"Speak, Friend, and Enter": Interracial friendship in the works of J. R. R Tolkien

Abstract The famous writer J. R. R Tolkien and his books The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have been given a lot of attention over the last 15 years. This is due to the film adaptations of the books by director Peter Jackson. The films and the attention they gained, led to racist accusations against Tolkien and his books. This thesis deals with interracial friendships in Tolkien's books, with the intention to show that both the books and Tolkien himself promotes difference and collaboration between the races. I the analysis of these friendships several aspects appear, showing that Tolkien's invented world is not based on a racist foundation. Tolkien conveys general moral lessons in his works, often in accordance with his Catholic faith. His religious faith is ever present in his writing, and this is especially seen in his theory of sub-creation. I refer to this theory in my thesis, and link it to the way Tolkien portrays his interracial friendships. Especially The Lord of the Rings indicates that in an ideal world interracial relationships should be strived for. Despite of this, it can be seen as somewhat problematic that the races of Tolkien's imaginary world, Middle-earth, are sorted in a highly hierarchical way. By looking at friendships that are created across these racial hierarchies, this thesis tries to show that these hierarchies are Tolkien's way of arranging his world, rather than a critique against equality. By creating a fairy-story where the races unite against a common enemy and friendships are created as a consequence of this, Tolkien shows that he was a liberal of his day