Existentialism and Christianity in Middle-Earth.

Chiara Cadrich – September 2017 – V1.7

The meaning of life

For the existentialist1, each individual is capable of defining his own destiny, and is responsible for distancing from the gregarious habits, especially inculcated values and the passive expectation of a supposed destiny. Individual life has only a meaning when given by oneself, within one's limited available time.

On the contrary, the Christian life has a largely predefined meaning: the pursuit of God's will, through the respect of the precepts of the Church2. The freedom granted to the human being is a necessary condition of hell and paradise. Its ultimate stake is eternal life.

In Middle-earth, the will of the Creator is not explicit to ordinary mortals, nor to ordinary immortals, by the way. There is scarcely any explicit prompting to "please Eru Ilùvatar"3 or to respect divine commandments, except in the Council of the Valar. No Tablet of the Law is mentioned. Only the most advanced civilizations - Numenor and its heirs, for example - seem to enjoy a code of formal laws.

Indeed life seems to have a meaning in Middle-Earth: any child of Ilùvatar is to live a dignified existence, freely chosen, taking advantage of happiness and beauty in the world, and contributing as much as possible to its viability, according to his ability. As Gandalf says: « Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule. »4

In this respect, the ethics of Tolkien's writings recall the posture of the Greek hero, struggling to lead his life with dignity, without excess, despite the trials wrought by the Gods.

Of course, the inclinations of each free people vary. Hobbits, for example, seek simple pleasures by staying as far as possible away from conflicts. Gondor cultivates the arts and the double heritage of the Elves and Numenor, honoring scholarship, excellence and greatness. Rohan cherishes the freedom of vast meadows for its people and its herds.

The Elves, for their part, often seem to be concerned only with the beauty that remains in the world, when they have not become tired of it. For such is their nature: "The Quendi shall be the fairest of all earthly creatures and they shall have and shall conceive and bring forth more beauty than all my Children, and they shall have the greater bliss in this world."5

About Dwarves, finally, we know only the clan of Durin, who seems, by endless work, to pursue their past splendor, in spite of the numerous reverses suffered - the invasion of Moria by the balrog, an abandonment of Erebor to the Dragon, a decimation of the summoned seven Tribes at the battle of Azalnubizar, etc.

Every free people have their preferences, but it seems that all share a morality of solidarity inside the clan. And all, even the hobbits protected by the rangers, are aware that the search for happiness is tainted by the everlasting threat from wilderland or Mordor.

At the individual level, let us observe the meaning of life for the main characters. The hero is the one who jeopardizes his immediate interest, who makes free use of his gifts for the benefit of a loved one or a higher cause, which enables him to change the course of events. This is the case of Frodo accepting the charge of the Ring, of his friends who devote themselves to him, of Aragorn who spends his life in struggle in the wilderlands, of Eowyn who defends her king, of Eomer who challenges the all-powerful royal councilor, of Gimli and Legolas, who enroll in order not to give the other the honor of enlisting alone, of Boromir traveling to Imladris in search of answers, etc.

The main characters often embody the qualities of their "race" as a whole. The heroic commitment of each character crystallizes the need for honorable accomplishment of his whole genre, whether modest Hobbit, persevering Dwarf, valiant Man, beauty-lover Elf or exalted Dunadan. But this is hardly surprising in this model of Heroic Fantasy! The meaning of their life in Middle-earth, their narrative function is heroism.

Of course, all the inhabitants of Middle-Earth are not heroes, but all may be called to behave like true heroes, for such is the peril at this hour: "There will be need of valour without renown, for none shall remember the deeds that are done in the last defense of your homes. Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised."6

Notes

1 Text of the conference « L'Existentialisme est un humanisme » in 1946, Jean-Paul Sartre.

2 After observing the vanity of all actions of men, devoted to death, The Ecclesiast finally recommends: "Respect God and obey His commandments. Indeed, this is what all human beings must do." Ecclesiast 12:13

3 Ilùvatar or Eru, The Unique in Sindarin. The God Creator of the universe in Tolkien's Silmarillion cosmology.

4 The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book V, Chapter Nine – The last Debate

5 The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion Chapter One – Of the Beginning of Days

6 The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book V, Chapter Two – The Passing of the Grey Company.