Diminishment versus Aggrandizement; a theme that is deeply valued in the Lord of the Rings. Regarding his own book Tolkien once wrote;

" There are of course certain things and themes that move me especially. The inter-relations between the 'noble' and the 'simple' for instance. The ennoblement of the ignoble I find especially moving. " [Letters p.220].

" I loved them [the hobbits] myself since I love the vulgar and simple as dearly as the noble, and nothing moves my heart [beyond all the passions and heartbreaks of the world] so much as 'ennoblement'." [Letters p.232].

At the very heart of the story is the theme of 'the littleness of the simple defeating the mighty and proud'. A theme very much at the heart of the Gospel starting with Mary in her magnificat 'He has brought down the mighty and raised the lowly'. [Luke 1:52].

The very stature of the hobbits being only 3 foot 6 inches or halfings is a paradoxical outward projection of their inner value. They are simple folk who work the earth, grow crops, smoke pipe weed, love eating and telling stories. Sometimes rather insular in their daily life from the outside world of the big folk they don't worry themselves with the politics or concerns of the Wise but live day to day and enjoy life to the full.

But their true worth resides in their loyalty, courage and inner strength; and ability to recover from traumatic experiences which flows from being very child-like.

" He who cannot become like a little child will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven " [Luke 18:17].
" I thank you Father for hiding these things from the learned and the clever, and revealing them to mere children. " [Matthew 11:25].

In terms of the overall story in the Lord of the Rings and related back-history, they were never considered in the great plans of the wise or powerful, but it is they who shake the foundations of the earth and save the world. This essence is understood by Elrond;

" Such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere. " [LotR p.264].

" God chose the foolish things of the world that He might shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that He might put to shame the things that are strong..." [cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5].

It is precisely their innocence and natural humility in not desiring power that gives them longer resistance to the evil influence of the Ring and hence makes the mission to destroy it possible, though at the end Frodo does succumb.

But Frodo is still the principal hero. The tale is essentially Frodo-centric as the Quest is what drives the story and surrounding movements. And as is discussed in depth later in Mercy and Forgiveness, even though Frodo fails, and succumbs, his mercy and love is what saves him and the Quest. His humility in offering forgiveness and love towards Gollum is essential in the overall scheme. Tolkien talks of this;

" His humility [with which he began] and his sufferings were justly rewarded by the highest honour: and his exercise of patience and mercy towards Gollum gained him Mercy: his failure was redressed. " [Letters p.326].

Tolkien also mentioned;

" I myself saw the value of hobbits, of the need of putting earth under romance, and on providing subjects for 'ennoblement' and heroes more praiseworthy than the professionals : ...we are all equal before the Great Author, qui deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles [who humbles the proud and exalts the humble]. " [Letters p.215].

Once again, all of the main heroes carry this humility and healthy distrust of self.

Even with extraordinary power and wisdom, Gandalf the Grey and also the more confident Gandalf the White carries a distrust of self that leads to deeper wisdom. This is demonstrated when Frodo offers the One Ring to Gandalf at Bag-End. Gandalf exclaims;

" ' No!, with that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly. ' His eyes flashed and his face was lit as by a fire within. ' Do not temp me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not temp me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great for my strength. I shall have such need of it. Great perils lie before me. " [LotR p.60].

This passage highlights an attribute that is critical to healthy distrust of self, that is knowledge of self. Gandalf knows his weaknesses and strengths and this leads to true humility. He will not even risk the possibility of entering into a situation where the Ring could have power over him and hence cause his downfall. Gandalf ensures that he never actually touches the Ring itself.

Gandalf enforces this virtue with his comment to Denethor regarding the Ring;

" ...nay, stay your wrath, I do not even trust myself in this. " [LotR p.796].

And in regards to confronting Sauron in the Palantír Gandalf says;

" I am not ready for such a trial if indeed I shall ever be so. " [LotR p.581].

Tolkien writes of Gandalfs sacrifice on the bridge;

" It was a humbling and abnegation of himself. " [Letters p.203].

Gandalf " ...sacrificed himself " [Letters p.203], an act that one doesn't make without humility. 'There can be no love without humility'; a great spiritual truth taught by St Thérèse.

