The Lord of the Rings: Insights

The Lord of the Rings Insights:
The Virtues of The Lord of the Rings
The Wheel of Time does have many more strong and important female characters than The Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, they come across as smug and cocky on too many occasions, as do the male characters of the story. The reader often comes away from The Wheel of Time disgusted with mankind in general, because of the lack of noble qualities to be found in anyone. Perrin is the lone character who continually shows some decency and nobilitiy, but he develops a supernatural ability that makes it harder for readers to empathize with him.

Little mutual respect is shown between the genders. The women all think they know what is best and set out to manipulate the men. The men all think the women are just pretty faces who need protection, guidance and in need of a good spanking. Society is broken down by gender. There are male organizations that try to keep women ignorant, while there are women's organizations that try to dupe men and manipulate them. While Tolkien's Middle Earth is clearly patriachial, there is no overt animosity between the genders and women are held in high esteem.

When it comes to relationships, neither side demonstrates having a clue. The women become emotional wrecks worrying about the approval of their man, while the men have trouble thinking above the waist. As a result, the female characters often come across as witches, while the male characters often border on male chauvinism. These elements place The Wheel of Time in a sharp contrast with The Lord of the Rings.

The Lord of the Rings has few female characters, but they are respected and considered equals in many ways to their male counterparts. The Wheel of Time is full of appalling chauvinistic behavior from both genders. In The Lord of the Rings love and marriage is viewed as a sum greater than its parts, while in The Wheel of Time the prevailing view is that marriage is a detrimental to decision-making and judgment and is a sum lesser than its two parts. The only childlike character is Mat, but he quickly turns into a dangerous imp. Jordan later adds Olver, but this role is so small that it has little bearing.

The Lord of the Rings Items Available at eBay - Scroll for additional items

Available at Amazon.com:

Peter Jackson Films:

Middle Earth Collection:
Theatrical Blu-ray
Extended Blu-ray
Collector's Blu-ray

The Hobbit Trilogy:
Theatrical: Blu-ray + DVD
Extended: Blu-ray | DVD

An Unexpected Journey:
Theatrical Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | Prime Video
Soundtrack: CD | MP3
Extended Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3

Desolation of Smaug:
Theatrical Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | Prime Video
Soundtrack: CD | MP3
Extended Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3

Battle of the Five Armies:
Theatrical Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3
Extended Edition:
Blu-ray | BD 3D | DVD | Prime Video | Soundtrack: CD | MP3

LotR Trilogy:
Theatrical: Blu-ray | DVD
Extended: Blu-ray | DVD
Posters

Animated Film Adaptations:

The Hobbit:
DVD | DVD (SE) | Prime Video
The Lord of the Rings:
Blu-ray | DVD | Prime Video
The Return of the King:
DVD

Books by J.R.R. Tolkien:

The Lord of the Rings Set
The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion
The Unfinished Tales
Beren and Luthien
The Children of Hurin
The Fall of Gondolin

Audio Presentations:
The Lord of the Rings:

BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Hobbit:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Fellowship of the Ring:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Two Towers:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Return of the King:
BBC Dramatization (CD)
NPR Dramatization (CD)
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Silmarillion:
Unabridged Reading (CD)

The Children of Hurin:
Unabridged Reading (CD)