Cyclical Patterns



In Ancient Greece, humans embraced the idea that fortune drove their destiny. Fate, like a wheel in the sky, shifted at whim or by the gods's commands and tossed men into the sea of uncertainty. While the turn benefitted a portion of humanity, other individuals suffered as their new reality filled with trial and misfortune. In modern culture, the balance or power struggle between good and evil operates much like the turning wheel, one side gains momentum while the other fades in dominion. In chapter thirty-four of his novel, East of Eden, Steinbeck elaborates on his "one story" idea, claiming that, "Humans are caught in a net of good and evil" (450). This archetype dominates film and fiction, in attempts to explore various depths of man and his world. In the two books that make up The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien implements this cyclical pattern as the quest for Middle-earth winds its way through dangerous terrains and landscapes of old in order to suggest that the outcome is already decided, but man has only the choice to “do what with the time he has.”

Bilbo Baggins
At the beginning of the novel, readers encounter Bilbo Baggins, who ironically longs for mountains and adventures. His presence highlights this cycle, for he too was once a part of a grand journey to secure the fortune and legacy of Thror and conjures images of Trolls, Goblins, Spiders, and Gollum, as we know he lived through a tale. When he embarks with Thorin and company to the Misty Mountain, the burglar stands up for Oakenshield’s just cause and his lineage destroyed by the infamous Smaug. As the text shifts from one generation to the next, the pattern continues and takes root in Frodo Baggins.

As Gandalf begins to mentor Frodo, the aging wizard moves to empower the ring-bearer to accept his calling with dignity and courage. He assures Frodo, "you have been chosen [...] you must use such strength [...] as you have" (Tolkien 60). The world moves against them, the enemy stands stong, and Frodo laments his calling, saying "I feel very small and uprooted" (61). Gandalf’s conversations with Frodo entertain the fallen state of affairs, but insist that he not hang his head in despair, but pursue his quest with vigor and vitality. Despite the reality that he will be forever changed by this quest - he will carry his unhealable wound into the West - he completes his journey. When the darkness gathers about him, the young hobbit proclaims he wish "the ring never came to him" (80). Gandalf's retort affirms Frodo's doubt and despair in that, “So do all who live to see such times” (81). Gandalf’s words of wisdom suggest the road is dark - shadows control the paths - but such is the pattern of life.

Fell Riders
Once the Black Riders penetrate the Shire, reader's attention turns to the rest of Middle-earth, which the boundaries of this cozy habitat have been able to keep at bay for some time. Gandalf and the Rangers have spent their time and efforts to protect and shield the agricultural community from the devastation and harm of evil at work in the world at large. The Riders personify evil - shadows of their former self; evil animates them as they pursue the weapon of their master to control and wreak devastation on the races and creatures of Arda once again. As the Shire folk encounter the black cloaked creatures, their naivete protects their innocence, as they misunderstand the cause of the fell creatures and insist they leave unattended. Comments from Gildor and Glorfindel regarding the Nine's "arisen" state, suggest that for a time these shadows lay defeated like their master. Their resurrection communicates the resurgence of Sauron and his forces, as they rise from obscurity to try and claim control once more.

Memories & Recollections
The older men and Elves in the novel serve as indicators of a time passed, a time when beauty and nobility walked the earth. In their tales we uncover the cyclical pattern of good versus evil, as the races of Middle-earth united to destroy the evil that accosted them. Elrond, in telling the history of the ring, speaks of the "glory and fall" (236) of Numenor, the "ruin of Gladden Fields" (237), and the "dark things creep[ing] back into Gorgoroth" (238). In speaking of the long wars "against the Black Gate" (247), he references treason and vanity as two of the reasons the West lost. Even Aragorn's tales of the past resemble Elrond's in might and fury. He speaks of the lovely Luthien,a tale of sorrow and woe, darkness and desolation, for "long ago [she] passed away/in the forest singing sorrowless" (189). His words in Rivendell suggest the cycle rises once again, for "the world is changing; a new hour comes" (242). The two forces of Middle-earth face war, and while one side aims to defeat the evil once and for all, the other team longs for power and domination.

The Irishman
Tolkien's narrative utilizes the structure of the most used archetype. His characters and situations reinforce what William Butler Yeats believed was the "turning and turning of the gyre," or history cycling in a repeated, rotating motion. His poem "The Second Coming" documents the moment when the "worst are full of passionate intensity." His words speak meaning into the war Tolkien stages in the West, for "The darkness drops again" and the beast seeks his fill in the "world of men" (252) and faces the Sword of Elendil"forged anew" (269).