Stephann BertrandMr. K HowellWorld Literature Adv.27 March 2014The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a series of novels that illustrate the journey of Frodo the hobbit and his group of companions. They attempt to destroy the One Ring to prevent the land of Middle-earth from being completely overrun by Sauron. As the books' popularity increases, several critics comment on the types of symbolism that are cleverly intertwined with the book's forefront meaning. While defending his books, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien stated, "I cordially dislike allegory"; however, several other sources state that The Lord of the Rings coincidentally refers to several aspects of the world during the period in which the books were first written, including Christianity, World War II, and The Illuminati and the Eye that sees everything. Tolkien was considered a very committed Roman Catholic character (BlogSpot) and, coincidentally, the most important symbol in all of his novels is Christianity. When Christianity becomes a focal point, Jesus Christ immediately emerges as a topic of discussion. However, in his novel, not one person symbolizes Jesus Christ, but three. Gandalf the prophet, Frodo the priest, and Aragorn the king all show different aspects of Jesus Christ. Gandalf is considered the Prophet because he is the orchestrator of the forces of good who seek to defeat Sauron and his army of evil. Additionally, Gandalf tries to protect the Fellowship, Frodo the Hobbit, and his companions, when they attempt to escape the Balrog. Both Gandalf and the Balrog were slain; however, Gandalf is resurrected as Gandalf the White and becomes more powerful than before. Frodo the Priest shows another Christ-like aspect as he takes the burden of the One Ring, which represents the sin of pride...... middle of card ....... “Knowledge is power” (Freemason Francis Bacon). Freemasons describe the All-Seeing Eye as the Great Architect of the Universe which refers to the fact that God is known as the Great Architect. In the first novel the Fellowship enters the dwarven caverns of Moria, the giant doors displaying seven stars and a crown similar to the Royal Arch of the Freemasons (Andy Lloyd). Although JRR Tolkien did not like allegories, his novel refers to many other aspects of the real world than initially intended. There are many more symbols in the Lord of the Rings because the novel is written by a person who lived through important moments in history and also served in it. Christianity greatly influenced Tolkien throughout his life. Other influences included the mystical spread of the Illuminati. Clearly, Tolkien's great work illustrates the significance of the literary world for the real world.