lord of the ring parallel story of world war 2

lord of the ring parallel story of world war 2

///////////////

The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II,^[1] The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling novels ever written, with over 150 million copies sold.^[2]
The title of the novel refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron,^{[note 1]} who had in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across northwest Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling companions: the Men Aragorn, a Ranger of the North and Boromir, a Captain of Gondor; Gimli, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas, an Elven prince; and Gandalf, a Wizard.
The work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set, the other to be The Silmarillion, but this idea was dismissed by his publisher.^[4][5] For economic reasons The Lord of the Rings was published in three volumes over the course of a year from 29 July 1954 to 20 October 1955.^[4][6] The three volumes were titled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Structurally, the novel is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material included at the end of the third volume. Some editions combine the entire work into a single volume. The Lord of the Rings has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into many languages.
Tolkien's work has been the subject of extensive analysis of its themes and origins. Although a major work in itself, the story was only the last movement of a larger epic Tolkien had worked on since 1917,^[7] in a process he described as mythopoeia. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, religion and the author's distaste for the effects of industrialization, as well as earlier fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in World War I.^[1] The Lord of the Rings in its turn is considered to have had a great effect on modern fantasy; the impact of Tolkien's works is such that the use of the words "Tolkienian" and "Tolkienesque" has been recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary.<sup>[8]


//////////////////////////////</sup>

 

Plot summary

Thousands of years before the events of the novel, the Dark Lord One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power and corrupt those who wear them: the leaders of Men, Elves and Dwarves. He was later vanquished in battle by an alliance of Elves and Men. Isildur, a ruler of Men, cut the One Ring from Sauron's finger, claiming it as an heirloom for his line, and Sauron lost his physical form. When Isildur was later ambushed and killed by Orcs, the Ring was lost in the River Anduin at Gladden Fields.
Over two thousand years later, the Ring was found by one of the river-folk called Déagol. His friend^[11] Sméagol immediately fell under the Ring's influence and strangled Déagol to acquire it. Sméagol was banished and hid under the Misty Mountains, where the Ring extended his lifespan and transformed him over the course of hundreds of years into a twisted, corrupted creature called Gollum. He lost the Ring, his "precious", and, as recounted in The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins found it. Meanwhile, Sauron re-assumed physical form and took back his old realm of Mordor. Gollum set out in search of the Ring, but was captured by Sauron, who learnt from him that "Baggins" in the Shire had taken it. Gollum was set loose, and Sauron, who needed the Ring to regain his full power, sent forth his powerful servants, the Nazgûl, to seize it.


////////////////////////

 

The Fellowship of the Ring

The story begins in Rivendell, while Frodo gradually succumbs to the wound. The Ringwraiths nearly overtake Frodo at the Ford of Bruinen, but flood waters summoned by Elrond, master of Rivendell, rise up and overwhelm them.
Frodo recovers in Rivendell under the care of Elrond. The Fellowship of the Ring" is formed to aid him: Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, and the Man Boromir, son of the Ruling Steward Denethor of the realm of Gondor.
After a failed attempt to cross the Misty Mountains via the pass below Caradhras, the company are forced to try a more perilous path through the Mines of Moria, where they are attacked by the Watcher in the Water before the gate. Inside, they discover the fate of Balin and his colony of Dwarves. After repulsing an attack, they are pursued by orcs and an ancient and powerful demonic creature called a Balrog. Gandalf confronts the Balrog, but in their struggle, both fall into a deep chasm. The others escape and take refuge in the Elven forest of Lothlórien, where they are counselled by Galadriel and Celeborn.
With boats and gifts from Galadriel, the company travel down the River Anduin to the hill of Amon Hen. Boromir succumbs to the lure of the Ring and attempts to take it from Frodo. Frodo escapes and determines to continue the quest alone, though Sam guesses his intent and comes along
/////////

 

The Two Towers

Orcs sent by Saruman and Sauron kill Boromir and kidnap Merry and Pippin. After agonizing over which pair of hobbits to follow, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas pursue the orcs bearing Merry and Pippin to Saruman. In the kingdom of Rohan, the orcs are slain by a company of the Rohirrim. Merry and Pippin escape into Fangorn Forest, where they are befriended by Treebeard, the oldest of the tree-like Ents. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas track the hobbits to Fangorn, and encounter Gandalf, resurrected as the significantly more powerful "Gandalf the White" after his mutually fatal duel with the Balrog. Gandalf assures them that Merry and Pippin are safe. They then ride to Edoras, the capital of Rohan, where they free Théoden, King of Rohan, from the influence of Saruman's henchman Gríma Wormtongue. Théoden musters his fighting strength and rides to the ancient fortress of Helm's Deep, but en route Gandalf leaves to seek help from Treebeard.


////////////////////////

 

The Return of the King

Sauron unleashes a heavy assault upon Gondor. Gandalf arrives at Minas Tirith to alert Denethor of the impending attack. The city is besieged, and Denethor, deceived by Sauron, gives up hope and commits suicide, nearly taking his remaining son Faramir with him. Aragorn feels he has no choice but to take the Paths of the Dead in order to reach Gondor in time, accompanied by Legolas, Gimli and the Dúnedain Rangers from the North. There Aragorn raises an undead army of oath-breakers bound by an ancient curse that said they could not rest until they had fulfilled their vow to the king of Gondor. The ghostly army helps them to defeat the Corsairs of Umbar who are invading southern Gondor. Commandeering the ships of the Corsairs, Aragorn leads reinforcements up the Anduin to relieve the siege of Minas Tirith, and the forces of Gondor and Rohan defeat Sauron's army in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

