LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 04 - Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit

[Lathriel]

This chapter made me realize something. Throughout LOTR a theme that keeps on re-occuring is that of a place that was once beautiful but which is now corrupted or in its demise.
Ithillien counts of course because as the hobbits travel through the land they see pieces of buildings that must once have been very beautiful.
Also you have Minas Morgul which was once Minas Ithil but has now been corrupted by the Nazgul. You also have the city of Gondor which is also losing some of its former glory.
Plus of course the demise of the elves, and them leaving Middle Earth.
So overall you see a world that is losing its former beauty. For me this adds a feeling of hopelessness and it also makes me wish fervently that the world can come back to its former glory. Meanwhile you realize that this can only be done with the destruction of the ring.
This can also be reated to the world of today, when older people always complain about how the world used to be better when they were young. I certainly get that feeling when I hear my grandparents talk about what they used to do when they were kids.