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"A Far Green Country": Tolkien, Paradise, and the End of All Things in Medieval Literature

2009; Mythopoeic Society; Volume: 27; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

0146-9339

A. Keith Kelly, Michael Livingston,

Diverse Education Studies and Reforms

IN A 1953 LETTER TO HIS JESUIT FRIEND, ROBERT MURRAY, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work (Letters 172), a well-known statement that has for many years inspired discussion, debate, and speculation by Tolkien's readers. While some critics have argued for the clear presence of a Christian morality in Middle-earth, others have asserted that any Christian influences are minimal and have little impact on the overall narrative, or even the characters' morality. (1) There seems to be precious little untrod ground in the arena of how Middle-earth does or does not express a Christian morality, and it is not our aim to enter that discussion here. However, the presence of a mythology within Middle-earth is undeniable, and there are aspects of that mythology that do invite further study. One particular element of Tolkien's mythology that has not been given full consideration is the mystery of the human afterlife and the ways in which Tolkien presents the idea of Paradise. Critical statements made about the concept of Paradise in relation to Middle-earth have all been rather straight-forward: the Undying Lands are This opinion, however, overlooks a few key components of Tolkien's overall corpus. if Tolkien's works are, as he asserts, fundamentally religious and Catholic, we might well expect to discover within his mythology some notion of the afterlife that is compatible with such beliefs. Certainly we will gain some insight into Tolkien's particular views of the afterlife and what it holds or what it promises--though the most surprising thing may just be what is not found in his portrait of Paradise. For a moment let us consider Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings--not because Jackson is the final word on the matter, but simply because he offers an example of the popular view of Paradise in Tolkien's mythology. There is a scene about two hours into the theatrical release of The Return of the King that is rather revealing in this regard. Sauron's monstrous forces have taken the first few levels of Minas Tirith and now lay siege to the inner city. The camera pans through the ruined citadel with the cries of the dying in the background until we see that a troll, wielding a tremendous hammer, is knocking down what appears to be the last barricade protecting the defenders. Just inside that door, a few weary soldiers of Gondor wait, and we see the hobbit, Pippin, exhausted and afraid, sitting with Gandalf. As if to emphasize the overrunning of natural, humane life about to occur, a crate of apples is set behind Gandalf, and between him and Pippin, from the camera's perspective, sits a barrel, a few carefully groomed shrubs, and the dark green leaves and red flowers of a potted plant. It is a moment of impending doom for the world of men. I didn't think it would end this way, Pippin says quietly. The scene is striking to this point not only cinematically, but also dramatically in that it is one of the filmmaker's many insertions into Tolkien's storyline. There's nothing at all quite like it in the text of The Lord of the Rings, which never pauses in its action throughout this elaborate sequence of battle. But even more striking is what comes next in the film, as Gandalf responds: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back and all turns to silver glass. then you see it. What, Gandalf? Pippin asks. See what? The camera is close in on Gandalf's face now. His eyes shine with a look akin to wondrous mirth, and a smile seems to break at the corners of his mouth and eyes. White shores, he replies in a slow but steady voice. He turns his head to look away from Pippin, seeming to gaze into a distance just off-camera, where we cannot see: And beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise. …