tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post6761890906548529495..comments2023-11-07T06:20:12.181-08:00Comments on Tolkien: Medieval and Modern: Good vs. Evil - Tree Lovers vs. Tree Killers "Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"http://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-71320610649204078322014-06-06T19:38:20.209-07:002014-06-06T19:38:20.209-07:00I very much agree with your observations in this p...I very much agree with your observations in this post concerning the thematic parallels between goodness and nature. I wonder why Tolkien chose to stress this connection so strongly. Are the trees something that are inherently good and righteous, more so than other beings? Or rather, do they stand for something? The trees seem to be a symbol of life, specifically life that is beautiful, but defenseless. The trees are much like the hobbits or human villagers of Middle Earth in that they cannot alone stand up to the evil and darkness of Sauron and his armies. As you pointed out, the same characters who care so strongly for nature also embody mercy, empathy, and compassion. These connections are definitely important to Tolkien and add a lot to the understanding of what it means to be “good”.<br /><br />-KM<br />KMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10585064641539167795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-22634507213669435452014-05-22T20:02:43.680-07:002014-05-22T20:02:43.680-07:00Dear AK,
I think you put your finger on something ...Dear AK,<br />I think you put your finger on something of key importance: the correlation between characters’ treatment of trees and their general moral quality. The examples you give are compelling and well-spotted.<br /><br />I wonder, though, how far can one push this point. What are the limits to the correlation between a cultivating appreciation of growing things and a higher moral quality? Could one extend your argument to make it a kind of test or tell-tale of character? If we do press it that far, I wonder how one would deal with the possibility of dark or evil trees. Where would the Bucklanders fit here, those who chopped down the trees beseiging their village?<br /><br />I think you’re well developing the theme of ‘nature’s civilization’ (lovely, paradoxical phrase). If we find the tree having consciousness and memories, do we also find them with free agency and the power of choice? If so, we come back to our theme of the character of evil (especially the Ring) as controlling others’ wills. What kind of model does Treebeard the tree-herd provide in his care for the trees without depotism?<br />~RobertUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16340002157728895236noreply@blogger.com