A Journey to Middle-earth
Two months, 1138 pages, and 60 hours later, I have finished the entirety of The Lord of the Rings, both in writing and in audio (narrated by Andy Serkis), for the first time in my life. It blew me away in a magnitude that no other works of fiction did. As a teenager, I was incredibly enamoured with Harry Potter, but the scale and the sheer force of Middle-earth is incomparable to the wizarding world. Harry Potter has certainly made its dent, a deep one at that, but Tolkien simply blasted everything else into smithereens.
The reading experience
Somehow, LOTR has successfully escaped my notice all this while. Seventy years after its publication and twenty years after the movies, I didn’t know a thing about the story except hobbits, Ian Mckellen’s Gandalf, and The Shire main theme.
What a blessing this is! I’m somehow fortunate (or shall we say, illiterate) enough to come to Tolkien knowing next to nothing about his works. Reading it with a blank mind was such an immersive and fantastical experience. It felt like I was one of the first readers back when it just got published! Not knowing what to expect is one of the best parts about reading <3
As soon as I finished the first chapter, I was acutely aware of the magical first-read experience, knowing that I will never experience it in this way again. Had I come to it as a teenager, it would never have crossed my mind how precious the first reading would be. It is very likely that I would have devoured the entire story within a few days, binge-reading from morning to evening and neglecting all my duties. (Too hasty, Treebeard would say.) Therefore, I’m glad to have discovered Tolkien later in life, when my mental faculties are better developed to appreciate his greatness.
I could spend the rest of my life rereading LOTR (and believe me I will), but it will never be the same again. The first read, as the name implies, can only happen once. As I was enjoying the story, I was also mourning the loss of such an experience in every page that I turn. It’s akin to the sentiments of mono no aware1 in The Tale of Genji, the wistfulness in noticing the beauty of things passing, just like how elves observe the passing of all things good and fair in Middle-earth, leaving when it’s time for them to leave.2
All stories, too, eventually come to an end, and we have to leave them to face the reality of life. It was with this bittersweet aftertaste as I slowly savoured the story.
In Fellowship of the Ring, especially, there are so many descriptions of the roads and paths they were taking, going uphill and downhill, with the smell of grass and the waning moon in the skies, that it felt as though I was an honorary member of the group, trudging along with them.
They went down the slope, and across the stream where it dived under the road, and up the next slope, and up and down another shoulder of the hills; and by that time their cloaks, blankets, water, food, and other gear already seemed a heavy burden.
After some miles, however, the road ceased to roll up and down; it climbed to the top of a steep bank in a weary zig-zagging sort of way, and then prepared to go down for the last time. In front of them they saw the lower lands dotted with small clumps of trees that melted away in the distance to a brown woodland haze.
I also love how the story doesn’t end when the the ring got destroyed; I love how Tolkien takes us all the way there, and all the way back again. Walking in Middle-earth with the characters is one of my favourite activities.
The power of fantasy
You know how some works have the power to change a person, and you have never been the same since? This is one of those. I am a different person since starting the first page of The Fellowship of the Ring. It was such a powerful reading experience.
Of course, other books also changed me in many ways, but never like this. This is something else — something different, something special — that I feel in my gut. There is this mystical power that can only be found in completely made up, fantastical adventure tales, a power that other genres of fiction do not possess. Impactful as War and Peace is, it simply does not produce the effect as the Lord of the Rings.
It has been many, many years since I had such an experience — the feeling of being part of an epic adventure. You go on a journey with the characters and it changes you, just like how it changed Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.
And you will never be the same when you return. As Frodo said at the end,
‘There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same, for I shall not be the same.’3
While I have not been wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden, the story has certainly integrated into the very fibres of my being. It is a real journey, maybe even more real than anything else. Upon flipping over the last page, I instantly recalled this scene from Harry Potter:
‘Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?’
This is what fantasy is for. This is where fiction triumphs over non-fiction. This is why I read.
Tolkien and Serendipity
Ever since embarking on this journey, I started connecting the dots of all the coincidences that had happened and realised that LOTR has been in the backdrop of my life all this while, patiently waiting for its turn to shine.
