frodo
vietnam war
during the vietnam war (1955-1975),the united states backed capitalist south vietnam to fight communist north vietnam. disillusioned back home for many reasons, u.s. citizens were protesting. the televised atrocities; the draft, which wealthy people seemed to dodge; inequality; disillusionment of the american dream; factory pollution; all the corruption.
the lord of the rings as counterculture
in the 1960s, bootleg paperback copies of the lord of the rings were spreading and enchanting the population. mordor and the ring were recognized as metaphors for corruption and power. for the protesters of this time, some translated this to imperialism and capitalism. however, with his experiences in the world wars, tolkein was plainly negative towards communism. that said, he had always rejected any political theories of his works.
"to ask if the orcs 'are' communists is to me as sensible as asking if communists are orcs."
in other personal writings, tolkein had a strong distrust of powerful governments and rejected the racist theories of his time. he expressed his leaning towards anarchy with his preference for individual freedoms and community autonomy. over time, his work has been able to find common ground in fighting oppression among people with different views.
oppression by mordor
while boromir, son of denethor, lacked his characterizing soft spot for the hobbits in the 1954 book, he was depicted otherwise in the 2001 film: teaching them how to fight, worrying that they may die from the cold on the misty mountains, carrying them, getting obliterated by arrows for them. despite his failings, he deeply cared for the small folk and gondor. mordor coveted gondor, stewarded by denethor. that looming threat plagued boromir and the ring knew it. it targeted his weaknesses fiercely, corrupted him for a moment, and ultimately succeeded in weakening gondor with the death of its champion.
hope and frodo's endurance
the odds were against the fellowship. everything was in shambles, everyone was divided. while the ring succeeded in seducing boromir, frodo was less vulnerable but not immune to its incessant evil. he saw gandalf's fear of the ring and how the ring twisted the others. and yet, he carried and endured it, sacrificing his peace and mind to save the rest of middle earth. the fellowship continued to fight evils elsewhere with only the mere glimmer of hope that frodo was somehow still alive and making his way downtown.
among the protests, phrases like "frodo lives" and "gandalf for president" were born.
the first renaissance faire
people were getting blacklisted from jobs for suspicion of communism. for one, phyllis patterson refused to sign a political loyalty oath and left her teaching job. she then gathered the hollywood exiles and started the first renaissance faire where people could practice a more communal society of free expression and artistic collaboration. these gatherings may not have been a direct protest, but...
conclusion
i've tried to find a somewhat middle ground between the beliefs of a distressed tolkein and 1960s america. throughout this page are links to letters written by him. america's "frodo lives" originally focused more towards the end of the story, but here i present the sentiment for the middle of the story.
many people interpret tolkein's works differently. sauron is a shape-shifter and so corruption can come in many forms, and our world is ever-evolving. the fellowship of the ring was comprised of people from different backgrounds that found common ground in their quest to defeat tyranny.
"my friends, you bow to no one!"
— the king to the hobbits (film, 2003)
free pins
frodo is still out there.
take these pins to spread the word!
you can use these codes or upload to your own server.
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i don't think gandalf would have wanted to be president, but these pins existed in the 1960s anyways.
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"i could help a bit,
i could carry it,
share the load
share the load
share the load."
— samwise gamgee to frodo baggins (film, 2003)
"no! [...] with that power i should have power too great and terrible. and over me the ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly. [...] do not tempt me! for i do not wish to become like the dark lord himself. yet the way of the ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. do not tempt me! i dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. the wish to wield it would be too great for my strength."