The Lord of the Rings, famous movie series that consist of the quest to destroy the Ring and defeat the evil, has significant character roles that can be evaluated by Sartre’s definition of existentialism. Sartre defined existence as chaos that we must impose meaning upon. Sartre particularly focused on following our own consciousness and ego. In the movie, main characters are constantly challenged with the concept of free will. Characters are put in situations where they have to make decisions solely following their ego. The Lord of the Rings clearly reflected on Sartre’s good faith, in which characters assert their meaning on lives and blame no one.
A short summary to begin: Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire, is given a quest to destroy the Ring in the fire of Mount Doom where the Dark Lord, Sauron, resides. Frodo and his friends leave for the Mount Doom. On their way to Mount Doom, Frodo and his friends are constantly challenged with hardships. At the end, Frodo successfully destroys the Ring. During their journey, main characters display values such as free will, courage, and brotherhood.
Each characters show distinct characteristics that can be evaluated by the Sartre’s definition of existentialism. Frodo, who is the carrier of the ring, is perhaps the most vulnerable character. He often complains about his role in the quest. He is severely tempted to give up and return to his hometown. Frodo’s will to destroy the Ring is weak. However, he successfully destroys the ring because of his friends’ sacrifice. Gandalf, the magician, guides Frodo and his friends in this challenging journey. He displays great wisdom and upright character. Gandalf free chooses to fight the evil. Aragorn, the warrior who later crowned, is a key figure in this quest. Similar to Gandalf, Aragorn displays strong will to destroy the Ring and fight the evil. Aragorn always put himself in front of the group. His leadership skill plays the