The One Ring?

[Airerûthiel]

You know how there's a theory that LotR is meant to be a religious allegory, with Frodo as a Christ figure and Sauron as the Devil? Well, for my Religious Studies coursework essay I wrote about the book and I said that I thought the Ring represented things about evil (power etc) that tempt good people to turn to evil. Just my idea, but you never know...

Other readings of the book have the Ring representing the need to grow up, but to me that doesn't make much sense as to why it was destroyed, because otherwise the effects of the Ring would be inevitable - unless there was some kind of idea of a Peter Pan-type figure represented by hobbits...and I'm waffling now so I'd best shut up. Just an idea.