JRR Tolkien's work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, with the advent of Peter Jackson's film adaptation, has brought the series to new levels of fame. As with many works of its genre, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the books' main characters struggling to thwart evil's plan. In many other works, the author's personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, where the message is paramount and the characters are the vehicles for conveying the point of the story. CS Lewis, Tolkien's friend and contemporary, is a prime example. Lewis's popular The Chronicles of Narnia series is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. Despite being raised Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien's moral point of view can be found throughout the work, particularly in the way evil is depicted, the use of power, and the moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien's World, "Tolkien's particular myth parallels his Christianity, ... positioning a malevolent and corrupting external influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is condemned to fight, but which he has no hope of defeating" (67). One of the ways in which Tolkien's worldview is represented in his writings is in the total freedom of choice that each character enjoys. Contrary to the Victorian era's obsession with representing good and evil in two dimensions, Tolkien imbues his characters with three-dimensional properties, allowing all of his characters to choose. In a council meeting Elrond states "Nothing is evil in the beginning" (The Fellowship of the Ring 351). This belief is found at the bottom…middle of the paper…in the book of Genesis in the Christian Bible. Evil, as presented by Tolkien, is not intrinsically powerful. The power of evil is found in corrupting those who already hold power or who occupy positions of power within their society. Humility of thought and action is what separates the holders of power in Tolkien's books. This is no more evident than with the fall of Sarumon. When asked to come down from his tower, he refuses and is expelled from the order of wizards he used to lead. Gandalf intones “he will not serve, he will only command” (The Two Towers 588). JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is an unparalleled fantasy of epic proportions. While he eschewed allegory in favor of a historical perspective, Tolkien imprinted many of his most closely held Catholic beliefs into the work. In a lecture on Tolkien's writings given to students at Villanova University, Dr. Tomas W. Smith put it this way: