[the mortal elf]

Not allegory! How many times has Tolkien stressed this in letters, and even in the introduction to LotR?

I heard somewhere that after Africa he lived in a quiet little town that was generally taken over by a mining facility. He thought of all his neighbors and friends as the hobbits, and the technoloy was sort of what would happen to the shire if Frodo failed.

I also heard somewhere that the ring symbolized technology, but I'm not sure where...sorry for the lack of actual quotes.