What are the major themes of The Lord of the Rings, and what are its virtues?
Many readers and critics have proposed answers to these questions over the years. The Lord of the Rings is a vastly more complex work than The Hobbit. My view is that some of the simplest explanations are the best, but perhaps these bedrock, foundational notions are the most difficult to grasp at least as to how much Tolkien intended. Middle-earth is such a complex invention that it is difficult to fully know the mind of its creator, and we must always remember that he was famously opposed to allegorical interpretation. He believed that the book “is what it is” and should stand on its own as a heroic romance. But fortunately there are clues to a deeper understanding within the book itself, more clues to be found within his letters, and still more within the story of his life. The first and foremost virtue to me is the fact that The Lord of the Rings is the profound and spectacular creation of a single mind, a mind steeped in the legends of Europe and exceptionally well versed in the ex
