One Ring Evil example essay topic

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them" (Tolkien, The Two Towers 233) One of the masters of British Literature, J.R.R. Tolkien was able to create a fantasy world with an endless supply of parallelisms to reality. The fantasy world was found in the "Lord of the Rings". Tolkien is able to create wonderful symbolism and meaning out of what would otherwise be considered nonsense. He creates symbolism and meaning by mastering his own world and his own language. To understand the symbolism of The Ruling Ring, or The One Ring, one must understand the events, which take place from the time of the ring's creation until the time of it's destruction. One must also develop an understanding of the characters and events that are important in the story.

In this paper, we will learn the background of Tolkien's life and the history of the One Ring. The history of the One Ring will include it's creation, it's effect on mortals, and it's destruction. By learning the One Ring's history, one can understand its symbolism. John Ronald Rebel Tolkien, an English scholar and storyteller, became interested in language at an early age.

During his schooling, Tolkien was mostly interested with the languages of Northern Europe. His interests included both ancient and modern languages. Tolkien's interest in language leads to his profession and his own hobby. He invented languages. The history of the One Ring starts before the "Lord of the Rings". The ring is created in the book "The Silmarillion".

The creation of the One Ring is found in "The Silmarillion" after the fall of Mor goth. At the time, Sauron wants to control all of the people in Middle Earth. To gain control of the people, Sauron convinced them that he had good intentions. Eventually the people sided with Sauron, and created the Rings of Power. Sauron created the One Ring in secret so he would be able to control the other rings. This gave Sauron control of the people.

The creation of the One Ring, and the essence of it's power follows here. "And their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to last only as long as it too should last. And much of the strength and will of Sauron passed into that One Ring; for the power of the Elven Rings was very great, and that which should govern them must be a thing of surpassing potency; and Sauron forged it in the Mountain of Fire in the Land of Shadow. And while he wore the One Ring he could perceive all the things that where done by means of the lesser rings, and he could see and govern the very thoughts of those that wore them".

(Tolkien, The Silmarillion 589) The people recognize the power of the One Ring as soon as Sauron puts the One Ring on his finger. They realize that he can control their thoughts. This makes the people decide to remove their rings and never use them. The people and Sauron become bitter enemies while the One Ring remains in Sauron's possession. The One Ring is lost in the river when Isildur defeats Sauron. After passing through many hands, the One Ring is given to Frodo Baggins.

This brings us to the beginning of the "Lord of the Rings". The nature of the One Ring can be explained in three distinct ways. The One Ring is a personification of Sauron's power. It is a symbol of evil in general.

It also is an object with a mind of its own. As the One Ring's creator, Sauron had placed a great amount of his own power into the ring for the purpose of controlling the other rings. The ring is an extension of Sauron's power. The loss of the ring does not destroy Sauron.

Only the destruction of the One Ring can destroy Sauron. His power simply becomes spread around, and his influence affects whoever has possession of the ring. If Sauron gets the ring back, his power will be greater than ever. "If he recovers it, then he will command them all again, wherever they be, even the Three, and all that has been wrought them will be laid bare, and he will be stronger than ever". (Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring 115) However, there are only hints of this power throughout the "Lord of the Rings". Sauron's power lies in control, domination, and the deprivation of free will.

The One Ring presented, as a symbol of evil is possibly the most important idea represented in the "Lord of the Rings". In Tolkien's world, evil is the antithesis of creativity. It also is dependent on destruction and ruin for its basis. And goodness is associated with beauty of creation as well as the preservation of anything that is created. The symbolic nature of these two statements is represented in the Elven rings, which symbolize goodness, and the One Ring, which is wholly evil.

A main theme of the "Lord of the Rings" is the struggle between good will and evil. Another theme is the theory that while goodness can create and be beneficial, evil can only serve to destroy. Evil cannot exist unless there is something that can be destroyed. This idea is the main reason for Sauron's evil nature. This also makes the One Ring evil as well. Another way to show the symbolic nature of the ring is to say that it represents the presence of evil.

It has the power to tempt, corrupt, and destroy. The next way in which the nature of the One Ring can be examined is in the way it has seemingly animate abilities as an inanimate object. It has the ability to work away from and return to its creator. In order to understand this, one must realize that the One Ring is evil.

It has the ability to work evil. It cannot create evil ideas on its own. Instead, it can take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself to the One Ring. The idea that the ring has a mind of its own is further explained in the way it is never lost or forgotten for long. As Gandalf explains, "A Ring of Power looks after itself, Frodo. It may slip off treacherously, but its keeper never abandons it".

(Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring 283) This statement shows how the One Ring will protect itself from destruction if at all possible. Further explained, "It was not Gollum, but the Ring itself that decided things. The Ring left him". (Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring 283) This shows how the ring always strives to return to its creator. This goes on to further the notion that Sauron has control over the ring even when it is not in his possession. His power is not taken away by the absence of the ring.

It is simply reduced and spread out. The One Ring will always be found. It will always return to its creator so that its evil nature can be whole. The effect of the ring on mortals is not limited to temptation and corruption. The One Ring works in many different ways. It exploits the weaknesses and fears of each individual who encounters it in any way.

There are only three individuals who are not tempted by the One Ring. Sauron is immune to the power of the ring. The ring tempts Sam once and he defeats the temptation. This is most likely because of his loyalty to Frodo and his intentions.

He would never think to upstage Frodo by allowing the ring to become an issue for him. The third individual who is immune to the temptation of the One Ring is Tom Bomb adil. It is his nature not to be influenced by the evil forces of the ring. He knows his bounds, and will never go beyond them. He has set bounds for himself, and is completely content with them. This lack of ambition is something not present in any other character in the story.

The other characters posses a sense of ambition, which allows for the evil of the ring to work. The most obvious example of the One Ring's effect on a mortal is Gollum. Gollum is the result of nearly complete corruption by the ring. His situation demonstrates to us the way that the One Ring's evil works. He lies and deceives everyone including himself. He has a peculiar relationship with the One Ring.

He hates and loves it at the same times. Gollum represents what Frodo could have become. Gollum's ultimate goal was to retrieve the ring. It becomes an obsession. This corruption is another example of the evil nature represented by the ring. The destruction of the One Ring includes the failure of Frodo and Gollum's intervention.

At the last moment, Frodo gives in to the temptation completely. The One Ring has complete control over Frodo for only an instant before the intervention of Gollum. His intervention seems to prevent an ultimate catastrophe. One must realize that Gollum would have attempted to retrieve the ring from Frodo whether or not Frodo had accepted it as his own. At first, it seems as though this ending to such a complicated story is too incomplete. However, it is this ending which further develops the concept of evil explained earlier.

Evil is a destructive force, and it can cause its own destruction. The One Ring had a potential for self-destruction because it is symbolic of evil. The most important issue concerning the destruction of the ring is the self-destructive nature of evil. There is a major flaw in the mind of Sauron and the mind of evil.

It is the fact that Sauron never considered the possibility that anyone would desire to destroy the One Ring. Gollum was so obsessed with the ring that when he finally gets it back, he is so excited that he missteps. Evil has deceived itself and brought about its destruction. The One Ring, the symbol of evil and evil power, has been defeated.

The ring was not defeated by the will of goodness, but rather by its own doing. The next section of this paper will make comparisons between the "The Lord of the Rings" and Norse Mythology. Through these comparisons, a greater understanding of the One Ring's symbolic significance will be reached. In the myth of Otter's Ransom three gods are in a predicament over the accidental killing of Otter. The gods make an offer to repay the family for Otter's death. The ransom price set by the family is a horde of red gold.

Enough to entirely cover the body of Otter. The gods get the gold and a ring from a dwarf. The ring is cursed. As they leave, they tell the family about the curse.

The important thing to realize about this story is that the ring is actually the Rhinegold Ring of Norse Mythology. The bearer of this ring is the one who controls the massive horde of Rhinegold. A case can be made for the horde as a symbol of power. In this case there is a direct relevance to the One Ring in the "Lord of the Rings". Another account of the Rhinegold Ring is portrayed in Stephan Grundy's, "Rhinegold".

In this story, the power of the ring is shown more clearly than in the first account. After the father of Otter puts on the ring, he is overcome by his desire for the gold. As soon as he comes upon the pile covering Otter's body, he is drawn to it. "The longer Hraithmar gazed at the gold, the hotter its light seemed to burn in his body, shaking him with a sudden fear of desire". (Grundy 35) In a shocking similarity to the "Lord of the Rings", the ring has a tremendous power to corrupt and overpower. These are two examples of the parallels that exist between Tolkien's fantasy and Norse Mythology.

In order to summarize the symbolism of the One Ring, it can be said that the ring itself can be explained with an explanation of evil. The ring itself is the reality of evil in the physical world. In every way, it is the nature of evil that must be either accepted or rejected. As for the nature of evil, it has been shown that no good can possibly come from evil means. The One Ring is both real and symbolic. While the nature of the ring is evil, the concept of the ring is power.

The One Ring may be destroyed physically, but evil will remain present in some form until the end of time.

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