What does The Lord of the Rings really mean?

What does The Lord of the Rings really mean?  Many people (including myself) have asked that question and many more are asking it today.  And although people have come up with possible answers, nobody really knows what J. R. R. Tolkien was thinking when he wrote the famous trilogy.  Here are a few ideas that I have come across.

                 Some people believe that The Lord of the Rings is a Christian allegory.  J. R. R. Tolkien was a very religious Roman Catholic so some of that Christianity may have leaked into his writing. 

 The character Gandalf appears as an old, wise wizard.  Who is Gandalf really?  When you look at Gandalf’s actions and doings really closely, you see that Gandalf could be a symbol of Jesus Christ.  Here’s the first piece of evidence:  Gandalf was sent to Middle Earth by the Valar, or gods and goddesses of Middle Earth, from the land of Valinor just like Jesus was sent down to Earth by God.  Gandalf was sent to Middle Earth to save the people from evil Sauron.  Also like Jesus, Gandalf has many names.  I think the biggest piece of evidence happens in the Mines of Moria.  Gandalf gives his life to saving his companions by fighting the Balrog.  Gandalf dies fighting the Balrog but the Valar decide that his mission is not over.  Gandalf is brought back to life more powerful than before, not Gandalf the Grey but Gandalf the White, just like Jesus was crucified on the cross and brought back to life. 

 Other characters (Aragorn, Frodo and Sam) have been suggested as Jesus figures because of the role that they play but none as convincing as Gandalf.

             The One Ring has been compared to the human ego.  The ring makes us lose our true name, like, because of the ring, Sméagol’s name turns into Gollum.  The ego turns us invisible, just like the ring.  The ego is the thing inside us that makes us into ourselves; the ring shuts out the rest of the world so the only thing we can think about is yourself and the ring.  We don’t let go of the ego easily just like Gollum, Bilbo and Frodo don’t let go of the ring easily when they need to. 

A very famous psychologist named Carl Jung had a theory that we have these images in our mind that continue to show up throughout many cultures that are called archetypes.  These archetypes have also shown up in The Lord of the Rings.  For example, Gandalf is the archetype for the spirit. Saroman is Gandalf’s shadow figure. Gollum is Frodo’s shadow figure. 

There are many interpretations for The Lord of the Rings.  Which one is right?  Who knows, they might be all right.  Tolkien denied his works being an allegory of anything, he wanted his readers to read them as a story not a symbol of something.  But still, he could have put symbols and allegories into his books without knowing it.