How Tolkien s The Silmarillion Is Rife With Battles...

Tolkien’s The Silmarillion is rife with battles between good and evil, these diametric ideals are what make this fantasy mockup of the bible a compelling and interesting book. The relationships between different peoples and the tension those relationships create are fueled by the binary opposition of what is considered good and evil. Tolkien was a literary scholar and payed abrupt attention to the appellation of places and people and the affect the supposed locution of the cultural groups within the novel. A central element that drives the work’s exploration of its theme includes suggestions of the dualism of good and evil and the different ways evil corrupts good. The opening of â€Å"Ainulindalà «Ã¢â‚¬  establishes the potential for a dualist†¦show more content†¦Aule, one of the Valar, opposes Iluvatar by attempting to create life, same as Melkor. Unlike Melkor, Aule is humble and begs forgiveness, willing to destroy his creation to regain to good gra ces of Iluvatar. As described in Ainulindalà « Aule’s are an imitation of Ilà ºvatar’s, Tolkien makes it clear that only Ilà ºvatar can create true life, perhaps best described here as beings with souls. (Fry, 2015) The Dwarves exist only as projections of their maker until Ilà ºvatar gives them independent thought, in this action he both forgives Aule for his defiance and adopts the dwarves as his own. Ilà ºvatar’s accepting and tolerating the making of the Dwarves closes the short-term binary opposition of the two creators, so both Aule and his creations are once again, a singular structure which stands with what is considered good. Iluvatar, however, does not allow the dwarves to interfere with his vision for whom the first born should be so the Dwarves are put to sleep under mountains until after the Elves awaken. The start of the third book, the Quenta Silmarillion, begins with a strife between Tulkas and Melkor. Tulkas is described as a wrathful, angry being in the same sentence he is mentioned laughing. Both his laughter and wrath caused Melkor to flee, taking clouds and darkness with him. As easy as it is to imagine a