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The Norseman

Classic series captures commonality through core themes

From his home in the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, Frodo embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the One Ring. The Lord of the Rings, my favorite fantasy series, describes this quest to bring about the end of the evil Lord Sauron, the tyrant of Middle-Earth. The story is full of heroes and their courageous deeds. These books share powerful messages of bravery, hope, and sacrifice.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo begins his quest to destroy the One Ring with eight companions of varying races and cultural backgrounds. Due to conflict among the travelers, the Fellowship is broken and they split into three groups.

The Two Towers follows the adventures of the remnants of the Fellowship. Frodo and his loyal gardener continue on their way to the place the Ring can be destroyed, Mordor, and find a guide with questionable intentions, Gollum. Meanwhile, the other parts of the Fellowship make sure that the Hobbits can fulfill their quest by aiding in the beginnings of the war against Sauron and his following of evil orcs. 

In The Return of the King, the larger part of the Fellowship continue fighting in the War of the Ring in which many acts of valor are performed. Frodo and Sam see the Ring destroyed with the help of Gollum. Our heroes are reunited once more and return back to their lives, completing their adventure and Bilbo’s book.

The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite series. It is an amazing story with wonderful characters. Great feats are achieved through the courage of the heroes. There are many positive themes throughout the books. They are powerful, encouraging, and impact the events in the story. 

One of my favorite themes is that small, simple things can perform great actions. The Ring, though small in size, has the power of the greatest evil in Middle-Earth. The whole story is a quest to destroy this incredibly powerful, small object. 

More importantly, the hobbits, though small, are also capable of great things. They are the weakest of the creatures of Middle-Earth and seemingly unimportant. They are not adventurous or great warriors. They love the simple things in life, such as food and comfort. However, without the hobbits, the evil of the Ring would never have been destroyed, and all the good in Middle-Earth would have fallen. Because they don’t aspire to great things, the Ring has limited power over the hobbits, and they have the power to resist the evil of the Ring.

Another theme is good versus evil, often shown as light versus dark. The good side has the White Rider, Gandalf. The evil side has the nine Black Riders. Sauron tries to cover the world in darkness and destroy all the light and good things in the world. Battles at night end in victory in the morning when the sun rises. The entire story shows the conflict between good and evil.

I love this theme because it has so much meaning for us today. There is evil in this world in many forms, and it will try to bring about destruction. However, there is also a lot of good that has the power to resist and destroy the darkness. The Lord of the Rings shows how to fight the evil: through teamwork, hope, and courage.

My favorite character in this series is Aragorn. He is a true king and a great leader. When something needs to be done, he does it, no matter how difficult or undesirable the task is. In a world where men are deemed weak, Aragorn is strong willed and independent. Although he is a great fighter, he is also a healer, showing his strength and love for others. 

The Lord of the Rings is my favorite fantasy series. The books describe the quest to destroy the One Ring and end the evil Sauron. There are powerful themes of courage, hope, and sacrifice. The characters are people to support and care about as they perform their heroic actions. This series is a must read for all fantasy lovers!

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Samantha Lamb
Samantha Lamb, Staff Writer
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