Who Were the Real Heroes of Middle-Earth? - Page 5
© Michael Martinez
Tolkien's life never reached so desperate a gamble, but he lived through World War II and there were times when people wondered how it would all turn out. When London and other cities were being bombed, the English surely were justified in asking how long it would be before the Germans landed on their shores. Two of Tolkien's sons served in the British armed forces during the war and having seen the devastations wrought by great countries upon each others' sons himself in his own youth he knew fully well the dangers they faced in battle.
There is little echo of the second world war in Tolkien's story, but the first world war seems to have left an indelible sense of determined but desperate perseverence on his spirit. The futility of the great offensives rings clearly in the hopeless war of the Noldor against Morgoth. The senseless slaughter and gradual abandonment of civilization by Europeans hovers across the starkly denuded landscape of Eriador as Tolkien's "Tale of Years" records the gradual withering of the Dunadan realms in Middle-earth. And yet the Dunedain lived on. The Dunedain of Arnor did not fade away or die out when their kingdom came to an end. They passed into the wilderness and carried on their ancient war against the creatures of evil, and through ten centuries preserved the line of their leaders despite all the odds turning against them.
The success of the family over the adversities of life is the core of the strength in Aragorn's character, and it is a quiet tribute to Tolkien's own familial perseverence. Arthur Tolkien and Mabel Suffield Tolkien made the best of their opportunities for themselves and their sons, and Ronald was left in the care of a stern but concerned guardian who ensured the boy would achieve something as a man.
Aragorn is a later reflection of Tolkien as Beren is an earlier one. Beren is something of a rogue and an outlaw, defying the limits set upon him by authority without actually challenging the authority, strengthened in his resolve by the steadfast love of Luthien. Aragorn is not an outlaw but a man dispossessed of his heritage who forges a new heritage for his descendants, encouraged and sustained by the love and faith of Arwen.
The story of Aragorn and Arwen is in some ways a continuation of the story of Beren and Luthien. Instead of leaving Doriath for the quiet solitude of Ossiriand the heroes remain in the north and help turn the tide against the forces of darkness. The latter couple do not match the earlier couple in daring and deeds, but their achievement proves to be longer lasting. The coronation and subsequent marriage of Aragorn is perhaps a final reconciliation by Tolkien with his deeper passions. He has come to realize that he has indeed achieved his potential, which is perhaps not what Father Francis foresaw but is nonetheless equally worthy.
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