Lord of the rings (and his cousin's best friend's pony) or The Complexity of Middle earth by Kiernyn Orne-Adams

LORD OF THE RINGS (AND HIS COUSIN’S BEST FRIEND’S PONY)

OR

THE COMPLEXITY OF MIDDLE EARTH

Sometimes, a book or movie comes out in which absolutely nothing happens. The plot meanders along, with hardly any background or explanations. Everything is just supposed to fall into place and be understood. A perfect example is Catcher in the rye, a novel in which all the action is based around one character and his experiences. The only details described are those that had significance to the main character. On the other hand, some books and films are so filled with details that they can have entire encyclopedias devoted solely to filling in the blanks. Although some of these stories can become ponderous from all the extra facts, others are enhanced by the detailed back-story. The Lord of the Rings is one such saga. In The Lord of the Rings, the complexity of Middle Earth enriches the story, even if not all of the details are used. There are three main areas that enrich the story through their complexity: The physical details of both land and individual, the backgrounds of each story, and the deeper emotions of each character. When combined, these three areas create a unique story that has impacted millions the world over.

The first area that enriches the story with its use of detail is also the most literal: the physical world of Middle Earth. Throughout the films, there are whole scenes showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the land. Even the sparsest of shots shows a huge array of geographic wonders, from giant mountains to simple fields. The land is shown with such detail that it almost feels as though one is really in Middle Earth. It’s not just the land that is so detailed; almost every scene has huge amounts of extras. These extra people transform a simple battle scene into an epic war, an impressive feat considering the amount of battles in the trilogy. The huge amount of soldiers adds a feeling of power and force to the story that couldn’t be achieved without the large-scale effect. Whether it’s reflected in the scope of the land or the massive size of the armies, the physical aspects of Middle Earth are richly detailed, and as a result the story is given a feeling of greater splendor.

Many stories give a lot of focus to the history of the main characters and settings while ignoring the stories of the lesser players. The Lord of the Rings is unique because it elaborates on the history of each character and region, even those that barely appear in the actual story. Tolkien was never happy to just describe a little bit of an area; rather, he elaborated on the history of every land and creature that was even briefly mentioned. For instance, the history of the Elf race is well detailed, and yet there are only a few elves that feature in the story. Similarly, Gimle reminisces throughout the story on various aspects of dwarf culture, even though the dwarves are barely seen or mentioned otherwise. Finally, Tolkien elaborates on the history, status, and daily lives of the hobbits in the Shire even though many of them are minor characters whose duties and history don’t affect the main story. However, in describing the hobbits or the dwarves or any of the people, or even explaining more about the kingdoms than was necessary, Tolkien added a level of realism to a tale of pure fantasy. Adding more history to the lands and characters adds more to the story and gives the reader a greater appreciation of the individuals.

Although physical and historical details are beneficial to the story, perhaps the most important area of complexity is that of emotions. The characters in The Lord of the Rings have a great deal of emotional conflict, all of which is played out for the audience. As a result, the viewer can better connect to the story because they recognize some version of their own feelings. However, it’s the difference between the viewers’ emotions and the characters’ feelings that gives the story greater depth and value: the characters in the story must deal with their emotions in response to massive battles and magical journeys. A perfect example is the case of Aragorn. Aragorn has many conflicting emotions throughout the story, struggling with anger, fear, doubt, and love. Even though he rarely reveals them to others, Aragon’s feelings govern everything that he says and does, and as a result his character wouldn’t be understandable without a clear view of his emotions. The same is particularly true for Gollum. On the surface, Gollum seems like nothing more than a miserable little creature whose sole obsession is the Ring. Once his inner thoughts and emotions are revealed, Gollum can be understood and even pitied. Instead of being a mindless demon, he can be seen as an innocent person trapped in his own head by his love of the Ring, and the viewer can then understand all of the actions that he takes throughout the story. Both characters have a huge impact on the story, but their effect can’t be grasped unless one can see the exact feelings the characters experience.

Essentially, The Lord of the Rings wouldn’t be able to exist if Middle Earth and its people weren’t so complex. The main reason for this is the idea of an alternate universe. Many stories don’t need as much detail to have a good plot because they’re set in a world that is real and familiar to the audience. On the other hand, The Lord of the Rings is set in a fictional universe, where the human race is the only link between Middle Earth and our world. Because Middle Earth is completely imagined, it needs to be thoroughly complex in order to make sense as a story. The intense detail of the land and its residents let the audience connect to tangible aspects of their life, from historical events to a hiking trip. The thorough history of the people themselves allows for a greater understanding of how the character was formed, while the complexity of emotions let the viewers appreciate the choices that each character makes. All of the different details combine to create a hugely complex and layered world, and the depth of said world changes the story from a generic fantasy tale to a classic piece of work that sets the standard for those who seek to create their own new universe.