Compare/Contrast: Lord of the Rings and Left Behind

Differences between the characters portrayed in the Lord of the Rings and Left Behind series are substantial, but therein also lay many similarities. Both are fantasy, with Lord of the Rings involving fictional Middle Earth characters of strange form and size, while Left Behind weaves modern day characters into an epic futuristic tale. The Lord of the Rings story takes place in an old-timey environment with no modern conveniences and Left Behind creates a picture of what life after the Rapture of Christ will be like. In both accounts two entities are warring each other; one is portrayed as evil trying to overcome the other, the good side, or the Middle Earthians and the Christians. The endings of both stories are very similar, with the return of the rightful kings to the kingdoms and the bad being destroyed.

Fantasy reigns in both of these fictional series; J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings employs the use of magic and other-wordly beings in the epic tale of one little hobbit setting out on foot to return a powerfully evil ring to a volcano in the underworld. Frodo, the main character, fights his way through the evil powers, the orcs, with the assistance of elves, dwarves, and a powerful wizard named Gandalf. Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the one Ring illegally, copying the Elven-Smiths' Rings of Power. He filled the illegitimate ring with his own power so he could rule the rest of the world; however the ring was taken from his possession. He searched in vain for the powerful ring, which eventually landed in the hands of Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo bequeathed the Ruling Ring to Frodo, who then began a perilous journey across the Middle-earth in order to destroy the ring by throwing into the Cracks of Doom.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' works, the Left Behind series, incorporates the prediction of the future after the Rapture of the Church of Christ. An intricate tale is weaved around the persecution of the Christians as they battle the Antichrist, who is bent on converting the world to Satan's ways and render them outlawed from the kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord. The narrative begins with the Rapture being held responsible for the disappearance of millions across the globe and continues with the entrance of the Antichrist, whose intention is to take over the world. Those who finally own up to the truth dictated in the Bible convert their lives over to Christ and, despite the potentially hazardous consequences, do all they can to inform others of the Antichrist's deception.

Hobbits, elves, wizards, and dwarfs are, of course, completely fictional creatures that Tolkein used to embellish the plot of the Lord of the Rings series. Gandalf, the good wizard, represents the highest power on the good side; he aids the hobbits traveling from the Shire to destroy the Ring. Frodo, undertaker of the monumental task, struggles through swamps, battles, forests, and openly dangerous vicinities to destroy the Ring. Help arrives in the form of his hobbit friends, Sam Gamgee, Merry, and Pippin, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir from Gondor, and a mysterious helper named Strider. Both the Dwarven and Elvish armies ward off the orcs, Sauron's evil army recruits, as Frodo and his aids make their way across perilous country to Mordor. The elves are tall and have pointy ears and are very good at archery. The Dwarves are short and squat and are good at hand-to-hand combat. Gandalf is powerful and incorporates the use of magic in several situations to support his companions. The orcs are the most ugliest things on earth; Sauron, Dark Lord and ruler of Mordor, uses his evil supernatural powers against those trying to destroy the Ring. Both wizards have long, flowing white hair, staffs with little crystal balls on top, and long, gray cloaks that disguise their bodies.

Modern day characters such as you and I are used in the Left Behind series. The story is set in the contemporary environment of the twenty-first century and deals with the way people today interact with others. The characters are ordinary people such as those you'd meet in school or at your job. The Christians are those who follow Christ and His Word, the Holy Bible, after the Rapture and set out to win others over for Christ throughout the seven-year tribulation period. The Antichrist and his devoted followers turn deaf ears to the Word of God, instead choosing the ways of Satan. The Antichrist and Jesus Christ both have supernatural powers like the wizards, and respectively incorporate them for evil and good. The two powers are warring each other.

Lord of the Rings takes place in a time when there were no cars or modern conveniences. The hobbits, elves, dwarves, and orcs had to rely on what nature provided for their battles, sneakiness, and procedures. The Two Towers, where the orcs were created, was powered by wood from the surrounding forests and the orcs fed upon whatever they could find, even injured members of their own army. The hobbits used horses, handcrafted boats, and their own two feet to travel across water, swamps, forests, and open countryside. They were provided with shelter, weapons, and food at various stopping points, but other than that they fended for themselves.

Characters in the Left Behind books have the convenience of modern technology, machinery, and vehicles. Both the Christians and the followers of the Antichrist have guns, automobiles, and other handy devices at their disposal. The story has people in underground operations, churches, performing as spies in the Antichrist's network, leading thousands to the truth of Christ, and rescuing fellow believers from the opposing militia.