And it slips through our fingers

[Elianna]

*concurs with all the religious things phantom and alatar have said.*

But then the up side of all of this is "eucatastrophe." Yes, everything is getting horribly worse, but eventually it will all be set right. Yes, the Elves are going away, but look, there's still hope in people like Faramir and Eldarion. Yes, after five Battles with Morgoth, we're nowhere near defeating him, but look, the Valar have come to our rescue. Yes, Numenor was destroyed, but look, there's still the Faithful with their seven ships, and seven stones, and one white tree.

Probably, Tolkien is pointing to a grander, universal eucatastrophe. That these smaller eucatastrophes hardly make up for what was lost, and even looking at the bright side, it's nowhere near as bright as it used to be. But we can still look forward to the final eucatastrophe in the End. And this, I think, really is a Christian concept.

Yeats' "The Second Coming" also comes to mind, the gyre and things fall apart...