Good point. Very interesting.
When I saw this thread, I thought of how certain individuals approached death. To some, it's a gift, to others it's a curse.
What I find most realistic in Tolkien's approach of death is that he does not exagerate its 'benefits': yes, it is a 'gift', but some openly call it 'bitter', or find some sarcasm in that term. Remember, I am talking about how characters perceive death, not how death is supposed to be viewed (as explained by H-I). So it's not exactly all songs and joy, like in some pagan beliefs, nor mournfully Gothic. The 'model' characters have a very 'healthy' attitude towards death, that I think (okay, stretching a bit here) mirrors Tolkien's own, as a good Christian and a man at peace with himself and the world. For instance, take Aragorn's dying words that sum this attitude perfectly:
Quote:
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In sorrow we must go, but not in despair.
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This seems to suggest: we are plunging into unknown; we aren't exactly heading into the Elysian Fields, but we're confident enough about the quality of the life we led so as not to wake up in 'hell' either.
Sorry I don't have time to expand right now, maybe others will continue on these scattered ideas.