If LOTR people were Politicians

Lord of The Rings, the well-known film series have so many characters and so many so called ‘realms’, it takes us to a land of fantasy. However, it has reflection of the political scenario of the world: present and past, which can be reflected upon. Let’s consider the characters and backdrops of their play. LOTR can be said to be the tale of the struggle of the proletariat against status quo.

The story unveils in a planet called Middle-earth, consisting of a mixed population like elves, hobbits, humans and other species who live in different lands. Different characters symbolise different ideologies.

Legolas is the conservative prince of the Woodland Realm of Middle-earth. His ancestors, the Sindars, once dominated the Silvan elves culturally and made them abandon their own language and customs.  Their subjects, the elves gradually became closer to humans in terms of knowledge and skill, which the Valinor elves never achieved. Thus, Legolas is a monarchist who wants to keep status quoin Middle-earth.

Gandalf is a “maja”, an angel who has been sent by the Gods or Valar to the Middle-earth to help the struggle against Sauron who wants to change Middle-earth in favour of the working people. He is also like a monk, who never married and is a conservative, hence in favour of status quo.

Sauron is a leader of the workers like Lenin and hence is a communist. He leads the Orcs in Mordor and other low-life characters against status quo. His predecessor, Morgoth started the unification of working class, but Sauron successfully thrown out the realm of Numenor with the help of dwarves, humans and orcs.

Saruman, originally a noble of Middle-earth, sided with the oppressed to uproot injustice.

Aragon, coming from a powerful business family, is not interested in power; instead, he is for individual freedom, like right to bear arms, free mixing with other species like the dwarves, hobbits and elves. He is keen to marry Arwen, the Elfmaid. However, when power comes to him in his old age, he does not decline.

Finally, the hero Froddo Baggins, a hobbit, comes from a rural life of The Shire, where people are mostly agrarian and small businessman. He is all out for an agrarian society. Though an anarchist, he is the chosen one of the conservatives to lead their fight for status quo. Is it not ironic?