56 pages • 1 hour read
J. R. R. TolkienReturn of the King
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1955A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context: Tolkien and World War II
J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings between 1937 and 1949, overlapping with the period from 1939 to 1945 when England was at war with Nazi Germany and its allies. Tolkien was a veteran of World War I, and many critics have discussed the impact that his own experiences in war had upon his literary work. Tolkien denied that The Lord of the Rings trilogy was meant to be an allegory for World War II, writing in the forward to the second edition of his books:
[…] the real war does not resemble the legendary war in its process or its conclusion. If it had inspired or directed the development of the legend, then certainly the Ring would have been seized and used against Sauron; he would not have been annihilated but enslaved, and Barad-dûr would not have been destroyed but occupied… in that conflict both sides would have held hobbits in hatred and contempt: they would not long have survived even as slaves (xvii).
Tolkien’s forward indicates his attitude toward the real war being fought during the time in which he wrote The Lord of the Rings. In his statement, he is critical of his own home country for focusing more on seizing power rather than destroying evil. Many critics have read “The Scouring of the Shire” chapter as an expression of Tolkien’s disenchantment with post-war England, particularly its industrialization, energy shortages, and food rationing. While Tolkien denied basing any part of The Lord of the Rings on real events in his life, Tolkien suggests through his writing that wars should be fought only for good causes, rather than for glory or for gain.
Series Context: The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Return of the King is the third installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. The plot is sequential, and none of the books are standalone works. The trilogy is also an extension of the world and characters in The Hobbit, though the series can be read without this context. The story follows Frodo and a fellowship of companions as they work together to destroy the One Ring, an embodiment of all-consuming power and evil, for the safety of Middle-earth.
The series begins with The Fellowship of the Ring. In this story, the reader is introduced to Frodo, a Hobbit, or fictional humanoid character of short stature, who lives in the Shire, a location on the western side of Middle-earth inhabited by hobbits. Frodo comes into possession of the dangerous One Ring. Gandalf, a wise wizard who also knew Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo, informs Frodo that antagonist Sauron is looking for the Ring in order to become all-powerful and destroy the goodness of Middle-earth. Frodo, with the help of friends, companions, and Gandalf, become responsible for the Ring as they move eastward toward Mordor, where Sauron is located. They must destroy the ring at its place of origin, Mount Doom, while avoiding the Eye of Sauron, which is also in Mordor and actively searching for the Ring. The Ring weighs heavily on Frodo and becomes more harmful and manipulative as they near Sauron and Mount Doom. His behavior becomes increasingly erratic and uncharacteristic.
After the fellowship is formed and subsequently dissolved as characters go their separate ways out of need, The Two Towers continues Tolkien’s story as all characters take on an important role in the greater fight against Sauron. At the end of the second novel, Frodo and his friend Sam are rapidly approaching Mordor led by a former ringbearer, Gollum. Gollum simultaneously wants to reclaim the Ring and help Frodo destroy it, his personality corrupted and seduced by his proximity to the Ring. The two and Gollum are separated, and Frodo is captured by Orcs. The other characters prepare for a grand, final battle to help Frodo and Sam reach Mount Doom safely and defeat Sauron.
Literary Context: Fantasy
The Lord of the Rings series has had a massive impact on the fantasy genre, inspiring many other works and adaptations. Most notable is the film adaptations directed by Peter Jackson, which were released from 2001-2003. These films were among the highest-grossing movies of all time and they won a collective 17 Academy Awards. The film adaptations remain popular and have helped to make New Zealand, where they were filmed, into a popular tourist destination for fans of Tolkien’s work. Additionally, Peter Jackson adapted Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit into a series of films from 2012-2014, and Amazon studios produced The Rings of Power (2022) television series based on the appendices to The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth has inspired many other fantasy genre works. Notably, the table-top role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons uses many of the same creatures that appear in Tolkien’s writing, altering their names slightly after a lawsuit. For example, Dungeons & Dragons includes playable races such as Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings (rather than Hobbits). Prominent fantasy authors such as Patricia A. McKillip, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and Charles De Lint have identified ways that Middle-earth has influenced their own fantasy novels. Similarly, many fantasy authors began to write works that deliberately subverted the established formula of Tolkien. For example, Stephen R. Donaldson’s series The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant sought to portray a fantasy hero who is not good, noble, and selfless.
Ideological Context: Mythopoeia
Mythopoeia is a term invented by J. R. R. Tolkien that refers to the genre of artificial mythology and legends created for a fantasy world. Tolkien described the creative act of inventing a myth as being similar to the work of God creating humanity in the Christian tradition. Prior to Tolkien, authors had created artificial mythologies for real places, such as Elias Lönnrot’s Kalevala, which was intended as a mythical history for Finland. However, Tolkien sought to make mythologies that were entirely fictional and based on a world of his own invention. Tolkien also invented languages for his stories, observing the many connections between legends and common vocabulary.
In the 1947 essay “On Fairy-Stories,” Tolkien claims that the value of fantasy writing based on fantastical worlds is that these stories can show a reader new perspectives. They create rules that are different than the rules of reality. Tolkien also particularly emphasizes the happy ending of myths and fairy tales, referring to this trope of a hero being unexpectedly saved from an evil fate as a eucatastrophe. The Return of the King contains many examples of the eucatastrophe trope, particularly the moment where the Ring is unexpectedly destroyed by Gollum. Tolkien suggests that these happy endings provide joy and comfort, comparing them to the Incarnation of Christ in the Bible.
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By J. R. R. Tolkien
