The Return of the King

by

J. R. R. Tolkien

The Return of the King Symbols

The Ring

The Ring symbolizes intense desire, which the novel suggests allows evil to thrive. Also called the One Ring (to distinguish it from the other Rings of Power), the Ring was forged by Sauron and is…

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The Shadow

The shadow symbolizes the hopelessness and dread of war. It takes the form of a dark cloud that Sauron sends over the lands of Middle-earth to provide darkness for his light-intolerant armies and to obscure…

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The Seeing Stones

The Seeing Stones symbolize the danger of assumption and miscommunication. The Stones, also called Palantíri, are devices which allow people within Middle-earth to send visual images to each other instantly. Though they cannot present artificial…

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The White Tree

The White Tree of Gondor acts as a symbol of hope, and when it appears to have withered and died in the courtyard of Minas Tirith’s Citadel, it stands as a sign that Men are…

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