Ben Faxon
Issues of Totalitarianism in the Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien Compared
To Other Author’s Discussions of Similar Injustices
When Frodo entered the lair of Shelob, the giant spider in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, he believed the only danger his group faced was from the spider itself. What he did not realize was the betrayal of Gollum and his intentions to take the One Ring for himself, showing the corruption and loss of morals that the ring inflicted on those who used it. Characters such as Boromir, Gollum, and Denethor, who committed unethical acts for the ring, may have truly been good people with possible redemption but were corrupted by the idea of power, therefore showing a relationship to the idea of “survive at any price” (302) present in totalitarian societies whose control is symbolized by the One Ring. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago discusses this further, and connects it with the idea of “the permanent lie” (325). The promise of power and the fear of death caused many in the Soviet Union to ignore the few who spoke out against the regime. The idea of “survival at any price”(302) and corruption in those who want power is still in today’s society, shown in the large companies where the owners do not care who they have to walk over to achieve their goals, even their own employees.
After their meeting with the elves, the fellowship of the ring are trying to decide where to travel next and they agree to let Frodo choose since he is the one with the ring. While Frodo is resting, Tolkien states that “a strange feeling came to him(Frodo) that something was behind him, that unfriendly eyes were upon him. He sprang up and turned; but all that he saw to his surprise was Boromir, and his face was smiling and kind” (397). This is the first showing of the change in Boromir after witnessing the power of the ring for so long. Boromir, while his heart is pure, was momentarily corrupted by the ring and the power that it promised at this point in the story. He then tells Frodo that he happened to him by chance and Frodo looks like he needed someone to talk to. This is a lie, and Boromir uses it to benefit his own plan. In The Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn states that “even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains… an unuprooted small corner of evil” (312). This is shown with Boromir, who worked with the fellowship to protect and eventually destroy the One Ring. Once Boromir sees the evil that is after them for possession of the ring, his “small corner of evil” shows and he goes to Frodo alone to take the ring for himself. To resist totalitarianism completely requires following a moral compass as well as denying unethical acts. Someone must be able to resist temptations of power, which Boromir, and nearly every other character in the novel is unable to do.
After Frodo agrees to listen to Boromir’s advice, Frodo tells Boromir that they do not stand a chance against Sauron’s forces while the ring is still functional. This is similar to forces going against totalitarian groups, where they often destroy materials that are necessary for the others instead of using them. When Frodo mentions the ring, Boromir becomes happier and gets a strange look in his eyes that Frodo notices. Boromir then asks if they can use the ring against Sauron. Frodo answers “were you not at the Council?… Because we cannot use it, and what is done with it turns to evil” (398). The statement makes Boromir visibly upset, and he tries to justify ring use just as a way of defense. The promise of power is also shown, with Boromir saying that, with the ring, all armies would join under his command. He tries to pass this off as having a strong enough army to defeat Sauron, but it is really just a way for him to gain control. Solzhenitsyn states “But the sparks of the spirit cannot be kept from spreading, breaking through to each other. Like recognizes and is gathered to like in a matter none can explain” (360). This is shown through Boromir, who’s “sparks” and dreams of power are spreading all across his body. He has almost reached the point where he will do whatever it takes to get the ring, but wants Frodo to give it to him. The spark is what Boromir believes in, both the power of the ring but also thinking for himself, with slight resemblance to C.S. Lewis’s Tao. The hunt for power is what causes totalitarianisms to grow, but being a free thinker and close to the Tao stops the blind loyalty that is necessary for a totalitarian state.
Hearing Boromir’s reaction to the belief that the ring and everything it creates is evil, Frodo decides that they will not go where Boromir wants and continue their quest to destroy the ring. This makes Boromir angry, and he states “I am a true man, neither thief nor tracker. I need your ring: that you know now; but I give you my word that I do not desire to keep it. Will you not at least let me make trial of my plan? Lend me the ring” (399). At this point, Boromir comes out and states his demand for the ring. He says that he does not desire to keep it, but in reality would not be able to give up the power it results in. In The Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn states that “But simply to survive does not yet mean at any price. At any price means at the price of someone else” (302). This is shown through Boromir’s actions, where he will take the ring for his own power but doom the rest of the fellowship to the wrath of the evil forces who would not be around if the ring was destroyed.
Frodo refuses to give the ring to Boromir, which causes him to lash out in an act to seize it. Tolkien states that “suddenly he [Boromir] sprang over the stone and leaped at Frodo. His fair and pleasant face was hideously changed; a raging fire was in his eyes” (399). Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, states that “to command populations right down to their souls requires unimaginable effort, which was one reason why totalitarianism was unimaginable. It requires henchmen, and their henchmen, and their henchmen, all willing to roll up both sleeves and thrust both hands into the blood and shit of actual living persons whose bodies stink and sweat and cry out in terror, grief, and pain” (359). This shows the relationship between totalitarian regimes and ownership of the One Ring. The ring will always be on top, and those who possess the ring are the henchmen who would do anything for the power the ring has. The “hideously changed” face of Boromir shows the brief moment of insanity that takes over him, and his desire for the ring overpowers his “good heart.” He is unquestionably ready to attack his friend; willing to throw away their history for the promised power of the ring and does not care what he leaves behind. His moment of insanity represents his brief total loyalty to the ring and the power that he sees with its ownership.
