J.R.R. Tolkien: The Influence of Catholicism and Religious Symbolism in The Lord of the Rings When examining literary works, especially more popular literature, there tends to be story that surrounds the author and their intended purpose for writing the book. Tolkien’s writings may have been so widely received due to the saga’s fantastical and magical attributes. As a result, Tolkien’s audience enjoyed the emotional connection they could make to escape their own mundane world into a world which is familiar yet fundamentally different in respect to the mythical creatures which mingle with the human world. Tolkien’s fantasy creates a nation through mythology. Mystical creatures are flesh and blood; thriving in their foreign lands. Each of these creatures have adapted to their own environment. They have their own culture. Tolkien attempts to reincarnate our own world and transforms it into an allegory. Tolkien creates a framework which echoes the ideals of the Holy Bible. Explicitly becoming engrossed with Tolkien’s readings and religious readings it is convincing that “the Gospel(s) contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essences of fairy stories. This is different from all the others because it has "entered history." Unlike the …show more content…
In order to build a case around this theory, one must understand how religion impacted Tolkien’s life. Through exploring Tolkien’s life, we find that he was a devout Catholic. In an essay by Alina Corday titled Master of Middle Earth, Corday talks about Tolkien’s life by giving the reader a timeline of historical events which influenced the young author. Tolkien began his life in Africa. But after the sudden passing of his father, his mother packed the family up and moved to England. It was this opportunity which afforded Tolkien to develop his linguistic