Marxist Criticism of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Overview
This essay applies Marxist literary criticism to analyze J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, interpreting the Ring as a symbol of capitalism and examining how it represents class divisions, materialism, and greed. The paper explores how Tolkien's middle-class background and childhood experiences influenced his creation of hierarchical power structures and economic polarization between characters, demonstrating the connection between historical materialism and the author's consciousness.
What this essay covers
- Introduction to Marxist criticism and the Ring as representation of capitalism
- Analysis of hierarchical power frameworks, class conflict, and materialism through the Ring symbolism
- Historical materialism: Tolkien's biography, middle-class background, and its influence on literary themes
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Marxist criticism of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowshing of the Ring”
Marxist literary criticism is founded in Karl Max’s theories and it aims to expose the underlying political social or political learnings of an author. In the fantasy fiction “The Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the Ring” the entire fate of a future civilizations rests in one ring that has been lost for centuries. However, extremely powerful forces are searching relentlessly for it but fate has placed the ring in the hands of a young Hobbit; Frodo Baggins who has inherited the ring and steps into legend. An extremely daunting responsibility lies ahead of Frodo who has the ring in his possession. Frodo should ensure that the ring has been completely destroyed in the mountain of doom where it was initially forged. The ring is very crucial in the entire middle earth realm although it is a small object (Tally, 139). The power that the ring has along with the temptations that come along with it represent capitalism in the modern society. Through this Marxist criticism, the ring is viewed using a Marxist lens as a representation of class divisions, effects of greed, materialism, dehumanization of the greedy, Catholicism and hierarchies.
Marx’s concerns are based on materialism, wealth, destruction of the greedy and avarice.