Free Will in The Lord of the Rings

In the movie “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” the concept of free will exists to contrast the morally weak characters in the film from the strong ones. An example of this would be when Boromir attempts to take the ring from Frodo. He does this because he desires the power of the ring and he can not resist its calling. This is in contrast with Aragorn, the leader of the fellowship, who is able to resist the temptation of the ring when Frodo offers it to him. Aragorn’s display of free will in this situation demonstrates his moral strength and his belief that he is in control of his own destiny. A similar scene occurs earlier in the film when the elves, dwarves, and men are arguing about what to do with the ring. When they are unable to make a compromise about who should carry the ring, Frodo offers his services to bring the ring to Mordor. Frodo offering to do this shows that he believes he is in control of his future and he doesn’t want his fate to be determined by a group of fighting creatures who are too proud to compromise. This demonstration of free will by Frodo once again shows that characters who can demonstrate free will are morally strong. Frodo is willing to sacrifice his life in order to save Middle Earth from the evil that Sauron threatens to bring. This is in contrast with Bilbo Baggins, who runs and hides from the ring not only because he allows it to control his life but because he is afraid of what will happen to him if he continues to possess the ring.

The concepts of free will in this movie also relate to the works of literature that contained free will in them. For example, in both “The Fellowship of the Ring” and A Clockwork Orange, having free will speaks to your morality and personal strength. Characters in these pieces of art who exhibit free will are thought to be truly mentally strong people who have strong moral convictions. In the movie, Aragorn understands that he can’t take the ring because it is not meant for him. In A Clockwork Orange, Alex understands that he should become good and that it means more that he is choosing it rather than having morality forced upon him. LOTR is also similar to Brave New World in the respect that both see free will as something that is good and can never be forgotten. However, LOTR also differs from the works of literature in many ways. In Slaughterhouse – Five, free will is seen as something that doesn’t exist and is an illusion. In LOTR, free will is something that is valued and sets evil and weak characters apart from good and strong characters. While these pieces of art all have different uses of free will, all try to convey a strong message about what free will means to their specific storyline.