Coincidence #1 - from a decade ago
It was the most baffling discovery finding myself humming with the Gondor theme during the opening scenes of The Return of the King. The melody seemed imprinted in my mind.
I was like, ‘Wait, what? *hums* How do I know this? *hums more* What is going on??’
I knew, for certain, that I had never watched the movies, not even any short clips. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be that familiar with the music. I must have come across the Gondor theme elsewhere without knowing it. After searching through my memories, I managed to track down the source:
Eleven years ago, when I was in my The Piano Guys-era, their cover of the LOTR soundtracks was a dear favourite that had been on the loop for weeks. At that time, LOTR was nothing more than a name to me; I hadn’t even heard of Tolkien, I had no idea that The Hobbit was related to LOTR, I didn’t even know the heartwarming main theme (in fact this video was probably where I first heard it.) All I knew was that I love this cover.
Looking back now, it is mind-boggling that I got acquainted with it so long ago.
Coincidence #2 - from a few years ago
A few years ago, I made a calligraphy art with the quote ‘Not all who wander are lost’, not knowing that its origins are from LOTR. I must have thought that it was a failure, because it somehow ended up in the wastepaper basket.
When I started reading The Fellowship of the Ring, I was also drowning in waves of existential crisis at the same time. In one of the episodes, I decided to write a bunch of motivational quotes on post-its and stick them onto a piece of paper. After scavenging through the pile of wastepapers, guess what I found — the old calligraphy art.
I remember thinking, ‘Hey, here’s a pretty one!’
And then, ‘Wait a minute… Isn’t this from The Fellowship of the Ring??!’ 🤯
It came back to me, with the perfect quote for an existential crisis, at the exact moment I was reading The Fellowship of the Ring! To add another layer of significance, I also somehow found a quote that says ‘Not all who wander are lost’, making the finding even more meaningful.
Coincidence #3 - finishing it on a meaningful day
After finishing Return of the King, of course I had to go online (i.e. reddit and substack) to look for other Tolkien fans. And guess what? It was the 70th anniversary of the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Having spent over two months with the story, taking my own sweet time with the audiobooks, on the day I decided on a whim to finish it, it was exactly 70 years after the first book was published. What are the odds?
Evidently, serendipity is also working its 9-to-5, quietly in the background of life, sometimes lurking up and revealing the results of her labour. So many coincidences have occurred with the Lord of the Rings that I believe it has come to me at the perfect time in my life. Perfect story at the perfect time — it’s almost as rare as meeting the right person at the right moment.
These events feel like foreshadowing in reality, slowly nudging me to the point of opening the book. When that finally happened, realisation slowly dawned on me.
Everything is meant to be.
Who is the Lord of the Rings?
Is it really Sauron? Or is it Frodo? It might also be Sam, for Sam seems to be the only person who is able to resist the ring.
However, my answer would be:
The Lord of the Rings is none other than Tolkien himself.
There is a power in his story that enchants and draws people in, not unlike the power of the ring.
This work itself is the ring — it has commanded all my attention and interfered with every aspect of my life. It truly feels as though I have been taken captive and enslaved. There were weeks where all I could think about is to go home and read the books, listen to the audiobooks, watch the movies, and the making of the movies, and the interviews of the casts, and the interviews of Tolkien, and read up on every single thing about the lore.
We could feel the strength of the ring on Frodo through the pull of the book on us. What chance do we have of escaping its force field? How could we put it down? This tale, once read, claims a part of us for the rest of our lives. The Lord of the Rings can only be Master Tolkien.
On the movies
However, I could not say the same thing about the movies. There are some rants that I have to purge from my system.
Frodo and Faramir’s character change
I only have one major complaint of the movies — they did Frodo and Faramir dirty.
First of all, Frodo is not a teenager. What I hated the most was how Frodo dismissed Sam in the final movie. Frodo never is such a character; he is a wise gentleman, not an immature brat. We didn’t get all the best things that book Frodo has said in the movies. I also dislike how Elijah Wood’s Frodo seem to be perpetually frowning. That was not how Frodo bore his burden in my mind.
