Dickerson, Matthew.
Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2003. 234 pp. $14.99 (USD). ISBN:
1-58743-085-1.
[1] There’s no question that the recent Lord of the Rings film
trilogy popularized the books and their author, J.R.R. Tolkien,
more than ever before, and in Following Gandalf, Matthew
Dickerson seeks to take advantage of this trend. Dickerson’s
book focuses on Tolkien’s worldview (as reflected in his stories),
and encourages all who read Tolkien to do so in context. Dickerson
addresses both the themes from Tolkien’s books and some of
the critiques that have been made of his writing, making Following
Gandalf a well-informed approach to all that has been published
in relation to Tolkien’s work.
[2] Given the complexity of Tolkien’s writings, Dickerson
intentionally approaches his subject matter with caution. His sources
include all of the Middle Earth books (i.e., The Hobbit, The
Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion), some less known
writings, and even some of Tolkien’s published letters. Even
though Tolkien was clear that he did not write his stories with
the intention of promoting Christian ideas, Dickerson points out
that Tolkien also admitted later that his faith informed his writing
more than he originally intended or perhaps even realized (particularly
in revisions). This is a factor in Dickerson’s exploration
of various themes in Tolkien’s stories. However, throughout Following
Gandalf, Dickerson remains determined to avoid drawing “parallels” between
Christian mythology and Middle Earth mythology. Instead, he prefers
to apply the themes already present in the stories.
[3] The main theme in Following Gandalf is the reflection
of human free will in Tolkien’s stories, as well as wisdom,
hope, stewardship, involvement of a higher power in Middle Earth,
and whether or not Tolkien glorified violence in his writings. Perhaps
the most difficult discussion to justify, however, is Dickerson’s
analysis of the theme of salvation in The Lord of the Rings.
[4] Dickerson suggests that if the stories are read and considered
in their entirety, the nature and symbolism of certain elements
of the story become self-evident. Occasionally, however, Dickerson
may be going too far in suggesting the extent to which Tolkien’s
worldview influenced his writing. For instance, his discussion in
one chapter (“Themes of Salvation”) comes close to drawing
explicit parallels between Christian mythology and Tolkien’s
writing. Dickerson argues that Tolkien was clearly writing about
ideas in which he, as a Catholic, believed. He notes that Tolkien
clearly believed in Christian concepts to the extent that they would
apply universally. However, to write about these concepts using
Christian words would be unnecessary, since there already is a Christian
mythology in the Bible. Also, from Tolkien’s point of view,
such an approach would defeat the attempt to create a separate fantasy
world for readers, since that world would then have direct links
to ours. An entire chapter dedicated to examining how closely the
Christian concept of “salvation” is mirrored in Tolkien’s
Middle Earth may be contrary to Tolkien’s design, even in
terms of the application of ideas in his stories.
[5] Dickerson never identifies himself religiously, but he does
identify his target audience; his intention is to explore the Christian-inspired
themes and values portrayed in Middle Earth. Given this approach,
he admits that, although of potential interest to all of Tolkien’s
readership, it is primarily Christians who may be most interested
in these interpretations of Tolkien’s writings. His work establishes
Tolkien as one of the few writers of his generation who promotes
the idea that, in all situations, one always has the option of doing
the right thing. Indeed, the idea that there is a clear “objective
morality” (absolute right and wrong), as Dickerson puts it,
set Tolkien apart from his contemporaries in the field of exploring
the idea of human free will. The book demonstrates a very high view
of Tolkien’s work and approaches its complexity with respect.
Those who are more than casual fans of Tolkien’s Middle Earth
mythology (and perhaps even some who are just casual fans) should
appreciate this book.
Rudy Regehr
Winnipeg, Manitoba
rregehr@mts.net
