Volume 3 Article 4

Number 2

1975

"Death and the Desire for Deathlessness"

Glen GoodKnight

Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore

Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons

Recommended Citation
GoodKnight, Glen (1975) ""Death and the Desire for Deathlessness"," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien,
C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 3 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol3/iss2/4

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by

the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It
has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of
J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and
Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU
Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is
available upon request. For more information, please
contact phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu.

To join the Mythopoeic Society go to:

http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm
Online Winter Seminar
February 4-5, 2022 (Friday evening, Saturday all day)
https://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/ows-2022.htm

Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien

Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022
http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm

Abstract
Reproduces a letter from Tolkien to Dr. Herbert Schiro (later included in Letters, but at this time previously
unpublished). Discusses Tolkien’s assertion that The Lord of the Rings is at heart about death and the
desire for deathlessness, and speculates on its survival as a literary classic.

Additional Keywords
Immortality and mortality in J.R.R. Tolkien; Tolkien, J.R.R. Letter to Herbert Schiro, 11 Nov 1957

This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic
Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol3/iss2/4
 " D e a th a n d th e D e s ir e
f o r D e a t h l e s s n e s s "
C o u n s e l o f E lro n d
I w ould lik e to th a n k D r. H e r b e r t S c h iro fo r
s h a r in g th e fo llo w in g l e t t e r h e r e c e iv e d f r o m J . R . R .
T o lk ie n , and g iv in g p e r m is s io n th a t i t a p p e a r in
p r in t. H e w as a y o ung m e d ic a l s tu d e n t w hen th e
l e t t e r w as r e c e iv e d .
17 N o v e m b e r 1957
D e a r D r. S c h iro ,
I w as d e lig h te d w ith y o u r l e t t e r , w h ich
I s h a ll c e r ta in ly k e e p . T h e r e is n o th in g
m u ch r e a l l y to s a y (beyond r e c o r d in g th e
p le a s u r e th a t y o u r e n jo y m e n t an d s y m p a th y
g iv e m e ), a s you u n d e r s ta n d th e m a t t e r so
w e ll. T h e r e is no 's y m b o lis m ' o r c o n s c io u s
a lle g o r y in m y s to r y . A lle g o ry of th e s o r t
" fiv e w iz a rd s = fiv e s e n s e s " is w holly
fo r e ig n to m y w ay of th in k in g . T h e r e w e re
fiv e w iz a rd s and t h a t 's j u s t a u n iq u e p a r t of
h i s to r y . T o a s k if th e O re s 'a r e ' C o m m u n ­
i s t s is to m e a s s e n s ib le a s a s k in g if C o m ­
m u n is ts a r e O r e s .
T h a t t h e r e 's no a lle g o r y d o es n o t, of
c o u r s e , s a y t h e r e is no a p p lic a b ility . T h e r e
a lw a y s i s . A nd s in c e I h a v e no t m ad e th e
s tr u g g le w h o lly u n e q u iv o c a l: s lo th and s t u ­
p id ity a m o n g h o b b its , p rid e and ((ille g ib le ))
am o n g E lv e s , g ru d g e an d g re e d in D w a rf-
h e a r t s , and fo lly an d w ic k e d n e s s a m o n g th e
"K in g s of M en, " and t r e a c h e r y and p o w e r-
lu s t ev e n am o n g th e " W iz a r d s " , t h e r e is I
s u p p o s e a p p lic a b ility in m y s t o r y to p r e s e n t
tim e s . B ut I sh o u ld s a y , if a s k e d , th e ta le
is n o t r e a l l y ab o u t P o w e r and D o m in io n :
th a t o nly s e ts th e w h e e ls going; it is ab o u t
D e a th and th e d e s i r e f o r d e a th l e s s n e s s .
W hich i s h a r d ly m o r e th a t to s a y i t 's a ta le
w r itte n by a M a n !
Y o u rs s in c e r e ly ,
J . R . R . T o lk ie n
T h e ab o v e l e t t e r , p re v io u s ly u n p u b lish e d , g iv e s