Secondly, Faramir is one of the coolest and most honourable characters in the book (next to Gandalf and Aragorn), but his character is not at all like that in the movies. I love book Faramir. It just upsets me that the general audience, who only watched the movies, left the cinemas believing that Faramir wanted the ring to prove himself to his father, while in the books, he was so much more than that. I hate how his honour was tainted in the movies for the cheap objective of bringing in some tension — there must be other ways of achieving that without altering his character.
Love the Aragorn / Arwen romance
I was quite confused by the Aragorn/Arwen romance throughout the movies. ‘Oh well, they have to put in some romance to satisfy the public,’ was my initial thought.
I got the hint that they might have a thing for each other in the book, but it was so subtle that I wasn’t entirely sure of my suspicions. It was only after finishing the appendices I finally understood what had been going on. Looking back at the movies after that, I love that they provided the backstory in the movies.
Love the Rohan cavalry charge
This is probably an odd point about the movies, but I finally understood the magnitude of cavalry charge after watching the Rohan scene in The Return of the King. Now I can imagine Napoleon’s cavalry charges a lot better. I have so much respect for Peter Jackson’s dedication to shoot everything in real life as opposed to using the green screen. The making of the movies is legendary.
Perfect casting.
Just perfect casting overall. Andy Serkis’s Gollum, Ian McKellen’s Gandalf, and Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn are perfect. Love all the hobbits. We couldn’t ask for a better cast!
On the audiobooks
There are three main contenders when it comes to audiobooks — Rob Inglis, Andy Serkis, and Phil Dragash. Rob Inglis’s version is like a grandfather telling the story by the fireside, Andy Serkis’s is a one-man-theater-performance, and Phil Dragash’s is fully dramatised with movie soundtracks. They are all phenomenal in their own ways; it comes down to personal preference in terms of choosing one.
I decided on Andy Serkis’s, because of the tremendous amount of effort he put in the voicing of each character. It can get quite over-the-top sometimes, but I like the energy he brings into the text. If you’re a fan of the movies, you’ll love Serkis’s audiobooks — he is not narrating the books, he is performing them.
Brilliant as he is, though, the man can’t carry a tune to save his dear life. I remember feeling devastated in The Departure of Boromir, but the moment he started singing, I burst out laughing. (I’m so sorry, it really took me out of the scene.) This is my only complaint. Fortunately, Rob Inglis’s songs are on Youtube, so the workaround is to skip Serkis’s singing and listen to Inglis there.
Treebeard
Andy Serkis is best known for playing Gollum, but his Treebeard performance has been severely slept on. It might even be better than his Gollum! I’m quite surprised this hasn’t been mentioned anywhere. Just listen to Treebeard’s rumbles here:
The disgusted rumble of ‘Búrarum’ at the end:
And for a-lallalalla-rumba-kamanda-lind-or-burúmë:
Honestly, the Treebeard chapter alone made the purchase entirely worthwhile.
It is funny how the duration of this chapter greatly surpasses the rest because of how slow he speaks. Listening to it before bed puts me to sleep quite well, and I love it, as that must be how Merry and Pippin felt, too.
Frodo
I love the voicing of Frodo as well. Serkis’s Frodo has the air of a well-educated gentleman with impeccable manners, which is perfect for Frodo’s character.
Love this scene with Gollum, there is so much authority in Frodo’s voice here:
Aragorn
I love his Aragorn too:
‘I would have guided Frodo to Mordor and gone with him to the end.’
Gandalf
Love how Gandalf says his own name here:
‘I am Gandalf, Gandalf the White, but Black is mightier still.’
Gollum
Of course, it would be criminal to talk about Andy Serkis and LOTR without bringing up Gollum, so here’s a cute little clip of him:
Gollum is one of the main reasons I got the audiobooks, but I got Treebeard as a surprise bonus ;)
Overall, I have no regrets choosing Andy Serkis’s audiobooks. Love all the characters’ voices.
Fantasy + audio + book — way better than any Netflix series.
Hall of Quotes
Absolute favourites
War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom. Not feared, save as men may fear the dignity of a man, old and wise.
‘I should like to save the Shire, if I could — though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them. But I don’t feel like that now. I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.
‘My name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to.’
