A Psychological Application of J. R. R. Tolkien s Works. The tales told in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been embraced

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1 1 A Psychological Application of J. R. R. Tolkien s Works The tales told in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been embraced by readers worldwide and the books themselves are arguably the founding works of the Fantasy genre. In writing these pieces, Tolkien created a world with a unique mythology, and although the characters he invented may not have all been human, they dealt with the same personal struggles that any reader of his work may encounter. It is in this execution of the craft that Tolkien was able to tell these stories with such conviction and gain such a devoted following. By looking at the motivations and talents of the characters in The Lord of the Rings it becomes clear that each individual had a specific role in defending Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. The personalities and Self-realizations of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins are also important in understanding why so many readers have been drawn to Tolkien's masterpieces and can relate to the Fantasy genre on their behalf. Defense of Fantasy Since its birth sometime in the middle of the 1900s, the Fantasy genre has been accused by critics of being "escapist" because it is set in fantastical worlds and often times deals with otherworldly creatures or magic. When something is labeled as such, it by definition is given a negative connotation. Those who feel that Fantasy literature is escapist believe that those who read it turn their backs to reality and expose their imaginations to things that will hinder their personal growth in the real world. During the time that Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings he also wrote an essay defending the Fantasy genre entitled "On Fairy Stories" in which he addressed those who attacked mythology and Fantasy as being vital in understanding our lives in current times. Tolkien wrote:

2 2 "Max Muller's view of mythology as a 'disease of language' can be abandoned without regret. Mythology is not a disease at all, though it may like all human things become diseased. You might as well say that thinking is a disease of the mind. It would be more near the truth to say that languages, especially modern European languages, are a disease of mythology" ("Of Fairy Stories," 48). Tolkien believed that much could be learned from mythology because myths are universally applicable to human beings. He felt that the claim of Fantasy being "escapist" was slanderous because these stories are just as applicable to our lives. Of Fantasy Tolkien believed: "[T]hat the images are of things not in the primary world (if that indeed is possible) is a virtue, not a vice. Fantasy (in this sense) is, I think, not a lower but a higher form of Art, indeed the most nearly pure form, and so (when achieved) the most potent" ("Of Fairy Stories," 69). Echoing Tolkien's view in the book The Individuated Hobbit, Timothy R. O'Neill felt that the characters in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, when studied from a psychological perspective, provide us with an important insight to the Self. O'Neill felt "[T]he framework of Tolkien's world is truly in harmony with the 'real' myth and fairy tale, that they are woven of the same strand of human psychology" (3). When this philosophy is understood the concept of Tolkien's Fantasy's relativity becomes clear. Instead of seeing Middle-earth and its inhabitants as arcane and distant they should be seen as guides for our own personal struggles on Planet Earth. It is through the personalities, motivations, and actions of the major players in the struggle for Middle-earth that the reader can learn about their own Self. This can be said because "Tolkien tapped archetypal roots that give Lord of the Rings a resonance lacking in more contrived tales" (Robertson 88).

3 3 Conventional stories usually have only one central hero, and although in Lord of the Rings Frodo is considered the most important hero, all the members of Fellowship play their part and are transformed on the way, making them relatable to readers. This follows with what Robin Robertson writes in her article on the heroes in Lord of the Rings: "We can each find our heroic ideal pictured in The Lord of the Rings, yet we can also each contain all its heroes within the possibilities hidden within us" (89). Bilbo's Transformation The story of the One Ring began with its discovery in Tolkien's children book The Hobbit. It was within this work that the origins of Middle-earth and the idea of hobbits first appeared in popular culture. Although a simpler story than its sequel, The Hobbit is essential in laying the foundation for the adventures in The Lord of the Rings. The hobbit of whom the title refers is none other than Bilbo Baggins, uncle to Frodo and the finder of the Ring. From a psychological perspective Bilbo experiences a significant transformation throughout his journey with Gandalf and the dwarves to steal Smaug's treasure. Like the characters in Lord of the Rings, Bilbo teaches the reader a great deal about Self-realization. The day Thorin and Company arrive at Bag End, Bilbo had no intention or desire to set out on any adventures. He in fact was settled in his life as a respectable hobbit who had some wealth and enjoyed relaxing at his comfortable home. Bilbo is called to adventure by Gandalf and the dwarves and instantly resists. There is a point where he is listening to the stories and songs of the dwarves where Bilbo gets an itch to change his comfortable lifestyle and heed their call: "Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick" (Hobbit 15). This feeling was a new one for the hobbit because he had never

