Technology In Lord Of The Flies

In fact, Galadriel proved her helpfulness through the dust given to Sam that rejuvenated the soil of the Shire. This was not her only good act. The light contained within the phial that Galadriel gives to Frodo possesses an extremely important background. The light comes from the Silmaril that created the North Star, and the light in that Silmaril came from Yavanna's Two Trees. This is another example of nature being on the side of good. The villains in the story are often given mechanical attributes. For instance, Saruman is described by Treebeard as having "a mind of metal and wheels… he does not care for growing things except as far as they serve him for the moment” (TT, 76). In other words, Saruman begins to consume the environment for
his own purposes. He has no qualms about razing the forests around Isengard, poisoning the streams, and denuding the soil. Saruman and his Orc soldiers are often used to provide a very negative view of technological advancement and industry. In fact, industry and war are often made to appear synoymous in Tolkien's works, especially throughout Lord of the Rings. Another example of Tolkien doing this is when Frodo is looking into Galadriel's mirror in which Frodo witnesses a polluted world of industry and factories. Tolkien's criticism of technology is another strategic move he makes that demonstrates the environmentalism theme in Middle Earth.
Generally, technology is only utilized in Middle Earth by characters found on the side of evil. Tolkien's feelings about technology were no secret. He found the separation of man from nature to be an evil of the modern world, and as such depicted it as evil in Middle Earth. Tolkien's distaste for technology was revealed especially clearly through the actions of Saruman. This is particularly seen during the "Scouring of the Shire". The peaceful, paradisical lives of the hobbits were disrupted by the introduction of Saruman's industrial endeavors. Under his rule, the traditional crafts of the Shire hobbits were replaced by more advanced technology. After his downfall, the hobbits viewed the machinery as threatening and removed
it. It is important to take note of the way the hobbits of the Shire prefer to live. Their culture is more of a small-scale agrarian lifestyle. They prosper through family farms, like Farmer Maggot's, that produce foods with high rates of sustainability. Their relationship with nature is mostly a harmonious one of co-existence, aside from some hostility with ancient trees in the past. The hobbits live a simple agricultural life without industry in the natural world. The elves, in comparison, live more of a conservationist lifestyle. They do not tend to nature for utility, but rather for pleasure in an effort to make the world more beautiful. The Elves live harmoniously with nature. The Lothlorien Elves even refuse to cut down trees for housing purposes. Instead, they build their houses atop the trees. Where the Elves are conservationists, the Ents are preservationists. For the Ents, even the uncultivated forests such as Fangorn have value and deserve attention as well as protection. They even refuse to pick fruit from the trees they protect. Instead, they wait for the fruit to fall before claiming it. Each of these cultures are congenial with nature and also on the side of good. On the other hand, some ways of living in Middle Earth are detrimental to nature.
The most obvious examples are the lifestyles of Morgoth and Sauron. They hold control over their fortress civilzation while the natural scenery of their realms wilt away. Nothing blooms in lands where evil dwells. It's eerily similar to the way Pride Rock is transformed when Scar takes Mufasa's place, if I may be bold as to reference my favorite childhood Disney movie. The comparison simply feels so strong that I cannot ignore it. One must wonder, in a land where nothing can possibly grow...how does Morgoth or Sauron feed their people? The answer is slaves. Great distances away slaves yield vast crops and the food is delivered to the desolate realm where nothing grows. Needless to say, Mordor's culture is not a friend to
Nature. Isengard is another example of a culture incompatible with nature. Saruman ruined the lands in Isengard in order to expand his factories in order to expand his power in Middle Earth. Saruman's upheaval of nature is further exemplified by his actions in the Shire. In a manner of speaking, Saruman and his soldiers vandalize the Shire in an act of revenge against the victors that caused his downfall. He replaced the Hobbits' beautiful and unique houses and had them replaced by terrible, cheaply-built, ugly and uniform houses. Grand and beautiful old trees have been chopped down everywhere. Polluting forges and mills have replaced the relatively clean business present before.