The Understanding of Evil in British Romanticism: J. R. R. Tolkien and the Ring “a Running Ambivalence”

J. R. R. Tolkien, like many people, is a figure that is difficult to explain in terms of the mono-disciplinary attitude of modern academia. The significance of this article lies in the attempt to understand Tolkien's work by taking it beyond the boundaries of traditional literary scholarship. Through an interdisciplinary reading method, it is argued that there is a depth in Tolkien's works, lost between the praise of his supporters and the criticism of his opponents, which exceeds what either group claims to have found. Tolkien’s attitude to Evil consists of two parts, in terms of the Ring. The first is the traditional Augustinian, later Boethian view. According to this view, evil is itself nothing. It is an absence of good. So, it is internal. The sin and weakness of men are the major cause of evil. In terms of the Ring, the desire of Men for Power leads to evil. The important things are these lust and ambition. The second ambiguous and even contradictory vision of evil is the Manichean. From this perspective, evil is the equal of good. It is an external force that is equally powerful to that of good. Evil also has its own will.