As I contemplate the 2020 election’s strange and disconcerting outcome, my mind has been whirring on what it all means; how might we “sort it all out”? Certain images have started coming to the fore: folklorish fables from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and from C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. These are multi-volume works of fantasy.
But there is more than fantasy in them. Rather, they are myth and legend related via the knowledgeable and creative lenses of two very capable writers. And within these books are characters who portray eternal truths; characters who use their free-wills in order to seek a re-dress of wrongdoing so as to restore justness to society.
Tolkien and Lewis both taught at Oxford and were members of the same literary group, The Inklings. Between 1932-1962 this group met regularly at a pub to share ideas and to discuss their writings. “[B]oth were interested in literature, myth, and language, and both wrote fictional books which propagated basic Christian themes and principles.”[i] They differed, however, on how they presented their Christian faith: Tolkien deeply buried his Christ-like allusions, whereas Lewis used much more overt symbols and metaphors.
The lion, Aslan is the towering hero throughout the Narnia series. Aslan obviously is meant to portray the risen Christ, who maintains His immanent omni-presence; a noble lion who makes himself manifest only at critical junctures. More than the “king of the jungle,” Aslan depicts the real King of the Realm—an avatar of true heavenly dimensions. Hence the character of Aslan is set forth as the guiding force in the land of Narnia, an idealized Christian utopia from the imagination of C.S. Lewis.
Likewise, we often see the lion being used as a metaphor by the president’s base to epitomize the same noble qualities exhibited in the the person of Donald J. Trump and his presidency. (Those who are not aware of this are simply going to all the wrong news sources.)
Recently, then, when I came across this incredible story of “Lion Man,” I immediately equated it with both Aslan and PDJT.
How fertile is the adoring imagination, I thought. But the connection is not simply one of a drooling sycophant to this (non)politician, Trump. Instead, the connective tissue has been earned by a hero president who has been able to sustain himself and accomplish much despite “a partisan onslaught…in which no tactic, however abusive and deceitful, was out of bounds.”[ii] That is, concerning Trump it certainly can be said, “No cowardly lion (or wilting wall-flower) is he!”
No doubt, all of the accolades showered upon our fearless leader, due to his principled courage, fortitude, and ingenious maneuvering, are well-deserved. One can say that these were the same attributes assigned to the English crusader, King Richard the Lion-Hearted (as were also exemplified by his stand-in, Robin Hood, while the good king was away defending the Holy Land).
But I’d say the real literary master was J.R.R. Tolkien. His main protagonist was the fumbling-but-well-intentioned Frodo, the Hobbit. Frodo rather recklessly stumbles into his lead role in this fantastical drama. He begins his long journey (an archetypal hero’s journey worthy of the highest rating on the “Joseph Campbell hero scale”) to save the world—a world that was on the gradual slow boil toward an almost unmentionably depraved evil.
Initially inspired by his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, along with two rag-tag companions from his hometown, soon becomes the worthy recipient of assistance from warriors who hail from some very respected quarters. Enduring excruciating hardships and applying Herculean efforts, Frodo and company eventually triumph.
Throughout the journey, the “ring” (recovered by Bilbo and borne by Frodo) is a central focus. Its powers, like the discoveries of Tesla, are both wonderful and terrible. But used with care by someone seeking to renew a world practically overcome by evil, the ring is Tolkien’s metaphor for righteousness and divine retribution against the evil-doers in his long tale (17 years in the making).
The capstone to the tale is when Frodo returns with his retinue of battle-seasoned fighters. They confront the thugs who have, by now, overtaken Hobbitland and environs. In short order things are straightened out (and with very few casualties).
Watching the long-unfolding drama of this 2020 (mis)election, the images from these two works of literature fire-up my soul with an overflowing optimism. Isn’t this the purpose of great literature?—to prompt us, by timeless images depicting ordinary folks doing extraordinary feats—so as to impart depth and breadth to those eternal human values of truth, justice, and free-will? I think so.
I especially think so as I witness the courage of a patriot and his small town attorney who have just gotten the court in a backwater village in Michigan “to release the findings from their forensic examination of 16 Dominion Voting machines in Antrim County, MI where thousands of votes flipped from President Trump to Joe Biden on November 3, 2020.”[iii]
It is such big deeds done by common folk that are so characteristically American (though this sentiment is not meant to overshadow the impeccably fine work of the barrister, and now public figure, Sydney Powell). Sydney Powell, I have just discovered, is also a seasoned military attorney! This will certainly come in handy at the long-awaited military tribunals.
And so it would appear that a happy ending is finally in sight to this tragi-comedy-loony-election of 2020. I’m looking forward to four years of some righteous righting of a wronged nation as its wretched, Commie “influencers” and their Deep State “operatives” are systematically eliminated from this, our blessed land.
May God continue to bless the lion-hearted among us!
[i]
[ii] Extracted from William J.
Barr’s resignation letter dated December 14, 2020.
[iii] BREAKING BOMBSHELL: MI Judge Grants Attorney Matt DePerno Permission To
RELEASE Results Of Forensic Examination On 16 Dominion Voting Machines In
Antrim Co. [VIDEO] by Patty McMurray, Gateway Pundit, December 14, 2020 at
8:30am, https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/12/breaking-bombshell-mi-judge-grants-attorney-matt-deperno-permission-release-results-forensic-examination-16-dominion-voting-machines-antrim-co-video/
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