March 24, 2003 The One Ring-Essay #1

J.R.R. Tolkien's Trilogy of the Ring is a fantastic story of corruption, good fighting against evil, and the hopeful triumph of the brave and the pure. While the Ring (corruption) is trying to get back to the land of Mordor (evil), the Fellowship of the Ring (good) is going to bring it there in order to destroy it. And although Frodo and Sam (purity and bravery) are soon alone of their quest, they still march wearily to Mordor. But, getting past the generalization of what Lord of the Rings is about, one also realizes that the trilogy is about home, protecting loved ones, and the preservation of culture when all of these are under attack.

The Shire, and Hobbiton within it, is almost a perfect world, as close to Utopia as any of the races of Middle Earth can come. Because Hobbits are easy going and friendly, and dislike machinery, their will or even need for war and fighting is non-existent: "Their faces were as a rule good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyes, red-cheeked with mouths apt to laughter, eating, and drinking." (2) Beautiful and unpolluted, the society of Hobbits goes about its day with little or no thought of what is outside. That is why most of the Hobbits were so suspicious of Bilbo when he had come back from his journey, having traveled with Dwarves and a Wizard, kept company with Elves and Men, and had been at war so that he may come back with ancient gold. Unknowingly Bilbo had brought danger into the Shire with the Ring, and decided Frodo's destiny when he left the Ring to his nephew. Bilbo was unaware of the danger, but if he had known he would have immediately left the Shire so that it would continue undisturbed.

When Frodo become caretaker of the Ring, he keeps it safe but follows Gandalf's advice to not use it. When Gandalf tells him about the Ring's danger, Frodo's first thought is to home, realizing that ".I am a danger, a danger to all that live near me. I cannot keep the Ring and stay here. I ought to leave Bag End, leave the Shire, leave everything and go away." (61) Frodo loves the Shire, and later starts on his journey with the sole intent of drawing the danger away from his friends and family. And though he has often thought of adventures and traveling the way Bilbo did, he is reluctant to leave his beloved homeland. He keeps the Ring and his real mission secret from his friends Sam, Merry, and Pippin, so that they will not worry, feeling that the Ring's burden should fall only on him.

But the love and loyalty the three Hobbits feel for Frodo is stronger than he realizes, and is this shocked when they reveal that they not only know what's going on, they want to go with him: "You must go-and therefore we must go, too. Merry and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow and would jump down a dragon's throat to save you, if he does not trip over his own feet; but you will need more than one companion on your dangerous adventure." (102) The three Hobbits stand by Frodo, willing to do whatever it takes to protect him and their home. Gandalf's prophecy of an enslaved Hobbiton is enough to force all of them to trek to Rivendell so they can further create a plan to destroy the symbol of evil that has forced them to journey.

By giving the audience Hobbiton first, Tolkien has created a society which other races are compared to, and often fall short of, through weaknesses, war, and terrible sadness. The Shire is what humanity strives for and hopes to reach, and thus the impending destruction of it by a mechanical enemy with little qualities for an audience relate to strikes a chord with the readers. And all that lies between that bitter fate and salvation is a Hobbit and his for friends, going against insurmountable odds with hope, with fear, and a determination that their people will not suffer and be destroyed.