4 4 before felt compelled to leave the familiarity of the Shire and travel with strangers to strange lands. O'Neill believes this urge is the beginning of Bilbo's journey to Self-realization and writes: "The potency of these newly awakened symbols is so compelling that Bilbo must suppress the strange and disquieting feelings they evoke, unbidden, from the depths of what serves a hobbit for an unconscious" (58). Hobbits by nature are simple folk who are contented living among other hobbits and spend their time tilling the earth, eating, and smoking. It is unordinary for a hobbit to want to see other lands or agree to go on an adventure to steal a dragon's treasure. This is why it was odd for Bilbo to want to go along with the dwarves. It is this characteristic of hobbits that makes it fitting for Bilbo to be frightened at the unknown dangers of lands outside of the Shire when "[H]e shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, Under-Hill, again" (Hobbit 16). Bilbo is finally convinced by Gandalf and Thorin to go along with the group and serve as the burglar who would steal Smaug's hoarded treasure. He encounters creatures that no other hobbit had ever met including trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and elves. After riddling with Gollum he manages to keep the Ring and save the dwarves from the Elf King's hall. He returns to the Shire a very wealthy hobbit, but he has grown in ways more valuable than the worth of gold. Unbeknownst to him, Bilbo has experienced a personal transformation and returned with a "treasure of the Self" (O'Neill 70). This journey can apply to any reader of The Hobbit; one who remains content with what their normal life entails can learn from Bilbo that there is much to gain by stepping out of their comfort zone and embarking on a path that is new and unfamiliar. Others may notice their change in a positive way just as Gandalf observes at the book's

5 5 conclusion when he says to Bilbo, "'Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were'" (Hobbit 270). Frodo's Quest There is a distinct difference in the calls to adventure of Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo. Whereas Bilbo went with the dwarves reluctantly, Frodo accepts the task of taking the Ring to Mount Doom without any pressure from others. This act of free will follows with the heroic traits shared by the hero archetype in ancient mythology. As W. H. Auden notes, "in the traditional Quest story, the hero desires to undertake the quest and, even when to others he appears lacking in power, he is confident of success" (54). The distinction between Bilbo and Frodo is a vital part of why Frodo succeeds in his quest. At the Council of Elrond the quarreling members of the meeting may think that they would be better suited to destroy the Ring, but it is the meek hobbit Frodo who speaks up to take the burden on. To this Elrond himself says, "'But it is a heavy burden. So heavy that none could lay it on another. I do not lay it on you. But if you take it freely, I will say that your choice is right...'" (Fellowship 264). Auden reiterates Elrond's opinion and proves Frodo's deed heroic: "[B]ecause the decision has nothing to do with his talents, nobody else can or should try to help him make up his mind" (55). Frodo thus far has done nothing to prove that he is capable of performing such a task. He is a hobbit who has never been outside of the Shire save for this one time when he has traveled to Rivendell. It is because of the belief he has in his Self (though he has yet to fully realize it) that he can volunteer to destroy the Ring. Exploring the hobbit's inner thoughts, Auden claims: "[H]is conscience tells him: 'You may be nobody in particular in your self, yet, for some inexplicable reasons, through no choice of your own, the Ring has come

