The epic of JRR Tolkien The Lord of the Rings got involved in a controversy. Fingers are mostly up after the release of the highly anticipated prequel series power rings where the show added a touch of diversity to the franchise. This has led many fans to complain that the inclusion of POC characters doesn’t do justice to Tolkien’s original writings. But on the other hand, another audience group presented several pieces of evidence on how Tolkien’s writing in the LoTR books always promoted racism.
According to some reports recently revealed in an article, JRR Tolkien used real-world racism and concepts like anti-Nazism in his writings. As the report suggests, Tolkien’s work has always fascinated racists before we even realize it.
Also Read: ‘You’re All Welcome Here’: Original Lord of the Rings Actor Elijah Wood Decimates Racists Claiming Rings of Power Failed Because of ‘Go Wake Up, Go Broke’
Tolkien’s work caught in the storm
It is reported that JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth was nothing but an amalgamation of all the problems of the modern world. But that’s not as well said as it sounds. Deakin University Professor Helen Young has uncovered some evidences with the help of which she wants to convey that the writer’s opinions were even outdated during his period as well.
Helen Young picked up a letter written by Tolkien in which he condemned Hitler and which read:
“To ruin, pervert, divert and forever curse this noble Nordic spirit, supreme contribution to Europe, which I have always loved and tried to preserve in its true light.
As Young explains, this demarcation by the author sets a precedent that some people are different from others and is the basis of racism. Elaborating on her point, she said that in his universe, Tolkien established hierarchies for fictional species and that this also exists in humans.
Read also: Did Tolkien the Lord of the Rings Racist? The backlash of POC characters in The Rings of Power proves that Tolkien fanatics buy into an outdated fantasy that needs to change
Helen Young then cites how The Lord of the Rings not only centered on white people, but on Europe and especially the northwestern part and portrayed the bad guys as orientalists. She explains it by giving the example of a part of Two towers:
“men of Gondor, yet their blood was mingled, and there were short and swarthy among them” because some of their ancestors were not “High, Men of the West”.
She even quoted that in a letter, Tolkien described Dwarves as Jews:
“I think of the ‘Dwarfs’ as of the Jews: both natives and foreigners in their habitations.”
Helen Young did not stop there by presenting another letter in which Tolkien described the Orcs as Mongols:
“Orcs are… stocky, broad, flat-nosed, waxen-skinned, with wide mouths and slanted eyes; in fact degraded and repugnant versions of the less beautiful (to Europeans) Mongol types.
Summarizing all this evidence she produced, she claimed that Tolkien’s writings were primarily aimed at Europeans and racists. She even added that this amalgamation of racial stereotypes with fiction entertains racists and fuels their ideologies.
Also Read: ‘We Stand in Absolute Solidarity Against Relentless Racism’: Rings of Power Blast Racist Trolls, Claim Tolkien’s Middle-earth Isn’t ‘All White’
The Rings of Power get criticized
It cannot be denied that all these controversies and discussions are intensely affecting the popularity of the ongoing series. While the ongoing series is said to have rectified mistakes made by Tolkien, a certain section continues to disparage the series. Amazon Prime has previously stated that Tolkien’s world has never had borders and that free people of all cultures are welcome there.
The criticism is not limited to the series but also to the POC actors who are cast. Alongside Tolkien enthusiasts championing the show, even the original cast of the trilogy have come forward to support them and fix the issues.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ releases weekly on Amazon Prime Video
Source: The conversation
