Some books provide readers with amusement. Others leave them awestruck. Only a few ideas captivate readers and make reading more entertaining than real life. The Return of the King, by one of the most popular writers of the fantasy genre, J.R.R. Tolkien, belongs to the group of books mentioned above. The Return of the King was issued in the United Kingdom on October 20, 1955, by George Allen and Unwin and is the last book of the three-volume work called The Lord of the Rings.
However, it would be wrong to think of The Return of the King as simply the “third book”. The Return of the King is simply the “third book”. The true genius of the work is that it is not just a story that describes a fantasy adventure; Tolkien is able to turn a story about a battle for Middle-earth into a philosophical reflection about courage, sacrifice, power, friendship, death and amazing opportunities to start everything anew.
The story begins with the imminent threat of annihilation. Minas Tirith is described as an enormous city with seven levels, a beautiful sight albeit already sick with decline, thus presenting us with the symbol of a civilization that faces both foreign aggression and inner decay. It is noteworthy that the author always manages to create the conflict of beauty and fragility. His kingdom is not an immovable safe; it is alive, and thus it can perish, fade, and still be restored.
The following event is the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, one of the most vivid scenes of the 20-th century fantasy. The date when this battle took place is stated to be 15 March. The battle takes the life of Théoden at the moment when the climax of the battle is achieved. Despite the fact that the battle seems to be a great spectacle, what is important is that the battle reveals the greatness of a human person—bravery is worth something in view of the uncertainty of victory. Courage does not mean absence of fear.
What is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the book is that the fate of the world depends not on its mightiest warrior but on its weary travellers. The journey of Frodo and Sam towards Mount Doom continues even as armies are involved in battles elsewhere. On March 25, the Ring is thrown into the Cracks of Doom, bringing about the end of Gollum, collapsing Barad-Dur and the downfall of Sauron.
Tolkien’s chronology makes this date even more important. In fact, March 25 is going to become a holiday in the restored kingdom.
Then Tolkien goes one step further by not ending the story at the moment of the victory. In the Scouring of the Shire, the hobbits come back only to discover that the evil has not been defeated just because Sauron has been defeated. Their own land has been corrupted and they have to face a different type of battle, that of memory, duty and the cost of returning home from the war.
As a result, the most outstanding accomplishment of The Return of the King is not its mythology, armies, or monsters. Rather, what Tolkien conveys as the impact of his work is the realization that the most significant victories can leave scars and that the powerful can become corrupted even if their intentions are good. Also, he shows that even the smallest beings may make the most tremendous changes in the world.
Although the book was published more than seventy years ago (20 October 1955), it is still of great interest today due to the relevance of the question it poses. Indeed, the principal question is “What should ordinary people do when evil forces seem to win?”.
Tolkien’s answer is clear: The response is “Keep moving.”