Aragorn also knows his limits. When he had the chance to take the Ring he resists [in Bree]; his nobility, wisdom and knowledge make it seem easy for him. But due to the fact that he knows of the fault of Isildur in taking the Ring, Aragorn understands the dangers. Tied in with this, are the years of sacrifice he has already made in the fight against Sauron and the heritage that weighs heavily on his shoulders. As the Fellowship prepare to leave Rivendell to start the journey,

" Aragorn sat with his head bowed to his knees; only Elrond knew fully what this hour meant to him. " [LotR p.273].

Aragorn becomes part of the Fellowship due to his connection with the Ring,

" For men you shall have Aragorn son of Arathorn, for the Ring of Isildur concerns him closely. " [LotR p.268].

Aragorn understood the responsibility and importance of righting the wrong of Isildur.

Aragorn was the most noble and skilled man in Middle-earth;

" Thus he became at last the most hardy of living men, skilled in their crafts and lore, and was yet more than they; for he was elven-wise, and there was a light in his eyes that when they were kindled few could endure. " [LotR Appendix p.1035].

His Elvish up-bringing gave him a wisdom and self-knowledge that rooted him in the truth; the truth that the Ring was all-together evil. No man could totally resist it in his own strength.

In the Quest, Aragorn is a little unsure in his decisions, especially after Gandalf 'dies' which displays his healthy self-knowledge, [i.e. he recognizes he doesn't know everything]. But he uses the many skills he has and listens to his friends. Then, at need and when the time is right, Aragorn takes up the mantle of royalty, as is shown when he looks into Palantír. He sees his course, takes action with all his strength and true valour, but remains humble.

Faramir, like Aragorn, understands the need for good self-knowledge, and hence this leads him to wisdom;

" Or I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee. " [LotR p.666]. Faramir referring to the Ring.

Sam is the other of the great heroes of the story. Possibly the most important, because he 'seems' like the least important. Tolkien wrote,

" Indeed my Sam Gamgee is a reflection of the batmen and privates I knew in the 1914 war... " [J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography p.89] where Tolkien witnessed everyday English men commit heroic acts of sacrifice and bravery.

He also praised Sam with the saying,

" ...the Englishry of this jewel among Hobbits. " [Letters p.88].

This is very much another source of the ennoblement of the ignoble theme that Tolkien writes that he loves. One can see that Tolkien was extremely moved and edified by the acts of men who may not have been very educated or even had any faith in a God of Love, but knew about sacrifice and service and loyalty.

Sam is content to serve his master, and makes him the primary focus of his journey. And while he exemplifies simplicity, he is not without depth as is eloquently shown in Frodo and Sam's talk about the seamless web of tales on the Stairs of Cirith Ungol;

" ...we're in one, of course; but I mean; put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards. " [LotR p.697].

Sam begins the journey with an immature innocence as Stratford Caldecott is quoted in Man & Myth [by Joseph Pearce p.115], and after experiencing many hardships and sufferings he matures; but retains his childlikeness and innocence. But most importantly he does not harden his heart or become cynical through his experience of life, he grows in love and true wisdom; he grows into a mature innocence.

Pippin and Merry also pass through this growing up of sorts and come to learn about sacrifice and courage themselves. Merry helps to kill the Witch-King and save Éowyn and Pippin helps save Faramir, which further entrenches Tolkien's theme of exalting the humble.

" The ennoblement of the ignoble I find especially moving. " [Letters p.220].

Galadriel, after her 'test' with the Ring says,

" I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel. " [LotR p.357].

Her humility, and her resistance to the Ring is rewarded. She is allowed to return to Aman. Similar themes are found with John the Baptist, 'he must increase and I must decrease' [John 3:30].

At the Field of Cormallen, Frodo and Sam receive the accolades they deserve. The Lords of the West exalt the smallest heroes and humblest givers. It is a quasi-paradisical event as it shows how it will be in the world to come: the First will be Last and the Last, First.

Diminishment versus Aggrandizement: the Hobbits, Galadriel, Aragorn, Gandalf, even Boromir teach of this Christian spiritual paradox. 'He who humbles himself, will be exalted' & 'He who makes himself your servant is the greatest among you' [Mat 18:1-5 & Luke 22:26].

Next page - Providence and Hope

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