Male Expression of Love in Lord of the Rings
The Lord of The Rings films are triumphs in many different ways. The series is a triumph in filmmaking, special effects, and adaptation. But upon a recent rewatch something a little bit smaller stuck out to me that I think plays a big part in why these movies have such staying power and are so beloved. It’s the portrayal of masculinity and fraternity.
Depictions of masculinity in popular culture are so often problematic. Strong male characters are stoics, rude and often strangely violent. Emotional unavailability is almost a requirement for a male lead in a drama. Think House, The Sopranos, The Wire, Citizen Kane, CSI: NY, A Christmas Carol etc.
I understand the temptation of building strong, independent and emotionally unavailable men in stories. It allows for an easy character arc and a big impactful moment when the stoic finally breaks and lets the emotions flow. It’s powerful, really powerful. I’ve been rewatching LOST with my partner (her first time watching the series) and almost all of the male main characters get a very memorable moment where they break in front of someone else. Jin in season 1 after reconciling with his wife, Sun. Sawyer when he loses a loved one in Season 5. They are very powerful moments but they normalize this idea that men are only supposed to cry in times of great emotional distress. But these dudes have been stranded on an island after a plane crash. Do they cry about that? About the lives lost, about the trauma of being in a horrific accident? About the absolutely dire circumstances? Nope. Another thing to note is in almost every instance where a man cries in LOST it is either with a woman or about a woman. Reinforcing the expectation that women are to do/are emotional labour for men.
However, in Lord of The Rings, we get to see The men (in the gendered sense, not the racial sense) in these films cry for each other both in sadness and joy. They hold one another. They kiss each other. The men in these films acknowledge their emotions and are never judged or criticized for displays of affection. The fellowship is bound together not only by quest but by love for one another. Furthermore, the film doesn’t demand that our heroes learn how to fight, or perform feats of strength to be deemed worthy of love (No stupid “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” bullshit montage required). All of the hobbits in the Fellowship are worthy due to their courage and determination, not their strength or forcefulness. The camaraderie of the Fellowship, one of open emotion and care, is something we can all aspire to. In a world where men so often struggle with mental illness and depression that stems from societal structures that tell men that their value is determined by economic, sexual and/or physical prowess. Where men feel isolated and alone due to emotions being seen as weakness, as a liability (funny how women are so often put down for being “emotional” like it’s a bad thing. Just another example of why feminism benefits males too.) It is important that we see depictions that eschew said expectations and, instead, reinforce that a man’s value is inherent, not earned and that demonstrations of emotion and love are something that can and should happen between men
Now, LOTR is not free from its problems, it was written in the 1930s and contains issues of female and minority representation as well as a lot of problematic themes and ideas about race that are still prevalent in most western fantasy today (JRR Tolkien was outspokenly anti-racist, but much like we’ve outgrown the concept of “Girl Power” maybe it is time for fantasy creators to think about how they interpret race). However when it comes to depictions of fraternity amongst men? *Chef’s forehead kiss*
Originally published at http://sondergardworks.wordpress.com on January 20, 2021.
