Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary
devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Mordor
Frodo and Sam’s destination is Mordor, specifically the
volcanic Mount Doom, in which they intend to destroy the ring of
power. Though their journey is hard, their destination is almost
always in sight, at the edge of the horizon. However, actually reaching
Mordor proves to be extremely difficult. The hobbits frequently
find themselves going in circles. When they finally arrive at Mordor, Faramir
captures them and brings them back to Osgiliath. Later, Gollum leads
them back to the gates of Mordor, only to propose a different way
in. Sam and Frodo seem to be always on their way to Mordor, but
they never quite arrive. Mordor is the place that drives their every
action and the goal they hold above all else. The closer they get,
the further off Mordor seems, and their journey takes on epic proportions,
outlasting two tremendous battles.
The journey to Mordor is fraught with setbacks not only
because Mordor is located in difficult terrain and guarded by dangerous monsters,
but also because this journey represents another journey, a spiritual
quest that Frodo, as well as Sam and other characters, must undertake.
This journey takes Frodo to a private Mordor, the dark core of his
soul, where even his pure heart is no match for the temptations
of the ring. The many delays in the journey to the actual Mordor
suggest the many trials and tribulations Frodo must face in confronting
his internal Mordor. The hobbits eventually reach Mordor, and Frodo
faces his inner darkness. Though he returns to the Shire, the Mordor
he’s seen within himself precludes his journey coming to a completely
peaceful end.
The Temptation of the Ring
The temptation of the ring is the motivating force behind
every action in The Lord of the Rings, whether
characters are fighting the temptation, nurturing it, denying it,
or preventing someone else from giving in to it. Characters of every
race pursue the ring. The ringwraiths and Sauron seek it constantly.
Gollum attacks Frodo several times to try to take it from him. The
sons of Denethor, Boromir and Faramir, both try to take it from
Frodo. The ring tempts Gandalf and Galadriel, each of them drawn
to the thought of the immense power it could give them. Even pure-hearted
Sam briefly wonders how it would be to possess the ring. No one,
apparently, is immune to its temptation, and Frodo is no exception. Though
he is chosen as ring-bearer because he is most resistant to the
ring’s lure, Frodo must constantly fight his desire for it. He is sometimes
tempted to hand it over to his more powerful friends, while at other
times he wants to keep it for himself. When he finally arrives at
Mount Doom, Frodo elects to keep the ring, despite the tremendous
anguish it has caused him. At no other moment in the trilogy is
Frodo more tempted by the ring’s power. Frodo gives up the ring
only because Gollum appears and fights him for it, a fight that
leads to its destruction. The ring that has possessed so many and
that has served as a kind of connective tissue among all the races of
Middle-earth is ultimately destroyed by its own power.
Journeys
The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy about
a journey, but this large journey consists of many smaller journeys
that advance the greater one. Individuals and groups are constantly
setting off for someplace, to pursue a goal of their own, rescue
someone, or escape. Merry and Pippin engage in an unintentional
journey when they join forces with Frodo and Sam early in The
Fellowship of the Ring. Aragorn takes many dramatic journeys
across Middle-earth on his horse, a Lone-Ranger-type figure taking
the brave and necessary steps to save his people. Gollum journeys
with Frodo and Sam and also within his own conflicted soul. The
elves journey to their land of immortality, though Arwen elects
to remain behind—her own journey will be one that leads her to Aragorn
and a mortal life. The last time we see Frodo in The Return
of the King, he is embarking on yet another journey, this
time with the elves, to pursue his next adventure. A constant feeling
of movement stretches through all three films, and, though the destinations
are always clear, the journeys often seem to have no end in sight.
