he receives the grace to depart to the Blessed Realm, even though hobbits are the descendants of
Men and so should be unable to go there.
The pattern that emerges is of a largely Spiritual Struggle. Aragorn may be the Davidic
Messiah to the Realms of Men, the great restorer, but it is not he that defeats Sauron. Sauron
cannot be defeated by arms. There's only one way to defeat him, and only one kind of person
able to do that. Frodo is this kind of person not because he is a hobbit, as Smeagol, a very
Hobbit-like creature, demonstrates to all who see him the corruptive power of the Ring. Rather,
Frodo has the right spirit, the readiness to suffer in order to destroy wickedness.
He was oppressed and afflicted
Yet he did not open his mouth
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter
And as a sheep before her shearers is silent
So he did not open his mouth
By oppression and judgment he was taken away
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut of from the land of the living
For the transgression of my people he was stricken
He was assigned a grave with the wicked
And with the rich in his death
Though he had done no violence
Nor was there any deceit in his mouth
Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer
And the though the Lord makes of his life a guilt offering
He will see his offspring and prolong his days
And the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand
After the suffering of his soul
He will see the light of life and be satisfied. iv
This passage from Isaiah 53 describes a being known as the Suffering Servant.
Christianity has always identified this person as Jesus of Nazareth, and it takes very little
stretching to make of it a map of the story of Frodo Baggins. Certainly we see the paradox of
both "cut off from the land of the living" and "will see the light of life and be satisfied" in
Frodo's journey across the ocean to the Undying Lands. Ascension is always a journey where
beloved friends and companions cannot immediately follow.
In short, Tolkein imbues his narrative with two Messianic figures: a traditional warrior
and descendant of kings, who restores and builds up the kingdoms of old, and a suffering servant
who by his virtue and innocence overthrows evil on a quantum level. These are very strongly
Biblical themes, as I will presently argue by contrast to Martin's work.