The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien 

The book is The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was originally published in 1954 by George Allen & Unwin. I read the 2020 Harper Collins illustrated hardback edition with illustrations by Alan Lee. I read it in November of 2023.  

The title refers to the fellowship that first embarks on the epic quest to destroy the one ring. This is the first of three (technically six) books of the Lord of the Rings series.  

This is a reread for me. I first read these books when the movies came out in 2001. I was 12 years old and in the deep tides of geek fandom. This is also when the Star Wars prequals were coming out and I was all in on all this geek stuff.  

I watched The Fellowship of the Ring in theaters and then read the books. When the movie came out I didn’t know anything about Lord of the Rings. The men in my church were excited to see the trailers and told me and my friends about the books. I watched the movie and then got all the books for Christmas so I read them. I loved it. I was a total nerd. I had the posters and toys. I even had a one ring replica necklace. I thought I was so cool.  

Recently I saw this 2020 Harper Collins Alan Lee illustrated hardcover box set on Facebook marketplace for $30. Some foolish chola didn’t know what she had. I’d been wanting to read them again anyway, so I bought this copy. The box set came with The Hobbit as well. This is actually my third time reading through Lord of the Rings. It’s been a joy rereading them.  

As much as Tolkien says he hates allegory, Lord of the Rings clearly has many Christian themes and undertones. Tolkien is very Catholic and it just came out in his books. Tolkien was a linguist and he invented a few of his own languages, and he said he needed a world in which they were spoken. A language needs a people to speak it so he created the world and wrote a story in it.  

Lord of the Rings is an epic medieval quest story. The “one ring” must be destroyed or the evil dark lord Sauron will use it to control everyone and destroy the world. The only place the ring can be destroyed is in the fires of Mt. Doom. The races of Middle-Earth band together to send a fellowship on the mission to destroy the ring. Sounds simple enough but there are so many layers and levels to these books.  

  

My biggest takeaway this time reading through Fellowship is Tom Bombadil. I recently read In the House of Tom Bombadil by C.R. Wiley. I never gave much thought to Tom. I always just thought he was an odd filler character. He doesn’t really have anything else to do with the rest of the book. But Wiley pointed out in his book that Tom represents the exact contrast of Sauron and all the dark forces. Tom is who we should all strive to be. The one ring of power is no threat to Tom. 

‘It seems that he has a power even over the Ring? No, I should not put it so,’ said Gandalf. ‘Say rather that the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others. And now he is withdrawn into a little land, within bounds that he has set, though none can see them, waiting perhaps for a change of days, and he will not step beyond them.’ 

And if he were given the Ring, he would soon forget it, or most likely throw it away. Such things have no hold on his mind. He would be a most unsafe guardian; and that alone is answer enough.’ (p265) 

I had questions before reading this book. I want to be like Tom to where the forces and devices of darkness have no power over me. But does that mean I have to be checked out of the world around me? Not part of the rest of the story. Is Tom Bombadil aloof? He seems isolated and cutoff. Uninterested in the outside world. That’s not me. Although, the more I read and learn about the worldviews of the world, the less bothered by them I am. There is a boldness that comes with knowledge.  

Reading Fellowship made me think of being a kid. I was really into this nerd stuff. And even now there is a temptation to sink into fantasy and fiction reading. But it’s escapism. I want to challenge myself and read difficult books and Lord of the Rings is a difficult book. The trouble I have with deep diving into the further legendarium of Tolkien is that I have a hard enough time keeping track and learning about real world legends and history. I’d rather work on that.  

I forgot how slow this book is. It takes the hobbits forever to get out of the Shire. The movies have thrown me off.  

The names and nicknames got a little confusing. Gandalf is also Mithrandir. You can lose track if you’re not paying attention.  

Tolkien’s exposition is beautiful. If I’m settled in and have had enough coffee, I could read his descriptions of nature and landscape forever. It’s mesmerizing and a joy to read.  

The tone was epic and grand. Everything was such a big deal. You can feel the weight of the ring and the impending dread, but also the hope in the fellowship.  

The heroes and villains to admire and avoid are obvious all throughout Lord of the Rings. Maybe the first readers back in the 50’s were suspicious of Strider upon first meeting him, but it’s not much of a twist anymore. I’ve mentioned Tom Bombadil as the ultimate character to emulate. On a more realistic, ground level, Tom is the man to be. If you find yourself in the situation where you need to face an overwhelming challenge, then Aragorn and Frodo and Gandalf can show you leadership and nobility.  

But the character that really steals the show of course is Sam. His ironclad resolve on the doorstep of danger to help Frodo destroy the ring is the stuff of particularly Christian legend. It’s the least expected, the servant that is the hero. He shows the strength and will all the way to the end, even when Frodo didn’t.  

I recommend Lord of the Rings to everyone. It’s a classic for a reason. Believe the hype. Every boy should read it especially.  

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Notable Quotables 

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But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. (xiii)  

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Even Gollum was not wholly ruined. He had proved tougher than even one of the Wise would have guessed as a hobbit might. There was a little corner of his mind that was still his own, and light came through it, as through a chink in the dark: light out of the past. 

He hated the dark, and he hated light more: he hated everything, and the Ring most of all?’ 

He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. He had no will left in the matter. (p55) 

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‘Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. (p60) 

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“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. (p74) 

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Then Tom put the Ring round the end of his little finger and held it up to the candlelight. For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing! (p134) 

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‘I’ve got things to do,’ he said: ‘my making and my singing, my talking and my walking, and my watching of the country. Tom can’t be always near to open doors and willow-cracks. Tom has his house to mind, and Goldberry is waiting? (p146) 

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You have frightened me several times tonight, but never in the way that servants of the Enemy would, or so I imagine. I think one of his spies would well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand.’ 

‘I see,’ laughed Strider. ‘I look foul and feel fair. Is that it? All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.’ (p172) 

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“And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom. (p259) 

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‘It seems that he has a power even over the Ring? No, I should not put it so,’ said Gandalf. ‘Say rather that the Ring has no power over him. He is his own master. But he cannot alter the Ring itself, nor break its power over others. And now he is withdrawn into a little land, within bounds that he has set, though none can see them, waiting perhaps for a change of days, and he will not step beyond them.’ 

And if he were given the Ring, he would soon forget it, or most likely throw it away. Such things have no hold on his mind. He would be a most unsafe guardian; and that alone is answer enough.’ (p265) 

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‘Despair, or folly?’ said Gandalf. It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope. Well, let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy. (p269) 

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Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting, even if I were to go this night straight to the Dark Lord. Alas for Gimli son of Glóin!’ (p378) 

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‘I think I know already what counsel you would give, Boromir,’ said Frodo. ‘And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning of my heart.? 

‘No hope while the Ring lasts,’ said Frodo. “Ah! The Ring!’ said Boromir, his eyes lighting. “The Ring! Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing! (p388-389)