Sean K. Carpenter Dr.

James Stobaugh British Literature Lesson 33 July 24, 2012 Assignment: Evaluate the criticism against Tolkien for generally ignoring women in his novels. The Unattractive Women of The Lord of The Rings Australian journalist Stephanie Merritt believes J. R. R. Tolkien is a seemingly evil man, having purposefully created weak characters, specifically women, to maintain a supposedly archaic view of society. Since The Lord of the Rings was published, J. R. R. Tolkien has been accused of using it as a platform for a number of unattractive ideas - racism, fascism and snobbery among them - but a medieval attitude to women is the most consistent criticism levelled by modern dissenters (Merritt, 2003). From her opinions, Ms. Merritt is not exceptionally familiar with Tolkiens characters of Galadriel, Arwen and owyn, who are all extraordinarily strong women, and more importantly, characters. Galadriel is one women who plays an essential role in The Lord of The Rings and is present in many of Tolkiens tales, namely The Silmarillion, The Unfinished Tales and The Lord of The Rings. In her early days, Galadriel was the only female leader in the rebellion of many of her people, described in The Silmarillion. Thus, Galadriels presence in the epic fulfills the obligatory role of a strong woman; hopefully indulging the Feminist. Unfortunately for the character, her youthful rebellion resulted in exile from The Undying Lands, where the Elves went at the end of The Lord of The Rings. The character of Galadriel is most prevalent in The Fellowship of The Rings, where she and her husband are the leaders of Lrien, an Elvan community closed to outsiders. When the Fellowship arrives at Lrien during their trip to Mordor, Galadriel searches the hearts of each member, which certain members interpret as a test of their virtue. Later during The Fellowships visit, Frodo, the bearer of The Ring, unintentionally tests Galadriel when he offers her the burden of The Ring, believing it would be too

heavy for him. Lrien is dying, accepting The Ring would have enabled Galadriel to save her new home; her own ring, Nenya, was not powerful enough. Nevertheless, she refused it, preventing being corrupted by the power of The Ring. As a result of her refusal, and her acceptance of the demise of Lrien, she is allowed to return to her true home in the denouement of The Return of The King. Only when she resigned herself and stopped fighting destiny was she granted her hearts desire. In contrast, Arwen Evenstar, granddaughter of Galadriel, is an example of why critics have claimed that Tolkien was not a good writer of female characters. She is extraordinarily fair; her Elvan beauty was compared to Lthien Tinviel, whose tragic story is found throughout The Lord of The Rings. It is mostly her beauty that causes her to be despised by the Feminists of this world. Lthien was considered to be the most beautiful maiden to walk the earth. However, she relinquished her immortality (a natural born gift of all the Elves) to be with Beren, son of Barahir of the Edain, a man. When Beren died, Lthien withdrew herself from all society. Arwen too sacrificed her immorality to be with a man, Aragorn, son of Aragorn; thereby linking her story with Lthiens. In the end, there are two interpretations a reader may have of the story of Arwen: First, the superficial idea that Tolkiens Arwen is a pretty, but weak women, who need men; second, the interpretation that Tolkien meant it partially to be a fable on sacrificial love. Depending on the readers interpretation, owyn may be the most Feminist character in Tolkiens lore. A self-proclaimed shieldmaiden, owyn enters in The Two Towers as a dutiful young woman, serving in the court of her uncle, King Thoden. As everyone in the court, owyn starts melancholy; however, unlike her kinship, she resists the zeitgeist and assists Gandalf in reclaiming the court and her uncles mind for the sake of her uncle and country. Peter Jacksons Lord of The Rings franchise depicts the shieldmaiden outright as a Feminist. Tolkien intended owyn, in addition to rebelling against societys expectations, to be a character that suffered despair and grief due to the supposed death of Aragorn (the same Aragorn betrothed to

Arwen), which prompted her posturing as a man. Aragorn had charmed owyn into falling in with him, a man. Aragorn, during his time near her, attempted to placate her interest in both him and battle. Once she believed Aragorn to be died, the only person who calmed her desire to join the battle, owyn disguised herself as a man named Dernhelm and rode into The Battle of the Pelennor Fields. She eventually confronts The Witch-King, who harms Thoden. The Witch-King proclaims that no man can kill him. Unfortunately, she was not a man, as he discovered when she removed her helm. Everything owyn did she did out of love; not to rebel; not for revenge; not to prove anything. In The Lord of The Rings, the women are expected to behave exactly as the men are; to be kind, upright and, above all, virtuous. In this way, he treats women with more equality than many Feminists, saying there is no need for them to rebel to gain more power or rights. Ultimately, Tolkien creates women that are wonderful role models not only for their own sex, but also men.

Works Cited Merritt, S. (2003, December 13). Ladies in waiting confined to Ringside. Retrieved July 24, 2012, from TheAge.au: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125653329.html