a new and v a lu a b le in s ig h t in to J . R . R . T o lk ie n 's
m o tiv a tio n fo r w ritin g T h e L o rd of th e R in g s .
M ost c r i t i c i s m h a s d e a lt w ith L otR a s a book
"ab o u t p o w e r, " w hich is n o t i n c o r r e c t , b u t w hich
in lig h t of th e ab o v e is s e e n to be in c o m p le te ; th e
w o rk is a ls o ab o u t " d e a th an d th e d e s i r e fo r
d e a th le s s n e s s ."
T h is d e s i r e is in d e e d a u n iv e r s a l h u m a n d e s i r e ,
and h a s b e e n s h a r e d in a un iq u e w ay by T o lk ie n
th ro u g h h is w o rk s — th a t i s , no one e ls e h a s
sp o k e n T o lk ie n 's b e lie f s in T o lk ie n 's m o d e to
T o lk ie n 's tim e .
19
T h e
b y G le n G o o d K n ig h t
S in ce T o lk ie n h a s d ie d p h y s ic a lly , in w h at
s e n s e m a y h e b e s a id to b e " d e a t h l e s s ? " T h e r e
a r e t h r e e su c h w a y s: in h is p e r s o n , in h is w o rk s ,
an d in h is r e a d e r s .
A s w a s in d ic a te d by T o lk ie n p e r s o n a lly a n d a s
w a s show n in th e v a r io u s s e r v i c e s c o n d u c te d f o r
h im , T o lk ie n — a b e lie v in g C h r i s t ia n — w as c o n ­
fid e n t th a t p e r s o n a l im m o r ta lity is r e a l . W h ile
th is m a t t e r is of u ltim a te im p o r ta n c e to e a c h i n ­
d iv id u a l, i t is beyond th e s c o p e of t h is o r g a n iz a ­
tio n to c o m m e n t f u r th e r .
D o u b tle s s m an y w ill s a y th a t T o lk ie n " liv e s on
in h is w o rk s . " We c a n s a y w ith r e a s o n a b le c e r ­
ta in ty th a t L otR is a c l a s s i c ; b u t e v e n th a t d o e s
n o t g u a r a n te e im m o r ta lity e i t h e r f o r th e w o rk o r
f o r i t s a u th o r. B e in g a c l a s s i c is a d a n g e ro u s
th in g f o r a book: i t s s u b s ta n c e te n d s to be f o r ­
g o tte n an d i t s e le m e n ts of f o r m e x p lo ite d . Such
b o oks a ls o te n d to b e c o lle c te d in to l i s t s of "good
b o o k s" of th e kin d e n jo in e d a s r e q u ir e d re a d in g by
E n g lis h t e a c h e r s f a r a n d w id e. (In d eed , L otR i t ­
s e lf is w e ll on to b e in g a b s o r b e d by th a t L i t e r a r y
E s ta b lis h m e n t so d e s p is e d by L e w is , w h ich s o
o ften c o m e s b e tw e e n th e good r e a d e r and th e book
f it f o r h i m . ) F u r t h e r , th e c l a s s i c s a r e p e c u lia r ly
v u ln e r a b le to th e " D eath of th e T h o u sa n d C u ts "
in flic te d by l i t e r a r y " h ig h e r c r i t i c s " in th e fo r m
s o w e ll p a ro d ie d in " T h e G e n e s is of T h e L o rd of
th e R in g s , " p u b lish e d in M y th lo re 9.
T h e s u r v iv a l of a n a u th o r " in h is w o rk s " is
ev e n m o r e d o u b tfu l. H o w e v e r e x h a u s tiv e , a m a n 's
w o rk s c a n n o t be m o r e th a n a p a le p e n u m b ra of h is
r e a l p e r s o n a lity . E v e n tu a lly L otR — a s a c l a s s i c
— is do o m ed to f a ll " if n o t in to o b liv io n , y e t in to
th e g h o s t- lif e of th e m u s e u m a n d th e s p e c i a l i s t 's
stu d y " (a s L e w is s u g g e s te d in a n o th e r c o n n e c tio n ).
T h e L o rd o f th e R in g s 's p o s itio n a s a c l a s s i c
is s e c u r e d by i t s n a tu r e ; but w h e th e r, b e in g a
c l a s s i c , i t c o n tin u e s to " w o rk w ith p o w e r on th e
s o u ls of m e n , " an d th e r e b y a c h ie v e th e o n ly r e a l
d e a th le s s n e s s p o s s ib le in tim e , is d e te r m in e d by
i t s r e a d e r s . How w ill th e s u b s ta n c e of T o lk ie n 's
w o rk s b e r e c e iv e d by e a c h r e a d e r , a n d to w h at
e x te n t w ill h e p e r m it th a t s u b s ta n c e to a ffe c t h is
p e r s o n a lity an d h is view of life ? N othing i s r e a l l y
a liv e , in tim e , u n le s s i t i s in c a r n a te in p eo p le;
an d th u s th e "good in fe c tio n " of T o lk ie n liv e s on
a n d s p r e a d s th ro u g h u s — n o t m e r e ly th e m e m ­
b e r s of th is S o c ie ty , b u t a ll th o s e who h av e tr u ly
r e c e iv e d th a t w h ich T o lk ie n h a s so tru th fu lly and
m a s te r f u lly g iv en .
E a s t e r 1975