The Return of the King
The initial situation is that Sam is trying to get Frodo away from Shelob’s lair. He succeeds, and Sam, being a hero, carries Frodo and keeps him away from the danger and evil spell of the ring.
The conflict is that Sam and Frodo have to sneak into enemy territory. Sam rescues Frodo from the orcs and Cirith Ungol, where a band of orcs mistakes Sam and Frodo for a couple of miniature orcs. They continue up Mordor, but then Gollum physically attacks them as they struggle to get up Mount Doom.
The complication is that Frodo must always fight against himself on his growing urge to take the Ring on this Ring quest. As Frodo struggles through Mordor, his interal struggles make him continually weaker. Frodo is becoming his worst enemy.
The climax is when Sam and Frodo finally meet the final destination, Mount Doom. Frodo rushes ahead into the Cracks of Doom while Sam tries to fight off Gollum (a major traitor).
The suspense comes in because Frodo finally has to throw the Ring into Mount Doom, the volcano. The question is, will Frodo be able to destroy the Ring? The Ring = power, corruption, and mind damage, especially at the place where it is strongest.
Turns out Frodo doesn’t have the strength, but then Gollum attacks Frodo, bites off his finger with the Ring on it, and falls into the Cracks of Doom. Tolkien pulls a fast one over our heads, because he had us believing Frodo’s strong resistance would allow him to get rid of the ring - but in reality, Frodo caved and Gollum was the saving grace because of his greed.
In conclusion, the wrongs of Middle-earth are now alright. Aragorn is crowned High King of Gondor and is finally married to Arwen, Sam is married to Rosie, all is well. However, Frodo feels as if he has outgrown the shire and decides to leave Middle-earth with the elves to go West. The Ring Quest is concluded.
There are many symbols in the last novel. One of them is the White Tree. It is a symbol for Gondor. When Arwen makes Aragorn a war banner, she puts a white tree on it, because it represents Aragorn’s right to the throne and the health of Gondor. However, it also symbolizes the link between the Men of Númenor and the origins of Middle-earth. Gondor’s roots are powerful.
Another symbol is the Stone of Erech, a place where Aragorn had to call up the dead to fulfill a pact. It had to be that exact stone because it was the site of his ancestor’s oath with the King of the Mountains.
The last (but not least) symbol are Horns and Drums. Good guys use horns, bad guys use drums. For example, Aragorn used a silver horn at the Stone of Erech to call the Sleepless Dead. Tolkiens builds between good and evil by even dividing the musical instruments they use. Drums = the unstoppable evil? It will be forever a question why Tolkien made drums so horrific.
The tone of this novel was epic and grandiose. It was the final novel, so it had to end on a shining note.
The writing style of this novel was naturally descriptive and detailed, however it was also circular because it tied in a lot of facts from earlier books.
The conflict is that Sam and Frodo have to sneak into enemy territory. Sam rescues Frodo from the orcs and Cirith Ungol, where a band of orcs mistakes Sam and Frodo for a couple of miniature orcs. They continue up Mordor, but then Gollum physically attacks them as they struggle to get up Mount Doom.
The complication is that Frodo must always fight against himself on his growing urge to take the Ring on this Ring quest. As Frodo struggles through Mordor, his interal struggles make him continually weaker. Frodo is becoming his worst enemy.
The climax is when Sam and Frodo finally meet the final destination, Mount Doom. Frodo rushes ahead into the Cracks of Doom while Sam tries to fight off Gollum (a major traitor).
The suspense comes in because Frodo finally has to throw the Ring into Mount Doom, the volcano. The question is, will Frodo be able to destroy the Ring? The Ring = power, corruption, and mind damage, especially at the place where it is strongest.
Turns out Frodo doesn’t have the strength, but then Gollum attacks Frodo, bites off his finger with the Ring on it, and falls into the Cracks of Doom. Tolkien pulls a fast one over our heads, because he had us believing Frodo’s strong resistance would allow him to get rid of the ring - but in reality, Frodo caved and Gollum was the saving grace because of his greed.
In conclusion, the wrongs of Middle-earth are now alright. Aragorn is crowned High King of Gondor and is finally married to Arwen, Sam is married to Rosie, all is well. However, Frodo feels as if he has outgrown the shire and decides to leave Middle-earth with the elves to go West. The Ring Quest is concluded.
There are many symbols in the last novel. One of them is the White Tree. It is a symbol for Gondor. When Arwen makes Aragorn a war banner, she puts a white tree on it, because it represents Aragorn’s right to the throne and the health of Gondor. However, it also symbolizes the link between the Men of Númenor and the origins of Middle-earth. Gondor’s roots are powerful.
Another symbol is the Stone of Erech, a place where Aragorn had to call up the dead to fulfill a pact. It had to be that exact stone because it was the site of his ancestor’s oath with the King of the Mountains.
The last (but not least) symbol are Horns and Drums. Good guys use horns, bad guys use drums. For example, Aragorn used a silver horn at the Stone of Erech to call the Sleepless Dead. Tolkiens builds between good and evil by even dividing the musical instruments they use. Drums = the unstoppable evil? It will be forever a question why Tolkien made drums so horrific.
The tone of this novel was epic and grandiose. It was the final novel, so it had to end on a shining note.
The writing style of this novel was naturally descriptive and detailed, however it was also circular because it tied in a lot of facts from earlier books.