What Makes a Monster

Monsters are unique in that they are not meant to resemble the human qualities of reason, free will, and duality of good and evil. By contrast, monsters are the embodiments of a more vain and unrestrained evil. They serve as a medium for the qualities of evil that the hero must conquer in both their physical appearance and their nature. Monsters are not inherently bad; they do not choose evil over good. Rather, like wild animals, they are instinctual, reactive, and evil by nature. They do not use reason and choice to commit evil acts, but their irrationality and vain nature leads them in the direction of evil. Interestingly, in tales of good versus evil the monsters must reflect the evils present in humanity, but which are carried out in a beast-like manner. I view this as symbolic of the inherent dual nature of humanity, and its quest to rise above its animalistic inheritance. 

Let’s start by examining Tolkien’s creation of the dragon Smaug. Smaug is an isolated dragon that hoards riches in The Lonely Mountain. His appearance is a mixture of beasts present in the modern world such as the lion, the reptile, and the bat. This appearance, as an oversized mixture of wild animals represents his instinctual, irrational, and frightening nature. As it’s described in “The Monsters and Critics”: 

“Monsters became images of the evil spirit, or rather the evil spirits entered into the monsters and took visible shape in the hideous bodies of heathen imagination."

This appearance does two things in my view. It represents a lack of rationality, and it creates the necessity for immense courage in the hero. The appearance is both frightening and bestial. Smaug cannot be reasoned with; he is an embodiment of pure evil that must be overcome through pure courage and will. The victory of willpower and rationality over vain, bestial instincts is essential to the storyline of a human hero. 

Smaug’s irrationality is demonstrated through impulsive quick outbursts of destruction and terror that interrupt his typical sloth-like behavior in The Lonely Mountain. Despite his wit, he does not scheme and plan against humanity through rationality and logic. Rather, he is overconfident and acts through fits of rage rather than calculated attacks. An example of this is the destruction of Esgaroth that was caused by nothing more than indications from Bilbo regarding the theft of his precious cup. He is reactive and instinctual rather than proactive and deliberate. This overconfidence and irrationality are in the end the cause of his demise. 

Furthermore, his main instinct resembles one of the seven deadly sins. Specifically, this instinct is greed. His impulse is a great desire to hoard riches serves as his embodiment of evil by nature. Interestingly, this instinct does not resemble the typical survival instincts of hunger and reproduction that resemble the modern animals that constitute his appearance. Rather, it is a human instinct of evil identified by Christianity. This begs the question: if monsters are not meant to exemplify rationality and free will like humans, why are they given human qualities? In “The Monsters and Critics” Tolkien asks the reader to, “consider how and why monsters become ‘adversaries of God’, and so begin to symbolize the powers of evil.” Not only are monsters evil, but they represent evil through the lens of the Christian story of a battle between good and evil, or demons and gods, which are representative of the duality of human nature.

I must also acknowledge that aside from Smaug’s nature, he has the human qualities of wit and a proud upper-class dialect. Through his speech and specific instincts, he represents the evils of humanity rather than animals. He represents the greedy, lonely man of fortune I believe this is integral to the tale of humanity conquering the evil that is inherent within them. While monsters embody irrational evil, they also acknowledge that these evil instincts are present within humanity itself. The tale of good versus evil is not that of humans against lions, it is a battle that occurs within humanity. Our nature at its core is descendant from vain, irrational animals. The battle for humans to live together peacefully is a battle to overcome the evil instincts that will forever be a part of our nature. It is no coincidence that Christianity gained popularity and influence through Greek philosophy and its religious adaptation in The Roman Empire. This was a time when large groups of individuals were searching for methods of living united and together peacefully. 

One interpretation of religions such as Christianity is that they can serve the purpose of assisting humans in conquering their evil, selfish, and divisive nature. Serving the will of God rather than letting the devil influence us symbolizes the battle of human rationality and empathy with selfishness and vain sin. Monsters embody the evil in this battle. An evil that is irrational, instinctual, and selfish. Smaug is self-serving, vain, and beast-like in this manner. He is a representation of humanity that has fallen victim to sin. Humanity that lets impulses and desires drive their behavior rather than the logic and sympathy that can allow us to rise above our bestial inheritance. The victory of good over evil brings peace and unity to nations and peoples. In order to attain this victory, we must conquer the evil within ourselves through our higher qualities of courage, willpower, and rationality.

However, the embodiment of these evils inside of us is not visually represented by humans themselves. There is no duality in such an appearance. This is why monsters are grotesque, large, and frightening. They are a medium of representation purposed to represent evil instincts. Both by nature and appearance monsters symbolize the enemy of humanity that lies within. An impulse, selfish, and divisive enemy that has long attempted to prevent humanity from achieving unity and peace. 

- WS