 
 Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Meanwhile, Sam rescues Frodo from the tower of Cirith Ungol, and they set out across Mordor. In order to distract Sauron from his true danger, Aragorn leads the armies of Gondor and Rohan in a march on the Black Gate of Mordor. His vastly outnumbered troops fight desperately against Sauron's forces. Reaching the edge of the Cracks of Doom, Frodo is unable to resist the Ring any longer, and suddenly and fiercely claims it for himself. But Gollum suddenly reappears, struggles with Frodo and bites off his finger, Ring and all. Celebrating wildly, Gollum accidentally falls into the fire, taking the Ring with him; and so Frodo's mission is completed. With the destruction of the One Ring, Sauron is permanently shorn of his power, the Nazgûl perish, and his armies are thrown into such disarray that Aragorn's forces emerge victorious.
With the end of the War of the Ring, Aragorn is crowned Elessar, King of Arnor and Gondor, and marries his long-time love, Arwen, daughter of Elrond. Saruman escapes from Isengard and, seeking to carve out a new kingdom, enslaves the Shire. The four hobbits, upon returning home, raise a rebellion and overthrow him. Gríma turns on Saruman and kills him in front of Frodo's house, and is slain in turn by hobbit archers. The War of the Ring thus comes to its true end on Frodo's very doorstep.
Merry and Pippin are acclaimed heroes, while Sam marries Rosie Cotton and uses his gifts from Galadriel to help heal the Shire. Frodo, however, remains wounded in body and spirit after having borne the oppressive weight of the One Ring so long.
Several years later, accompanied by Bilbo and Gandalf, he sails from the Grey Havens west over the Sea to the Undying Lands to find peace. After Rosie's death, Sam gives his daughter the Red Book of Westmarch, containing the account of Bilbo's adventures and the War of the Ring as witnessed by the hobbits. Sam is then said to have crossed west over the Sea himself, the last of the Ring-bearers.

///////////////

Main characters

Protagonists:

• Frodo Baggins, bearer of the One Ring, given to him by Bilbo Baggins
• Samwise Gamgee, gardener and friend of the Bagginses.
• Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), Frodo's cousin
• Peregrin Took (Pip or Pippin), Frodo's cousin
• Gandalf the Grey, a wizard. He is a Maia, an angelic being sent by the god-like Valar to fight Sauron.
• Aragorn, descendant of Isildur and rightful heir to the thrones of Arnor and Gondor
• Legolas Greenleaf, an Elf prince and son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood
• Gimli, son of Glóin, a dwarf
• Denethor, ruling Steward of Gondor and Lord of Minas Tirith.
• Boromir, the eldest son and heir of Denethor
• Faramir, younger brother of Boromir
• Galadriel, Elf co-ruler of Lothlórien, and grandmother of Arwen.
• Celeborn, Elf co-ruler of Lothlórien, husband of Galadriel, and grandfather of Arwen.
• Elrond Half-Elven, Half-elven Lord of Rivendell and father of Arwen.
• Arwen Undomiel, daughter of Elrond, love interest of Aragorn
• Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's cousin^{[note 2]}
• Théoden, King of Rohan, ally of Gondor.
• Éomer, the 3rd Marshal of the Mark and Théoden's nephew. Later King of Rohan after Théoden's death.
• Éowyn, sister of Éomer, who disguises herself as a male warrior named Dernhelm to fight beside Théoden.
• Treebeard, oldest of the Ents.

Antagonists:

• Sauron, the Dark Lord and titular Lord of the Rings, a fallen Maia who helped the Elves forge the Rings of Power long ago.
• The Nazgûl or Ringwraiths, men enslaved by Sauron when they accepted his treacherous gifts of Rings of Power.
• The Witch-king of Angmar, the Lord of the Nazgûl, and Sauron's most powerful servant, who commands Sauron's army.
• Saruman the White, a wizard who seeks the One Ring for himself. Corrupted by Sauron through the palantír. Like Gandalf, he is a Maia.
• Gríma Wormtongue, a secret servant of Saruman and traitor to Rohan, who poisons Théoden's perceptions with well placed "advice".
• Gollum, a river hobbit originally named Sméagol.
• Shelob, a giant spider who dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul.
• The Balrog, a fire-demon dwelling beneath the Mines of Moria.

Concept and creation

Background

The Lord of the Rings started as a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's earlier work The Silmarillion, putting on hold Roverandom, and accepting Farmer Giles of Ham, Allen & Unwin thought more stories about hobbits would be popular.^[13] So at the age of 45, Tolkien began writing the story that would become The Lord of the Rings. The story would not be finished until 12 years later, in 1949, and would not be fully published until 1955, when Tolkien was 63 years old

Writing

Persuaded by his publishers, he started "a new Hobbit" in December 1937.^[12] After several false starts, the story of the One Ring emerged. The idea for the first chapter ("A Long-Expected Party") arrived fully formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo's disappearance, the significance of the Ring, and the title The Lord of the Rings did not arrive until the spring of 1938.^[12] Originally, he planned to write a story in which Bilbo had used up all his treasure and was looking for another adventure to gain more; however, he remembered the Ring and its powers and thought that would be a better focus for the new work.^[12] As the story progressed, he also brought in elements from 'The Silmarillion' mythology.^[14]
Writing was slow, because Tolkien had a full-time academic position, and needed to earn further money as a university examiner.^[15] Tolkien abandoned The Lord of the Rings during most of 1943 and only re-started it in April 1944,^[12] as a serial for his son Christopher Tolkien, who was sent chapters as they were written while he was serving in South Africa with the Royal Air Force. Tolkien made another concerted effort in 1946, and showed the manuscript to his publishers in 1947.^[12] The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not complete the revision of earlier parts of the work until 1949.^[12] The original manuscripts, which total 9,250 pages, now reside in the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection at Marquette University.^[16]


 



///////////////////////////////
ref   http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/The_Lord_of_the_Rings