In this world, evil seems so strong. To fight against it, many look for a champion of great power - like a Superman. Yet, the theme of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is that it is not the great powers that hold evil in check, but the ordinary folk.
The picture above is a stained glass rose window in the Christ Church Cathedral, High Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, depicting the Fruit of the Spirit.
And St. Paul listed these virtues -
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
forbearance,
kindness,
gentleness
and
self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
In this third part of English, Literature, and Musing (ELM), the Fruit of the Spirit are virtues cultivated in many of the protagonists in English literature. And such classics are a rich source of material for films.
For example ...
After the successful trilogy - The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003), a trilogy of its prequel The Hobbit is now playing on the big screen (2012, 2013, 2014).
JRR Tolkien, who wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a devoted Catholic. Though he wrote fantasy, his faith that defined his worldview was reflected in his writings. [reference: 20Ways “The Lord of the Rings” Is Both Christian and Catholic]
In this world, evil seems so strong.
To fight against it, many look for a champion of great power - like a Superman. Yet, the theme of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is that it is not the great powers that hold evil in check, but the ordinary folk.
In the first part of the The Hobbit trilogy - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) this scene reflects that philosophy:
Gandalf's word are worth repeating as they contain the virtues of the Fruit of Spirit, part of Tolkien's religious faith:
Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found.
I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay.
Small acts of kindness and love.
Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know.
Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.
This scene was not in the original book, but it seems faithful to the theme of The Hobbit. And I agree with the comments of the poster of this clip on YouTube - In my opinion this is one of the greatest lines I've heard in all of cinema.
And that testifies to the power of the story as well as the power of everyday acts of kindness and love of ordinary folks!
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"The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings trilogy" are books on my favourites list and Tolkien is a favourite author as well.
Ordinary folk, by their acts of caring and sharing and thoughtfulness, do make a difference in bringing out a clear sense of wholesomeness and belonging in our imperfect world. The coming days, weeks and months over the distant horizon seem darker than usual, what with one kind of trouble or another fronting the human spirit. It would take whatever little that each of the world's inhabitants can truly contribute, to bring back a sense of neighbourliness, feeling wanted and also appreciated by people of different creeds and climes.
Gopal
Thank you for sharing the fact that these stories originating from J.R.R. Tolkien are morality plays. Having not paid much attention, I thought they were just action fantasy.
We must be really bored when we are so enamored with weirdness.
Ron