Activity

@selah-chelyah Makes for good conversation. 😉

@sarah-inkdragon Thank you for sharing! 😀 I hadn’t thought about it in that way. I’m not sure I see what you’re saying, but there may be an allegorical element to the end :).

@Seekjustice Ah! I appreciated the ending for being realistic, but I never saw it the way you described it. I agree that Tolkien wanted us to be sad and horrified, which was my reaction when that part of the book was read to me. It absolutely makes sense that he would portray his own wartime experiences through LOTR and that his purpose wasn’t really to make us worry. *grins* I just love when stuff clicks.

I think he fashioned the end of the Hobbit like that, too. When Bilbo returns to see all his stuff being sold, I think it stands as a metaphor. It shows readers that Bilbo was forever changed by what he experienced (and so was his home, though in a more temporary way). I think Tolkien shows this change well when he carries it over to the start of LOTR and shows that Bilbo never lost his memories of the mountains. *sniffs* So much bittersweetness.

I think I would be more inclined to include an ending like that of the Hobbit in my stories than that of LOTR. I think it is important for your character’s journey to change them for good, but I think there are other ways to show the consequences of an adventure than adding a second climax (like friends not coming back, beloved places being destroyed, permanent maiming etc). But I think for his purpose, Tolkien did a marvelous job with the LOTR’s end.

You guys have any more thoughts?