War Portrayed in The Lord of the Rings

Focuses on the experiences Tolkien had in the war and their appearances in LOTR.

LOTR and Tolkien

When looking for the effects war had on Tolkien’s writing, The Lord of the Rings offers some clear examples. I want to focus on how Tolkien has decided to portray the traumatic parts of war and the lingering effects it has on soldiers. The basis of this argument will be material John Garth both writes and speaks about on this topic.

John Garth is the author of the award-winning Tolkien and the Great War and Tolkien biographer

Instances of War in LOTR

There are two clear instances of war inspiring The Lord of the Rings. The first of which are the Dead Marshes. More than the clear physical resemblance to the war these marshes offer, as rainy battles end with craters of water filled with men's bodies, Tolkien also draws connections to the feeling of seeing such things. One soldier that was a part of the same division as Tolkien mentioned how upon arriving at such locations, he was guided like a sightseer through bodies that appeared less human than wax figures. He was neither afraid nor unhappy, but rather fascinated. We can see this fascination in The Lord of the Rings through Gollum, who although accused of wanting to eat the dead bodies, was fascinated and more like Tolkien and the soldiers’ he fought with.

---

"You cannot reach them, you cannot touch them. We tried once, yes, precious. I tried once; but you cannot reach them. Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch. No precious! All dead."

---

The second instance of war’s effect on Tolkien’s writing can be seen through Gollum. Throughout the war many men from both sides would desert the army. Soldiers still fighting would be warned of straying away from the group as the half-insane deserters would plunder and rob the dying. Gollum is a clear reflection of those deserters as his desire to rob Frodo and Sam of the ring is the same. Gollum is also physically portrayed to cringe or flinch at things not there, he is described as subhuman and animal-like. These traits displayed by Gollum were symptoms of shell shock many soldiers experienced during the war. The subhuman nature Gollum is described as having resembles the descent into madness many soldiers’ suffered throughout the war. John Garth says it best when he mentions, “the yardstick of his [Frodo] degradation toward the subhuman is Gollum”.