The Long Defeat – Glimpses of Final Victory: The Years of the Locust

An examination of Tolkien’s conception of history, the crisis of unpreparedness preceding the Second World War, and a relating of the story of Churchill’s warnings and eventual ascension to the position of Prime Minister. This study will compare the historical perspective of Tolkien, as represented in his fictional works, with the turmoil that transpired during the early days of WWII. Mostly, it will demonstrate how Tolkien’s view of history manifested itself within the context of the very perilous realities leading up to WWII. Nonetheless, a larger portrait of the nation of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, and their joint struggle to both realize Britain’s full potential and awaken the world to the evils of Nazism and fascism are brought to the forefront. From a certain standpoint, they appear to be a distinctive and prime example of those who aspired to fight courageously, having in mind only the justice of their cause rather than the great odds standing against it and the suffering sure to come. Decency, goodness, self-sacrifice, and certain faith that final victory would ultimately come to those who fought for such things while bearing their cross righteously through the storms of war and defeat, were all ideals that Tolkien valued and continue to figure into the great play of our universe. Moreover, on a sub-celestial level, they figured prominently in the minds and hearts of the war-weary British people and their steadfast leader as well as all those who gave their life for the cause of freedom in the Second World War