is placed with a heavy or even sometimes unbearable weight of a burden one needs a good friend or spouse to carry them through (just as Sam carried Frodo).
The One Ring that was given to Frodo held a power to corrupt the mind and heart of its bearer. The longer one bears the Ring the stronger is its hold on its master’s mind. So, when the bearer of the Ring attempts to destroy the Ring, he finds himself unable to do so. This reminded me of the way that some people might become addicted or uncontrollably attached to a possession or a habit. Once one begins to carry such a burden it may be extremely difficult for him to dispense with it. Therefore, one should take extreme caution when carrying one of these burdens if it cannot be completely avoided.
I extremely enjoy J. R. R. Tolkien’s works. I have not yet had the privilege to read all of his literary works but I am very eager to do so and to learn more about his unique writing style.

[Nieninque]

I've never thought of the Osama/Sauron connection... despite your haste in trying to finish it, your essay is very good!

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I've never thought of the Osama/Sauron connection... despite your haste in trying to finish it, your essay is very good!

I think that you were right not to think of the bin Laden/Sauron connection before. I consider it a terrible misinterpretation of both international politics and the character of Tolkien's work to make such a comparison. Sauron is, if anything, the ultimate politician: pure ambition, unalloyed with pity, compassion, guilt or responsibility. He is a master of propaganda, manipulating the truth achieve his ends. Witness his use of the Mithril coat at the Morannon, and his expert manipulation of the people of Númenor, gradually turning them from nobility to wickedness. He can twist the truth in ways that would make even government statisticians jealous.

Basically my point is that Sauron displays character traits that are found in successful leaders in all societies, not just international terrorists. Sauron is different because greed is his only motivation. He doesn't want popularity or progress; he isn't even fighting for a cause. Nor is wealth his aim, although he does covet Mithril. Sauron is greedy for control, and will do anything to get it. I can't think of a single major figure on the world stage that doesn't have that desire somewhere in their character.

Incidentally, I think it prudent to point out that I don't believe we should discuss politics here. Tolkien placed no political allegories into his work, which rather conveniently frees us from the need to use this literary forum to prove how easily an Orwellian hate figure can be produced by a free press.

[ October 20, 2002: Message edited by: Squatter of Amon Rudh ]