"The Lord of the Rings": My Forever Story
We all have “forever stories.” They are the tales that have crept past our “watchful dragons,” awakened our imaginations, and helped us to believe in something greater than ourselves. They are the tales, sometimes simple and sometimes complex, but always profound, that have seeped into the very marrow of our bones and woven their way in the fabric of our being. They are a part of us, and we cannot imagine our formation without them.
The Lord of the Rings will always be my forever story. I didn’t read it as a child (even though I loved the movies), but by chance or fate I encountered it for the first time when I was in college. Perhaps that is why it moved me so much. It was the first adult fairytale I read, and it was the first book that convinced my adult self that the world was full of a wonder that I had not yet tapped into. I wouldn’t have been able to articulate it in those words at the time, but I knew when I read it that it would stay with me forever.
I know my experience with these books is not unique. The Lord of the Rings is loved everywhere around the world, by all sorts of people and for all sorts of reasons. But since today marks 70 years since The Fellowship of the Ring was first published in the UK, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the aspects of the story that make it, for me, a forever story.
Hobbits. Need I say more? There is something about the Hobbits and the Shire that awakens in my soul a deep longing for the virtue of humble living. The sun setting over a garden, sharing a pint with friends, parties, and extra meals just because. The Hobbits know how to be good. Even though they aren’t human, in them I see the best representation of humanity, fully alive. I haven’t found such a perfect representation of that in any other book I have read.
The courage of “small” people. Sorry, the pun is unavoidable. But really, I don’t just mean the courage of the Hobbits. The Lord of the Rings captures a timeless truth, which is said best in the words of Gandalf. “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay.” It is the truth that real greatness lies in simplicity, love, and humility. We can’t all do great things; but we can all do “small things with great love,” as St. Therese of Lisieux said. This is what makes us truly great.
A world that is worth saving. The Lord of the Rings reminds me that our world is beautiful and good. In fact, it is so good that it could break your heart. It’s easy to lose sight of that reality, especially when faced with the sorrowful reality of evil and division. These books remind me of the utter magic of the natural world, and that even when all seems hopeless, "there is some good in this world… and it’s worth fighting for.”
The hope of resurrection. I learned this one a bit later, when I began to think on a deeper level about the themes of this story. J.R.R. Tolkien was insistent that his books should point people to the greatest truth of all human history: the truth that in the end, all of our sadness will be resolved in Joy. His characters have given me the courage to practice the real virtue of “hoping against hope,” even in the midst of darkness. The Lord of the Rings reminds me that if we choose to have hope when all seems lost, we will see the resurrection.
I’d love to hear what your “forever story” is. Let me know in the comments!
Tolkien’s stories will always be forever stories for me, too. I think your reasons are spot on and I share them as well.
I’m currently exploring another forever story of mine, and having a go at contributing to it as a means of keeping it alive (and just maybe sparking the imagination of others): Robin Hood. I find the morals strange and to me at least, even more applicable today. He’s an outlaw, but still considers himself a yeoman of the Crown. He’s religious, but the Merry Men make reference Mary, not the Church. The towns corrupt, but Sherwood isn’t exactly “free”—it has its own justice and it’s very much alive. And perhaps weirdest of all, bets, however small, have a massive influence on reality. It’s wild stuff.
The Lord of the Rings is also a "forever story" as are Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is my favorite story of all time (and one of the reasons I became Catholic).