Tolkien and Race

As I have observed before, Tolkien seems to resonate with our modern views on the environment.  Whether this was because he was ahead of his own time or had his heels dug in to stay behind it is hard to say.

There is little direct evidence on Tolkien’s views on another hot bed issue of our day:  the question of race.  It has been asserted by an author or two that Tolkien may have been an anti-Semite.  On the whole, their evidence of this is very poor and it seems more a tactic to sell books and articles than any clear conclusion.  The truth of the matter is that Tolkien refused to allow The Hobbit to be published in German because of his violent opposition to Hitler and in a letter directly condemns his treatment of the Jewish people.

As to indirect evidence, Tolkien seems to have had a very progressive view of race (and the equally important but less obvious in U.S. societal distinction of class).  His is a nuanced view that recognizes differences while appreciating the common needs and interests across cultures.  All of the races are seen as fallible and flawed and almost all seem to have the potential of redemption.

Tolkien’s England would have been a predominantly white one.  During his lifetime, Britain used its geography as an island nation to discourage those from foreign countries to immigrate.  Tolkien’s role in Oxford society would have been as one of the privileged class despite his impoverished upbringing.

Yet, Middle Earth as Tolkien imagined was a place of all sorts of races:  hobbits, humans (both black and white), elves, dwarves, orcs, and magical creatures.  The only race that is consistently seen in a negative light is the orcs, who as servants (creations?) of Sauron and Saruman are warped evil incarnations of the rest of sentient creation.

But the other groups are seen as having distinctive cultures that can be appreciated on their own basis.  There also is among some long held racial distrust between some of them.  Throughout the narrative these are seen cropping up and being overcome by individual characters learning to trust and appreciate each other.  Gimli and Legolas mistrust each other because of racial conflict in the deep past, but by the end have begun to understand the values of the other.  Within the human community, the people of Gondor and people of Rohan overcome their different social values to ally themselves in the fight against Mordor.

Even in the issue of class, Tolkien shows the love and growth in the relationship between Frodo, who is of the wealthy class, and Samwise Gamgee, who is a working man.  It has even been argued that ultimately Sam is the hero of the tale.  Certainly at the end, the content of his character causes him to rise from being a simple gardener to Mayor of the Shire.

Tolkien seems to have believed that the differences between people are real and to be appreciated.  At the same time, they are not ultimately impediments to finding ways to work and live together.  It is altogether a very enlightened view for an Englishman of his time.