| An age-long nuisance for the priesthood, theologians and philosophers of various systems alike, the problem of evil as expounded by Epicurus refers to the logical problem of reconciling the fact that evil exists with the belief in divine omnipotence and benevolence. In response to this challenge arise numeral forms of theodicy, or the vindication of the gods' goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil. The Augustinianism embraced by the Catholic Church views evil as a privation of goodness, and traces its origin to the misuse of free will, whereas certain dualistic religions like Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism hold evil as a mysterious force within universe beyond human responsibility. Similar religious dualism is visible in Norse sagas and legends, yet mixed with a particular feature of fatalism. Tokien's open commitment to Catholicism and life-long devotion to the study of Norse literature in combination provide both motives and handicaps for any researcher attracted to the entwined images of evil in his works. By a close examination of the dualistic world setting of Middle Earth and each character's reaction to the One Ring's power, the thesis concludes that the evil depicted in The Lord of the Rings is an external existence whose triumph over humanity is fatalistic thus exculpating man's free will from it. The thesis further points out the providential order of world in The Silmarillion, by comparing the creation story of Ainulindal(e|¨) with Augustine's allegorical analysis of the Biblical Genesis, thus proving Tolkien's fidelity to the Catholic teaching of evil as the result of free will misused, yet governed and directed by the greater power of providence. |
