Psychoanalytical reading of Lord of The Rings

Abstract - Thesis

Balance of id, ego and superego, archetypes and individuation processes all contribute to form an entertaining book that all people will be able to enjoy. In this psychoanalytical criticism paper I will take a Jungian approach in order to analyze characters in lord of the rings. I will focus on the main characters; Frodo, Gollum and Sam, and determine how their archetypes are relevant to the progression of the story, and how the characters themselves develop on a psychological level, and if an individuation process occurs as a result of influence from other characters or the environment. A psychoanalytical reading of the lord of the rings studying psychological development in characters shows that balance of id, superego and archetype is crucial to success, and only an individuated, balanced ego and archetype is capable of handling psychologically challenging tasks.

Psychoanalysis and Jungian Theory
Psychoanalytical criticism is a school of thought that analyses the psychology of either the characters and how this affects the story, or the author and how this impacts the story. There are several approaches to psychoanalysis, whereof the main ones are the Freudian theory and Jungian theory, which serve almost the same purpose, but use different strategies to do so. Both have to do with the conscious, subconscious and unconscious parts of the mind; id, ego and superego. But where freudian theory analyses phases and individuation, Jungian theory focuses more on archetypes and the Self. I will be focusing on Jungian criticism in this analysis.
Jungian theory states that there are three parts of the mind that act on different levels. The first level, which is purely unconscious, is id. The id represents desires a person has regardless of judgment of what is socially acceptable. Like the desire to survive, reproduce etc. The next is the superego. It is in some ways the opposite of the id, and operates in the unconscious, preconscious and conscious levels of the mind. The superego is primarily concerned with what is socially acceptable, and how to maintain a good self-image. It is often by analyzing the superego that we can determine what archetype a person has. The superego often aims to please and help others with no regard for personal safety. The ego is in some ways the middle ground between id and superego. It is active in the preconscious and conscious mind, and is what people use to make conscious decisions and evaluate the drive to help others over personal desire. A comparison to illustrate this is that id is like the devil sitting on the shoulder of cartoon characters, whereas superego is like the angel. The ego then is the conscious mind that needs to make a balanced decision. In this paper I will also look at archetypes. Archetypes are in a way a psychological DNA. It is an underlying psychological type that determines values, desires, weaknesses, interests and fears. Similar to how DNA codes for physical properties a person may have, Tall or short, boy or girl, blue eyes or green, the archetypes determine if a person is heroic and a leader, or if he is more likely to follow and aim to fit in with others. Archetypes are active unconsciously, and are spotted and analyzed through actions and decisions a person or character may take.

Frodo’s Archetype
Frodo has the explorer archetype, and this is crucial to the success of his mission.
The Fellowship of the ring consists of Frodo, who volunteers to be the ring-bearer, Gandalf, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, and Aragorn. In this paper I will be focusing on the main characters, Frodo, Sam, Gandalf and Sméagol.
The main character, Frodo Baggins, at first sight might seem like the hero of the books, however when analyzed, it is quite obvious that he represents the explorer to a much greater extent. Yes, Frodo ultimately is the hero, as he destroys the ring of power, however he does not have the unconscious archetype of the hero. He does not set out on his quest in pursuit of honor and glory, but much rather because he realizes that it would benefit the greater good. This shows how his ego outweighs his id, namely his wish to do good outweighs the desire for glory. Frodo represents the explorer, as his archetype experiences an individuation process that reinforces his will to live a free, authentic and fulfilling life. He likely takes much of his subconscious will to explore from Bilbo, considering that Bilbo without a doubt has the archetype of an explorer, as unconsciously he is motivated to explore middle-earth, and strives to escape a boring and uneventful life.

Sam’s Archetype
Sam has the archetype of a caretaker, and this is portrayed strongly through his actions.
Sam is in many ways also a hero, as he really does a lot of the heavy lifting in order to assist Frodo in his mission. However, his underlying archetype is not that of the hero. Sam actually fills the role of the helper, and his archetype strongly resembles that of the caretaker, as his core value is to assist and care for others. This unconscious drive often shines through in scenes where Frodo is in danger, motivating Sam to commit actions that his conscious ego would not have allowed, ultimately saving Frodo’s life. An example of this is when Frodo attempts to sail out by himself. Sam sees him and senses that Frodo is endangering himself and his archetype of the caretaker motivates him to jump into the water to get to Frodo. (Tolkien, book 2-chapter 10) This demonstrates his superego taking over, as Sam can actually not swim, and his id would be telling him to stay on land and not endanger himself, while his ego would make him feel like he really wanted to join and help Frodo, but also that he did not want to drown, in which case he would also stay on the shore. Needless to say, this is essential to the success of the mission, as Sam saves Frodo countless times.

Sméagol’s Archetype
Sméagol has a weak ego, and this is the cause for his split personality.
Gollum, or Sméagol is likely the most complicated characters of LoTR and also one of the most interesting from a psychoanalytical standpoint, as he might come across as evil at first due to many of his actions, however his archetype actually is that of the orphan. Sméagol’s archetype is the orphan, as his core desire has always been to fit in and connect with others. His ego seems to be quite weak compared to his id, as he has a tendency to give in to desire and greed. This can be blamed partially on the influence of the ring, which clearly bore marks on his Self, but not completely, as his id also fuelled his actions before the influence of the ring. An example of this is when he strangles his brother in order to take possession of the ring. An example of a situation that demonstrates Sméagol’s archetype is when Sméagol wants to fit in with Frodo and Sam. He uses empathy to try and relate and familiarize with Frodo and Sam, and is troubled by the fact that Sam does not like his presence. (Tolkien, book 4-chapter 1) His archetype makes him want to belong with Frodo so much that he actually loses his Self for the sake of this superficial relationship, a common effect of the orphan archetype, and develops a case of split personalities. These split personalities show that the difference between his id and superego is so strong that there is barely any room for his ego, which likely causes the condition. At times his superego and archetype are in control, causing him to be good to Frodo and Sam, and at others his id is in control, which clearly is dominated so strongly by its subconscious desire for the ring, that it even overpowers his survival instinct, as seen in the scene where he falls to his death at mount doom happily with the ring.

Gandalf’s Archetype
Gandalf quite obviously has the archetype of the magician, although there are traces of the sage in his archetype as well. Gandalf's core desire is to make the world a better place by nudging people in the right direction using his knowledge and wisdom. He often is the character that initiates a series of events strategically by applying his wisdom in order to slightly manipulate others. However rather than being some puppet master, he gently puts characters on the path to the greater good and win-win situations, as typical for magician archetypes. An example of this is how he encourages Frodo to leave his comfortable home, and fight for good.(Tolkien, book 1-chapter 3) The same happens in during “The Hobbit”, where he convinces Bilbo Baggins to leave the Shire and slay the dragon Smaug. Gandalf often helps the main characters on their quest, and drives the story forwards. He also often represents the good and pure, and this is also reflected in the books.

Relevance of Psychoanalysis
Hobbits are the race in lord of the rings that are meant to make it easy for readers to relate with. They share qualities with what most would call good and average people. This makes it entertaining for both men and women to read the books. This is because the hobbits fight in wars,with a decent bit of violence, but still have some feminine qualities that make it easy for any audience to identify and relate with. Hobbits are as balanced and innocent as can be, living peacefully in the Shire, which has the geographical archetype of peace and quiet. Therefore it is only logical that the burden of the ring should fall upon a hobbit.
Frodo is the only person that is able to withstand the power of the ring due to his strong, yet innocent Self. His balanced ego is necessary to withstand the desire of putting the ring on and keeping it. His Archetype also is the perfect one for the task, as it allows him to keep focused on the task at hand. It also grants him motivation in heavy and dark times, this combined with the positive attitude Sam has towards everything is what keeps Frodo from giving in to the ring.

Conclusion
Frodo is the only character that is capable of handling the ring, as he has an innocent Self, with an archetype that allows him to pursue his mission, and a balanced id and superego as well as a strong ego, which allows him to resist the power of the ring. A psychoanalytical reading of the lord of the rings shows that an innocent Self, strong ego and appropriate archetype is required to complete specific demanding tasks. Viewing LoTR through a psychoanalytic lens is extremely rewarding and relevant, as it opens up a whole new depth of relations and identities, and being aware of this enriches the overall reading experience. Tolkien has done an incredible job at planning out all characters and writing a enjoyable book.

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