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