When attempting to enter Mordor to destroy the ring, Gollum advises Frodo and Sam to cut through their lair of the monstrous spider Shelob. The fear that Frodo and Sam experienced when witnessing Shelob is similar to the fear that Tolkien and his fellow soldiers are said to have experienced in World War I. Shelob is described as “the most loathly shape that he [Sam] had ever beheld, horrible beyond the horror of an evil dream. Most like a spider she was, but huger than the great hunting beasts, and more terrible than they because of the evil purpose in her remorseless eyes” (725). The description that Sam gives of Shelob is used to symbolize the fear that Frodo and Sam experience in this moment. In a 2005 book written by John Garth titled Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-Earth, Tolkien’s experiences in World War I are discussed, comparing them to the experiences of others. When discussing the inspiration that came from the events of World War I, Garth states “Tolkien, it seems, kept off the bandwagon. On the face of it, indeed, he appears just as impervious to influence from all things contemporary: not only friends and literary movements, but also current affairs and even personal experience” (72). This means that, to many who knew Tolkien personally, they did not believe that he could be influenced from outside actions. This is proved wrong in The Lord of the Rings; the fear of Shelob represents the fear of weaponry in war and totalitarian organizations, where people’s fate, like Frodo and Sam, are entirely in the hands of the more powerful.
After spotting the hobbits, Shelob runs past Sam and towards Frodo. Sam tried to warn Frodo in Shelob’s extreme speed but was stopped by Gollum, who exposes his true loyalty to the ring, symbolizing the hidden loyalty often found in totalitarian societies. After grabbing Sam, Gollum states “At last, my precious, we’ve got him, yes, the nassty hobbit. We takes this one. She’ll get the other. O Yes, Shelob will get him, not Smeagol: he promised; he won’t hurt Master at all. But he’s got you, you naasty filthy little sneak” (726). This shows that Gollum was pretending the entire time he was helping Frodo and Sam, he merely wanted to trick them into entering Shelob’s lair where they would be taken care of and he would get the ring for himself. In The Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn states that “In a situation of fear and betrayal over many years people survive unharmed only in a superficial, bodily sense. And inside, they become corrupt” (325). This shows how Gollum has become corrupt over the many years he has been hunting for the ring. Just like the civilians of totalitarian societies, he has been experiencing “fear and betrayal” of the ring and believes that he cannot survive without it. Gollum does not care if Frodo is torn to bits by Shelob as long as the ring is his.
Trapped by Gollum and angry at his treachery, Sam decides to try to trick Gollum to give him leverage to push him off. This idea is discussed in ways to defend against totalitarianism: those with totalitarian motives can be tricked due to their blindness to everything except their power. Tolkien states that “With all his [Sam] strength he pulled away and got his feet firmly planted; then suddenly he drove his legs against the ground and with his whole force hurled himself backwards. Not even expecting this simple trick from Sam, Gollum fell over with Sam on top…” (726). This shows that Gollum’s cockiness allowed Sam to escape, but the attempt to escape was risky. In How to Think Seriously About the Planet by Roger Scruton, Scruton states that “[Pearl Harbor] does not mean that a ‘high risk’ strategy is always the wisest one. It means only that risk is the premise of strategic thinking, and strategic thinking the sine qua non of success” (117). Sam’s risk paid off, but it could have gone much worse since Gollum does not care for anything besides the ring.
Gollum is able to escape from Sam’s grasp and leaps away in the darkness. His escape infuriates Sam, and he wishes to kill Gollum instead of assisting Frodo showing the “small corner of evil”(312) that is discussed in Solzhenitsyn’s writings. After Gollum’s escape, Tolkien states that “For a moment he had forgotten everything else but the red fury in his brain and the desire to kill Gollum. But before he could overtake him, Gollum was gone” (727). This shows both the ideas of “survival at any price”(302) and “small corner of evil”(312). Gollum could sense the extreme anger that Sam had and gave up the pursuit of the ring to survive, showing the comparison between fear of death as a component of totalitarian societies as well as a deterrent. The “small corner of evil”(312) represents Sam, with his blind fury at Gollum and his willingness to kill him. This is one of the only times Sam gets this way in the novel and his anger is uncharacteristic, but understandable.
During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Gandalf is preparing to leave when Pippin tells him that Denethor has taken Faramir and locked both of them in a room, with Denethor planning to fatally burn both of them. At this point, Denethor’s true reasons are unknown to Gandalf and Pippin, but his possible murder-suicide attempt is clearly not the actions of a sane man, or one that is thinking for himself. To Gandalf, Pippin states “and he[Denethor] has taken Faramir, and he says we are all to burn, and he will not wait, and they are to make a pyre and burn him on it, and Faramir as well. And he has sent men to fetch wood and oil” (850). Denethor has failed to possess the ring, and his actions for himself and Sauron have failed, so he plans to wipe out everything he has built. This is often seen in totalitarian societies, with workers, particularly people with extreme power, attempting to have everyone else fail where they have and to prevent official punishment. Most famously shown in Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who chose to kill himself and burn down his creations rather than be captured. Solzhenitsyn states “Power is a poison well known for thousands of years… But to the human being who has faith in some force that holds dominion over all of us, and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations, power is not necessarily fatal. For those, however, who are unaware of any higher sphere, it is a deadly poison. For them there is no antidote” (69). Gandalf believes that Denethor could be saved, and his survival, as well as Faramir’s, is important to win the war with Sauron.
When Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Denethor’s room, they find him in a state of near-insanity. Even at his worst, he wants power, showing how Solzhenitsyn’s idea of “the permanent lie”(325) has led to the decline of a once-great leader. When Gandalf stops Denethor’s brutal defense of his room and asks about Faramir, Denethor responds “burning, already burning. They have set a fire in his flesh. But soon all shall be burned. The West has failed. It shall all go up in a great fire, and all shall be ended. Ash! Ash and smoke blown away in the wind” (852). This further exemplifies Denethor’s damaged mental state as well as his beliefs on “the permanent lie”(325). He has been promised power by Sauron and Saruman, and his philosophy is no longer “survival at any price”(302) but power at any price. Solzhenitsyn states that “we have become accustomed to these figures setting dogs onto people as if they were the most natural thing in the world. Setting the dogs onto us” (327). This is common in totalitarian societies and mentioned often in The Gulag Archipelago. It is also shown through Denethor, who is constantly seeing his power destroy his enemies, but is not realizing it is destroying him as well.
Gandalf and Pippin find that the fire has not been lit yet, but Faramir is passed out and covered in oil. He was lying, like those who are afraid to lose their power shown in totalitarianism. Gandalf then tried one more time to convince Denethor to stop and join them, but “Denethor laughed. He stood tall and proud again, and stepping swiftly back to the table he lifted from it the pillow on which his head had lain. Then coming to the doorway he drew aside the covering, and lo! He had between his hands a palantir” (853). In The Lord of the Rings, the palantir represents a piece of technology that is very powerful, but also inspires corruption overtime. Denethor is able to do what he wishes, but has “sold his soul” to Sauron. In The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, a collection of Tolkien’s letters by Humphrey Carpenter, published in 1981, Tolkien states “Only in one way was I better off: wireless was not invented. I daresay it had some potential for good, but it has in fact in the main become a weapon for the fool, the savage, and the villain to afflict the minority with, and to destroy thought” in a letter to his son Christopher Tolkien (83). Tolkien’s statement about wireless is nearly exactly the same as the belief of palantirs in The Lord of the Rings. The palantirs help fuel the “permanent lie”(325) as well as boost the power that Sauron holds over others. Denethor believed he was in charge, but he was unknowingly being controlled by Sauron through the promise of power and the palantir, just like the role of technology in totalitarian societies.
Gandalf and Pippin continued to convince Denethor to stop what he was doing and join them. Denethor refused, wanting to burn it all down because he couldn’t have it, like what is often shown in powerful companies. When asked what he wants by Gandalf, Denethor responds “I would have things as they were in all the days of my life… and in the days of my longfathers before me: to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard’s pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honour abated” (854). This shows that, while Denethor has been influenced by Sauron and other dark forces, he is not completely evil. It is ironic because Denethor does not want Faramir to be influenced by Gandalf but he himself has listened to the palantir for advice. Shoshana Zuboff states “The exploitation of second-modernity needs that enabled surveillance capitalism from the start eventually imbued nearly every channel of social participation. Most people find it difficult to withdraw from these utilities, and many ponder if it is even possible” (341). This shows that Denethor is just like a soldier working for a totalitarian society. He was being manipulated and originally believed he could keep his power, but not anymore. Denethor no longer cares about “survival at any price”(302) since the price has become too costly for him.
Boromir, Gollum, and Denethor’s actions prove that they were corrupted by the promise of power and survival, showing the relationship between descriptions of totalitarian societies and the use of the One Ring. Boromir was a pure man, but for that slight moment where he saw the power that he was so close to possessing he went mad, attacking his friend for the ring. Gollum was merely pretending to help Frodo and Sam destroy the ring, when really he wanted it for himself. He was content with allowing Frodo and Sam to be killed by Shelob as long as he got his prize. Denethor was corrupted by “the permanent lie”(325) but wanted to tear down his creation when he realized the collapse of his morality had occurred. Totalitarian societies and the One Ring are related, with people working for both to either increase their perceived power or survive. Boromir, Gollum, and Denethor hunted for the ring for both of these reasons, but they failed to realize the damage it caused.
Work Cited
Carpenter, Humphrey. The Letters of JRR Tolkien. George Allen & Unwin, 1981.
Garth, John. Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-Earth. World Literature Today,
2005.
Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man HarperSanFrancisco, 2001.
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich. The Gulag Archipelago. Vintage, 2018.
Scruton, Roger. How to Think Seriously About the Planet. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition. HarperCollinsPublishers, 2004.
Zuboff, Shoshana. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. PublicAffairs, 2019