March 16, 2003

It is Not Saruman We Should Fear, But Denethor
Brett C.

I have just finished reading some fairly inflamatory articles regarding comparisons of current world leaders on both sides of the current Middle East conflict with the major villains in the LOTR.

The thing that immediatley struck me was a comment in Tolkien's foreword in the FOTR text.

"The real war does not resemble the legendary war in its process or conclusion. If it had...certainly the Ring would have been siezed and used against Sauron; he would not have annihalated but enslaved, and Barad-dur would not have been destroyed but occupied. Saruman...[would] have found in Mordor the missing links in his own researches into Ring-lore, and...would have made a Great Ring of his own..."

I have always thought, considering he was responding to comparisons between the War of the Ring and WWII, that was was a fairly blunt broadside at the acquisition and use of nuclear weapons by the World Powers after the fall of Germany and assimilation of it rocket program at the end of the War. I do not think that there are a majority of people in the world who see nuclear weapons, or any other weapon of mass destruction, as anything other than evil. The good characters in LOTR would never contemplate using them any more than they would use the Ring.

Shift forward to today's situation. Both sides have threatened to use weapons of mass destruction if pushed by their opposites.

Well, there is a character in LOTR who wrestles with this very problem. It is, of course, Denethor. In his speech with Gandalf, after he learns the Ring is on it's way to the heart of Mordor, Denethor says " ...it should have been kept hidden...not used I say, except at the uttermost end of need..." to which Gandalf replies "You think, Milord, as is your want, of Gondor only...Yet there are other men, and other lives, and times still to be. And for me, I pity even his slaves...And now hearing you speak I trust you less, no more than Boromir."

The message behind Denethor's words that Gandalf picks up on are clear; Denethor would use the evil power of the Ring rather than let Gondor fall, a pretty sharp contrast to the novel Faramir's word in TTT that he wouldn't even use it if Gondor were falling to bits around him and only by the weapon of the Enemy could it be saved.

So my assessment of the current situation is that there are people on both sides who are to to ready to use the 'weapons of the Enemy' for the good of their country. And if you think you can do good using evil for a good reason...well I'm sorry, that's Denethor all over. Understand, I am not advocating treating Terroist's or would-be Hitler's with kid gloves. But if you're looking for messages in Tolkien, you can be pretty sure Gandalf would never ever have advocated nuking or
using biologics or any other weapon of mass destruction on Mordor, or the Corsairs of Umbar for that matter. No way. A few more Gandalf's and a few less Denethor's in both Bagdahd and Washington/London/Canberra at the moment would be a welcome relief.