Middle Earth: The Lord Of The Rings

If I could choose to live in any world I would most likely choose Middle Earth, the world where the Lord of the Rings series takes place. I would not like to live there during the same time period as the series however, because during that time an evil king, Sauron, was trying to take over, wars were breaking out and evil creatures were roaming around on the loose. If that were not happening though, Middle Earth, specifically the Shire, would be an ideal place to live. The Shire is where the small, hairy men and women called hobbits mostly reside. The Shire is farmland that is full of cozy holes in which the hobbits live. It is generally safe and carefree there and for the most part, the hobbits all get along with each other. The main hobbit

He sets out with a group of three other hobbits and the aid of a wizard, Gandalf. Unfortunately, Frodo and his gang do not stay in the Shire for very long before they have to leave to save the world. All of the other places they pass through along the way are described in as much detail and have as much of an impact on the story as the Shire though.
J.R.R Tolkien describes the various settings of the book in vivid detail, more so than other authors. I am more than halfway done with this book, and so far very little has happened. The hobbits have left the Shire and traveled through the Old Forest and done little more. The reason that the book is moving so slowly is because J.R.R Tolkien goes into great descriptive detail, especially about the setting. He describes aspects of the setting as well as how the characters are feeling and what they are doing. When the hobbits are still travelling through the shire, he depicts a sunrise that none of the hobbits even see, “Away eastward the sun was rising red out of the mists that lay thick on the world. Touched with gold and red the autumn trees seemed to be sailing rootless in a shadowy sea”(Tolkien 81). Although Tolkien draws the setting like this every time it changes, adding

At the start of their trip, the hobbits have to venture into a mysterious and dangerous forest, the Old Forest and although they are steering away from it as best as they can, they still find themselves by a murky river “bordered with ancient willows, arched over with willows, blocked with fallen willows, and flecked with thousands of faded willow-leaves”(130). One of these willows is Old Man Willow, who lulls two of the hobbits to sleep and then sucks them into his trunk. The whole forest worked together in a human-like way to get them to the Old Willow. Later, after the hobbits have joined up with more men and have become the Fellowship, the group has to pass the Caradhras mountain. They are hindered, however, by a blizzard caused by the mountain that lasts for several days. The mountain is said to hate the Fellowship and all “two-legged mortals”, and therefore wants to prevent or at least slow down their journey. Looking at the detailed, hand-drawn maps of Middle Earth Tolkien put at the beginning of the book, it makes sense that he would paint such a powerful picture of the setting and make it a character. He obviously cares about it very much and wants it to be an influential part of the book. The setting is one of the most important factors in the hobbits’ journey. It helps to show how the world the hobbits know and love