 allowed me to forget my position as ‘a little gentleman’: he always knew exactly when to become discreetly respectful. In fact, ‘he knew his place’.” (Sassoon 10). At this point in his memoirs he is acknowledging the absolute subservience and loyalty of a man who is in a class beneath him.
Tolkien romanticizes the subservience of George Sherston’s servant through Sam’s unquestioning loyalty to his Master Frodo. This hobbit Master/Servant relationship is a direct reflection of the real class systems that took place in Britain before and at the beginning of World War I. In his memoirs and poetry, Sassoon expresses an eventual disgust with this way of life. Owen and Sassoon blame this class system for the loss of so many British soldiers. To them the upper class were using everyone beneath them to fight their wars. The “Aragorns” of our world were the ones that Owen and Sassoon were protesting against. Instead of going along with this growing progressive ideal that started sweeping through Europe at the time ─ most dramatically beginning with the over throw of the Russian Royal family, the Romanovs, in 1917 ─ Tolkien reverts back to the past instilling the British class systems before the revolutions spread across Europe.
Tolkien strongly forces the audience to empathize with the fellowship. He designs them as the only ones with the power to save Middle-Earth from the Orc invasions. This is in direct opposition to the messages Sassoon and Owen are trying to emote using the same tragic descriptions of violence. Royalty and wealthy land owners make up the company of the fellowship. There are only two possible exceptions to this, the first being Sam the servant.
Sam only reinforces the hegemonic powers of the hierarchy through his constant obedience and disregard for his own well-being for his Master Frodo. This no longer makes him a possible exception, but a character who placates to the class systems. The other possible exception is Gandalf. Although he is not a land owner or royalty, he is divinely superior for he is not from the realm of Middle-Earth. He is one of the five wizards sent to Middle-Earth. Wizards in this universe work much like archeangels in Catholicism. Gandalf is sent to specifically help destroy the ring of power and restore the hierarchy. He brings a spiritual aspect of divine right to destroy The Ring. The very ring that could help other groups, such as the Orcs, gain some sense of equality. His adamant support of Aragorn’s right to ascend to the King of Man affirms the belief that one can only be born into a position of power and people like Boromir have no right to try to better their position in life. (Boromir being the son of the Steward of Gondor where Aragorn is supposed to rule. Boromir often argues to use the power of The Ring to fight the Orcs off. His act of grabbing such power is presented in a negative light, implying his move to lead his people is an unordained move). The result of Gandalf, a spiritual being, reinforcing the hierarchy makes him a major influence in how the fellowship functions. If Tolkien were to write this along the lines of the messages of Owen and Sassoon the fellowship would revolt against those with privileged power such as, Gandalf and Elrond (a powerful Elf who possesses one of the three powerful Elven rings distributed by Sauron), for sending them on such a quest. In addition, Sam would in some way become an equal or be ‘promoted’ to a higher position in the fellowship for all of his efforts. This is the exact situation that the officers who gained their positions due to their class status were afraid of from the hard-working lower classes who worked their way up to officer. The fellowship in no way distinguish themselves from such fear as they make no attempts of breaking the social order.
The “Othering” effect on Orcs
The only time in The Fellowship of the Ring the Orcs are physically present is in the Mines of Moria. They appear in large numbers and are in direct conflict with the fellowship, initiating the violence; thus resulting in the Orcs holding resemblanc