6 6 into your keeping, so that it is on you and not Gandalf or Aragorn that the task falls of destroying it'" (55). In the same way that Bilbo's journey led him to Self-realization, Frodo's acceptance of the task set him on his way to Self-enlightenment as well. For fifty years he had lived a peaceful life in the Shire among friends and family, but he was brought up hearing Bilbo's tales of far off lands. Being given the opportunity to travel to places in Middle-earth unknown to him at the Council allows Frodo to fulfill the part of his personality which "has been denied, ignored for too long, and soon he must follow Bilbo in search of the Self" (O'Neill 84). Unlike his nephew, Bilbo never had a parental figure who was such an active part of his life and who had for years told him tales of elves and trolls. Bilbo's impact is apparent to Frodo's Tookish personality and helped to prepare the hobbit to accept his call to adventure. O'Neill claims "Bilbo and Frodo are clearly cast from different molds despite their origins" (113), but this difference was key for the fate of Middle-earth. Each Has A Part to Play Unlike most epic tales, The Lord of the Rings has at its core a number of unique elements that all must come together in the end in order for a successful victory of Good over Evil. Even the loathsome creature Gollum plays a part in destroying the Ring in the Cracks of Doom. This sets Tolkien's story apart from the heroic epics that came before. In mythology the hero usually has a mentor who aids him in his journey and other figures he encounters along the way serve as helpers, too. Frodo not only has a mentor in the wizard Gandalf, but he has Samwise as a companion, Aragorn as a guide and leader, and the talents of Legolas and Gimli to help him get to Mount Doom. While Frodo has no innate quality to make him justified in completing his task, "[S]ome of the characters in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf and Aragorn, for instance, are

7 7 expressions of the natural vocation of talent...[w]hatever they may have to risk and suffer, they are, in a sense, doing what they want to do" (Auden 55). Without these characters Frodo's journey would not have been possible. Frodo is set apart from these others, not only because he is the Ringbearer, but because the voluntary nature of his task made him "absolutely committed" to destroy the Ring, while "the others who set out with him are not" (Auden 55). Failure would have been certain had it not been for the Fellowship of the Ring, the gifts from Galadriel, the men of Rohan, Treebeard, and the several other parties who did their part to help Frodo and his companions throughout his quest: "It is the story of a quest, but a quest like none other before it, a hero's journey in which not one but several emerge, each faced with a different set of challenges unique to his or her personality, each taking a different path toward achieving his or her own destiny, while simultaneously serving the greater needs of the quest..." (Robertson 88). Had any of the characters on the side of Good failed in their own individual tasks, the goal of the collective group would have not been reached and so it was not simply up to Frodo's efforts to gain success. This aspect of the tale makes Tolkien's work unique and real. Readers can personally relate to the story because there is such a broad range of personalities strewn throughout all of the necessary characters. Not only does Frodo realize that he is capable of performing heroic deeds in the face of certain disaster, he succeeds in his task and becomes the savior of Middle-earth. Frodo and the other characters that aided him were able to do their part not for personal gain, but for the collective benefit of Middle-earth: "Tolkien understood this distinction between egoism and individuation quite well; he regarded the values he presented through his characters in The Lord of the

8 8 Rings as eternal values, values expressed by human beings (and elves, dwarves, wizards, and hobbits) in their finest moments" (Robertson 90). This quality makes it easy for Tolkien's readers to identify with the characters he invents. He was able to show conflict between the different races in Middle-earth, but more importantly he showed what it looked like when creatures of different backgrounds put their differences behind them and worked in harmony. What began as a bedtime story for his son became the foundation for Tolkien's greatest masterpiece and arguably the foundation for the Fantasy genre. Following his own views for Fantasy, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings creates a world with characters who are not unknown to humankind but echo our own struggles and celebrate our victories. The literature of Middle-earth is in no way escapist - it is indeed quite the opposite. Evil exists both in Tolkien's imagined world as well as our world and a collective effort is necessary to defeat it in each. We all venture on journeys as did Bilbo and Frodo, learning our limits, testing our strengths, and realizing our full potentials. These are healthy journeys on the path to Self-realization and the cues we take from Tolkien's work make it a vital guide in learning how to interact with others in order to obtain our goals.

9 9 Works Cited Auden, W. H. "The Quest Hero." Tolkien and the Critics: Essays on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Eds. Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, O'Neill, Timothy R. The Individuated Hobbit: Jung, Tolkien and the Archetypes of Middle-earth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Robertson, Robin. "Seven Paths of the Hero in Lord of the Rings: Introduction." Psychological Perspectives 50 (2007): EBSCOhost. Kutztown University, Rohrbach Lib. 18 Feb < Tolkien, J. R. R. The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit or There and Back Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Tolkien, J. R. R. "On Fairy Stories." The Tolkien Reader. New York: The Random House Publishing Group,