In part 1 of this series, we explored the concepts of the night watchman state and anarchy in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Now I would like to look at how Tolkien talked about power, its temptation, the pitfalls of wielding it over others, and how it is ultimately destroyed.
Tolkien was a brilliant man who spent much of his adult life as a professor of philology at Oxford University. In addition to his literary genius, Tolkien was also a strong supporter of personal liberty. This article will attempt to examine a very specific area in which Tolkien’s political views seem to spill over into his world of Middle Earth.
