Tolkien (theme, influence, style)

Themes of J.R.R. Tolkien's works are generally very dampened with a crepuscular tone, (crepuscular - dictionary.com). These written worlds of Tolkien's imagination follow a very negative theme that I believed were influenced by his experiences throughout life. For example, Middle Earth of the "Rings" trilogy is a very dark place that could represent the battlegrounds he once fought on in World War I. The scenery is very desolate and it is the final place of battle against "Evil" or perhaps Germany in correspondance. Although these influences and themes reflect very negative attributes, his style reflects a different view. The endings of the trilogy end on a positive note. "In these books Tolkien rejects such traditional heroic qualities as strength and size, stressing instead the capacity of even the humblest creatures to win against evil," (http://www.notablebiographies.com/St-Tr/Tolkien-J-R-R.html). In this sense, his artistic style represents the prevailing over evil, which is a stark contrast to the negative themes and influences that seem to engulf many of his pieces.