LotR Themes

[mikailborg]

One of the things that I always found saddest about "Lord of the Rings" is the sub-theme of loss. When the elves made the Rings of Power, they bound much of the magic of Middle-Earth into them; and when the dark lord Sauron made the One Ring, he was able to bind the other elven rings to his. Therefore, the elves know that if Sauron wins the War of the Ring, Middle-Earth will descend into darkness; but if the One Ring is destroyed, it will rob the elven rings of their power and take much of the magic from Middle-Earth. For them, it is a no-win scenario.

The elven lord Elrond feels this most directly in the love of his daughter Arwen for the human Aragorn. If Aragorn is defeated by Sauron, Elrond and Arwen will remain together for centuries, even if they must leave Middle-Earth for the "Undying Lands". (The elven paradise, unreachable by mortals; distinct from the afterlife, reachable by everyone once on a one-way trip.)
However, if Aragorn is victorious, Elrond will leave for the Undying Lands alone, knowing that his daughter will die a mortal's death.

Don't get me wrong - the trilogy's not a downer at all. But it is complicated; and the child in me that wished for perfect happy endings wanted to change that part of the story, somehow.