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April 27, 2007

Many people across the nation are familiar with the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. What they are not familiar with is the psychology behind it, what certain characters and items in the books and movies stand for. Using mainly the second establishment to the series, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, one can see clearly the archetype of the Shadow according to Jungian psychology and how it symbolizes the worst aspects of humankind. Though there are many archetypes in the film that symbolize the Shadow, the Ring of Power is one of the greatest and most obvious of manifestations along with Sauron, the forger of the Ring, and Gollum, the Shadow of Frodo.

What is this “Shadow” aforementioned? The Shadow mainly represents things within ourselves that we simply do not see in everyday consciousness. This seems to hold mainly our negative aspects of ourselves including feelings and desires that have been repressed. What is within our own psyche that we refuse to face feeds this Shadow and becomes a part of it. In theory if the Shadow grows too big it envelops one and takes control of one’s personality. After it has taken control, one projects all the hatred and hurt onto those around them (“Sauron and the Land of Shadow”). This makes them isolate themselves from others, seeing them as the evil, and fighting people they once saw as mentors or friends (Shadow: The Dark Side of the Psyche).

The Lord of the Rings trilogy focuses mainly on the Ring of Power, forged in the fires of Mordor to control all of Middle Earth. This Ring of Power was forged in secret by the evil Sauron to control the nine rings of men, the three rings of the elves and the seven rings of the dwarfs, thus whoever holds the Ring holds all power (“The ‘Dark Riders’ of Social Change: Nature of the One Ring”). This Ring symbolizes much of the Shadow of human kind, showing greed, the want of power, especially considering its origin of secrecy and rule. By turning a blind eye upon the effects of the Ring many characters fall victim to its insatiable appetite for destruction and hate. Frodo, the hobbit of the Shire, volunteered to take the Ring back to Mordor, to throw it in the fires of Mount Doom, thus ending the reign of Sauron’s evil Ring. This also serves as a way to face the Shadow of the Ring and defeat it, only then can Middle Earth be free of anyone’s reign, including Sauron. This would be a symbol of the Self, the only way to reach it, is to destroy the Shadow—the Ring (“Sauron and the Land of Shadow”). On the way to Mt. Doom Frodo is slowly taken in by the Ring, as is Gollum yet again (Ellis-Christensen).

Another Shadow, the actual Shadow of the collective unconscious of Middle Earth, is Sauron. This is shown through the tales of the Hobbits of the Shire knowing at least legends beforehand of the evils beyond their borders. To some of them dragons and the Shadow of Mordor are simply stories, to others they are possibilities. Sauron is a prime example of the dark desires of all in Middle Earth; he arises when the Shadow consumes the personality. He flourishes in his “Land of the Shadow”, in which his slaves, the orcs, the uruk-hai, and the nazguls do his evil bidding despite that he is trapped within another realm. This Sauron serves as a symbol of what can happen if one lets themselves be taken by the Shadow (“Sauron and the Land of Shadow”). Sauron, being the forger of the Ring of Power is the core of the Shadow within Middle Earth, all that comes within his reign or touch is soon scorched and ruined even if it had posed no threat—this is shown through the destruction of the south side of Fangorn Forest, the home of the prior indifferent Ents.

Gollum, as mentioned before is perhaps the Shadow of Frodo. If Frodo is to keep the Ring and let its effects consume him he is to turn into Gollum, this is shown when Frodo acts as Gollum would, stroking the Ring and refusing to let it go (Ellis-Christensen). To ignore that is to let it happen, he must face that Gollum could, in fact, represent what he could become. Through that understanding, Frodo must accept Gollum and let him show him the way to Mordor. If he were to turn away Gollum it would be as though turning away from the idea that could save him in the end—he could become the frog-like creature that was once a hobbit like himself. Even through the disapproval of Frodo’s gardener and companion, Sam, he must not turn Gollum away. Through this mutual acknowledgement Frodo lets his Shadow counterpart become his guide to Mordor (“Tolkien: Archetype and Word”, Grant).

Clearly there are many Shadow manifestations in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. There is always going to be a Shadow in all of us, in movies the Shadow is easy to spot—just look for the conflicts that the main characters have to face and somehow defeat and chances are you can find the Shadow. Many people today struggle with their own Shadow, which is distorted and sometimes difficult to spot—seeming as it is inside them. Everyone must go through this process and at least try to defeat their own Shadow in the hopes of finding their Self, the most elusive archetype of the bunch.

Bibliography:

1. Ellis-Christensen, Tricia. Wise Geek. 27 Apr. 2007 <http://www.wisegeek.com/
what-is-jungian-literary-criticism.htm>.

2. "Shadow: The Dark Side of the Psyche." Myths-Dreams-Symbols. 27 Apr. 2007
<http://www.mythsdreamssymbols.com/shadow.html>.

3. "Jungian Motifs in The Lord of the Rings I: Sauron and The Land of Shadow." The Shattered Realm. 20
June 2006. 27 Apr. 2007 <http://theshatteredrealm.blogspot.com/2006/06/
jungian-motifs-in-lord-of-rings-i.html>.

4. Grant, Patrick. "Tolkien: Archetype and Word ." Cross Currents. 27 Apr. 2007
<http://www.crosscurrents.org/tolkien.htm>.

5. "The ‘Dark Riders’ of Social Change: Nature of the One Ring." Laetusin Praesens. 28 Apr. 2007
<http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/musings/riders.php>.

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Please, please, please do not steal this. Especially not if you know me personally because the teacher who assigned this has a transparency of the entire thing, HE WILL KNOW.