Good versus evil: Downplayed, or overplayed?

[Lalaith]

own understanding of the good vs evil struggle in the book LotR is that while there is one way of being evil, there are many ways of being good.

I don't read you. There is not one way of doing evil. You can kill an elf, or merely steal his bread. Both are evil.

Ok, to elucidate my point further, I think that in LotR, the essence of evil is the lust for power, the wish to subjugate or dominate others. This is what unites Sauron and Saruman - they are in essence quite similar. Good is a more variable concept - Barliman Butterbur, Elrond and Gimli are all on the side of 'good', but what else do they have in common?

I don't believe in Good vs Evil either. I mean, in a literary world, I do, but not in the real world today

Good point. I think that Middle Earth's politics have a refreshing simplicity....