A Study Of Dual Themes In The Lord Of The Rings From The Perspective Of Dual Narrative Progression

John Tolkien’s(1892-1973)The Lord of the Rings series is renowned as a pioneer of fantasy fiction and has abundant story lines.By analyzing Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series,this thesis further explores the dual themes from the perspective of the dual narrative progression and the meaning and value brought by these dual themes from the perspective of the dual narrative progression.Thus,this thesis breaks the shackles of the long-standing critical tradition,expands the attention from a single narrative progression to dual narrative progressions,and discovers the dual themes that other theories cannot decipher.After an intensive reading of the text,the author of the thesis reveals that Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series contains dual narrative themes.Tolkien skillfully describes the characters’ inner workings and relationships to explore dual themes from the perspective of the dual narrative progression.The writer adopts different narrative perspectives in the novel The Lord of the Rings series.From the perspective of overt plots,the writer depicts the relationship between the protagonist and different characters from Middle-earth’s overall situation;from the perspective of the covert progression,the writer observes the state of Middle-earth and the individual characters from the main character’s point of view from within.Based on the dual narrative progression theory,the author of this thesis analyzes the dual themes of the destruction of the Ring and Frodo’s spiritual path conveying the theme of self-salvation and the factors affecting dual themes in Tolkien’s novel from three perspectives.This thesis reveals better the ideas Tolkien wants to express in his novels: the destruction of the Ring from the perspective of the overt plot and Frodo’s spiritual path from the perspective of the covert progression reflecting the theme of self-salvation.This study enriches the practical application of the theory of dual narrative progression,which can help readers better grasp the multiple connotations of his works.This thesis illustrates the richness and profundity of novels’ meanings,expands the attention from the meaning of the overt plot to the covert progression that moves forward alongside the plot,and interprets the connotations better in Tolkien’s works.