Was Tolkien Depressed? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Child of the 7th Age · 07-16-2002, 10:25 PM

From everything I've read, Tolkien was a man of both very positive and very negative feelings. One moment he might be cheerful and happily involved in a project; the next moment he might be pessimistic and depressed.

There were probably several reasons for these swings in mood. First, he had experienced a major tragedy as a youth, losing both his parents by the age of 12, and then being shunted from place to place without plentiful funds. Because his mother had converted to Catholicism, the boys received little help from the rest of the family. When someone experiences a major tragedy like that, they begin to think that, at any minute, the rug might be pulled away again.

Secondly, as a committed Catholic, Tolkien viewed human history as one long defeat. Take a look at the Silmarillion, and you'll get a sense of this. He felt it was essential man stand up to battle evil and that sometimes there would be victories (i.e. the Ring quest), but that these victories would always be followed by other defeats. Because of man's limitations, final victory could only come at the end of time. This, of course, is only in regard to human history, not what he believed would be waiting for him "beyond the circles of the world" which was another story.

It's interesting that he chose to focus on the epics of the North, since these were also extremely pessimistic. Unlike Christianity which does stress free will, the northern mythology emphasizes the doom of both men and gods, how their actions were fated to fail but they still had to struggle valiantly on. These tales also suited Tolkien's often pessimistic nature.

If you add to this the many tragedies he witnessed in the 20th century, it's no wonder he was a pessimist. The death of his friends in WWI, the development of the atomic bomb, the destruction of the beautiful countryside by industrialization in his own country--all these reinforced his basic pessimism.

I have a great deal of sympathy for this view. If you realistically examine the history of the past 100 years, we have made great technical progress, but we have also inflicted more death and destruction than any other people before us. It's a little scary, and any sensitive person, which Tolkien was, is bound to be a bit apprehensive when we look at such a record.

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

07-16-2002, 10:25 PM	#1
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	From everything I've read, Tolkien was a man of both very positive and very negative feelings. One moment he might be cheerful and happily involved in a project; the next moment he might be pessimistic and depressed. There were probably several reasons for these swings in mood. First, he had experienced a major tragedy as a youth, losing both his parents by the age of 12, and then being shunted from place to place without plentiful funds. Because his mother had converted to Catholicism, the boys received little help from the rest of the family. When someone experiences a major tragedy like that, they begin to think that, at any minute, the rug might be pulled away again. Secondly, as a committed Catholic, Tolkien viewed human history as one long defeat. Take a look at the Silmarillion, and you'll get a sense of this. He felt it was essential man stand up to battle evil and that sometimes there would be victories (i.e. the Ring quest), but that these victories would always be followed by other defeats. Because of man's limitations, final victory could only come at the end of time. This, of course, is only in regard to human history, not what he believed would be waiting for him "beyond the circles of the world" which was another story. It's interesting that he chose to focus on the epics of the North, since these were also extremely pessimistic. Unlike Christianity which does stress free will, the northern mythology emphasizes the doom of both men and gods, how their actions were fated to fail but they still had to struggle valiantly on. These tales also suited Tolkien's often pessimistic nature. If you add to this the many tragedies he witnessed in the 20th century, it's no wonder he was a pessimist. The death of his friends in WWI, the development of the atomic bomb, the destruction of the beautiful countryside by industrialization in his own country--all these reinforced his basic pessimism. I have a great deal of sympathy for this view. If you realistically examine the history of the past 100 years, we have made great technical progress, but we have also inflicted more death and destruction than any other people before us. It's a little scary, and any sensitive person, which Tolkien was, is bound to be a bit apprehensive when we look at such a record. sharon, the 7th age hobbit __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.