The Lord of the Rings, a Metaphor for World War II Joe Shmoe 1/16/2000 The book The Lord of the Rings (which the author originally intended to be one book) resounds with symbolism and metaphor which reflects the era in which it was written. Although the author claims this story has no "inner meaning or 'message'" and that the story is merely a story to be told, it would take a far stretch of the imagination …showed first 75 words of 2027 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2027 total…letely different thing to anther person from another culture, saying something is a rose gives it not only depth of meaning but also a more universal understanding. So is true for this series of novels. While history can be taught and read in a literal sense, it is better understood to an enlightened thinker through the translation of metaphor; the literal lacks the essential character of depth, which gives metaphor its very power of communication.