Return of the King

After the destruction of the Ring, Tolkien depicts the first stage in the Healing and Restoration of Middle-earth through Aragorn’s ascension to the throne of Gondor. Aragorn’s crowning is both an ending and a beginning, concluding the Third Age of the world and beginning a new Fourth Age which will be shaped by the actions of men. This creates a bittersweet victory, as the successful conclusion of the quest results in separation along with reunion.

Unity and joy suggest that the world will heal after Sauron’s influence has ended. In the aftermath of the Ring’s destruction, the Fellowship is finally reunited. The joy of this moment is summed up by Sam, who upon seeing Gandalf alive exclaims, “is everything sad going to come untrue?” (930). This feeling of unbelievable happiness at the moment of coming together is mirrored in Faramir and Éowyn’s budding romance. Upon sensing the moment when the Ring is destroyed, Faramir is filled with a sense of sudden hope and cries out “Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!” (941). Similarly, Aragorn and Arwen are finally able to marry, indicating how the destruction of the Ring brings those who love each other together after a long time apart. These moments of unexpected triumph and elation emphasize how miraculous this victory is to the characters and how monumental of a change this will be for Middle-earth. After pulling the theme of Good Prevails Over Evil through the entire trilogy, Tolkien finally reveals the reward for the unfailing goodness of the protagonists.

However, separation and loss are also a part of the healing process. After Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor, Gandalf declares that his purpose in Middle-earth has ended and that most of the Elves will also leave to go into the West now that Sauron has been defeated. While passing into the West is a form of healing, it also creates a feeling of loss since the beauty and wisdom of the Elves will be gone. Gandalf tells Aragorn that “the Third Age of the world is ended, and the new age is begun; and it is your task to order its beginning and to preserve what may be preserved. For though much has been saved, much must now pass away; and the power of the Three Rings also is ended” (949). This language emphasizes the contrast between preservation and new beginnings, suggesting that Aragorn can balance both as the new king. However, the theme of Healing and Restoration continues as the Fellowship makes the final journey home together. As the companions gradually separate, Tolkien portrays how healing sometimes requires sadness and difficult partings. In a humorous example, Bilbo asks Frodo if he can see his old Ring, not remembering that this is what Frodo set out to destroy. Frodo replies “I have lost it, Bilbo dear” (965), showing how some forms of loss are healthy. However, more tragically, Tolkien begins to foreshadow how Frodo will eventually need to leave behind his friends in order to be fully healed from his traumatic journey. Elrond tells him secretly before he leaves Rivendell “about this time of the year, when the leaves are gold before they fall, look for Bilbo in the woods of the Shire. I shall be with him” (966). Frodo keeps these words a secret, suggesting that he already realizes that it will be necessary for him to leave. The autumn setting also underscores how the parting of the Fellowship is natural, a part of a cycle like the seasons.

While the crowning of Aragorn begins the process of healing Middle-earth, Tolkien also suggests that there are some issues that must be resolved separately—namely Saruman. While Aragorn will restore the world of men, Saruman remains a threat to the Shire that the hobbits must deal with themselves in order to demonstrate their own development and growth. Treebeard tells Gandalf that he could not simply leave Saruman imprisoned forever, claiming that “you should know that above all I hate the caging of live things, and I will not keep even such creatures as these caged beyond great need. A snake without fangs may crawl where he will” (958). When they meet Saruman as a beggar on the road, he menacingly tells the hobbits “long may your land be short of leaf!” (962). This interaction suggests that there will be further healing needed in the Shire due to Saruman’s malevolent influence, but that this is a problem that needs a local solution, rather than the intervention of a king.