*
‘I can see and hear (and smell and feel) a great deal from this, from this, from this a-lallalalla-rumba-kamanda-lind-or-burúmë. Excuse me: that is a part of my name for it; I do not know what the word is in the outside languages: you know, the thing we are on, where I stand and look out on fine mornings, and think about the Sun, and the grass beyond the wood, and the horses, and the clouds, and the unfolding of the world.’
*
Treebeard repeated the words thoughtfully. ‘Hill. Yes, that was it. But it is a hasty word for a thing that has stood here ever since this part of the world was shaped.’
*
‘Those were the broad days! Time was when I could walk and sing all day and hear no more than the echo of my own voice in the hollow hills. The woods were like the woods of Lothlórien, only thicker, stronger, younger. And the smell of the air! I used to spend a week just breathing.’
‘It is best to love first what you are fitted to love, I suppose: you must start somewhere and have some roots, and the soil of the Shire is deep.’
‘The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. […] I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?’
‘I wonder,’ said Frodo. ‘But I don’t know. And that’s the way of a real tale. Take any one that you’re fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don’t know. And you don’t want them to.’
*
‘It’s saying a lot too much,’ said Frodo, and he laughed, a long clear laugh from his heart. Such a sound had not been heard in those places since Sauron came to Middle-earth. To Sam suddenly it seemed as if all the stones were listening and the tall rocks leaning over them.
‘I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.
Gandalf
‘Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.’
*
‘Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary. Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.’
*
‘But I will say this: the rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care.’
*
‘My friend,’ said Gandalf, ‘you had horses, and deeds of arms, and the free fields; but she, born in the body of a maid, had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours. Yet she was doomed to wait upon an old man, whom she loved as a father, and watched him falling into a mean dishonoured dotage; and her part seemed to her more ignoble than that of the staff he’d leaned on.’
Iconic
‘Fly, you fools!’
‘And I don’t miss Gandalf’s fireworks, but his bushy eyebrows, and his quick temper, and his voice.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Sam, ‘because I don’t know where we’re going.’
[this is such a great callback to Frodo in the beginning]
‘I will take the ring, though I do not know the way.’
‘But come! With hope or without hope we will follow the trail of our enemies. And woe to them, if we prove the swifter! We will make such a chase as shall be accounted a marvel among the Three Kindreds: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Forth the Three Hunters!’
‘All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am the house of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.’
‘What do you fear, lady?’ he asked.
‘A cage,’ she said. ‘To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.’
‘I will go with you even on the Paths of the Dead, and to whatever end they may lead,’ said Gimli.
‘May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Théoden King?’ he cried. ‘Receive my service, if you will!’
*
‘Here do I swear fealty and service to Gondor, and to the Lord and Steward of the realm, to speak and be silent, to do and to let be, to come and to go, in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour henceforth, until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Peregrin son of Paladin of the Shire of the Halflings.’
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin’s sides that dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.
For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.
‘And when you sit in peace with your pipe, think of me! For never now shall I sit with you in Meduseld, as I promised, or listen to your herb-lore.’
*
‘Good!’ said Merry. ‘Then I would like supper first, and after that a pipe.’ At that his face clouded. ‘No, not a pipe. I don’t think I’ll smoke again.’
‘Why not?’ said Pippin.
‘Well,’ answered Merry slowly. ‘He is dead. It has brought it all back to me. He said he was sorry he had never had a chance of talking herb-lore with me. Almost the last thing he ever said. I shan’t ever be able to smoke again without thinking of him, and that day, Pippin, when he rode up to Isengard and was so polite.’
‘Smoke then, and think of him!’ said Aragorn. ‘For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning. Though your service to him was brief, it should be a memory glad and honourable to the end of your days.’
Honourable mentions
‘Tell me, Legolas, why did I come on this Quest? Little did I know where the chief peril lay! Truly Elrond spoke, saying that we could not foresee what we might meet on the road. Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting, even if I were to go this night straight to the Dark Lord. Alas for Gimli son of Glóin!’
‘Nay!’ said Legolas. ‘Alas for us all! And for all that walk the world in these after-days. For such is the way of it: to find and lose, as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream.’
*
In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.
*
‘And in the days of my longfathers before me: to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard’s pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honour abated.’
*
‘Stir not the bitterness in the cup that I mixed for myself. Have I not tasted it now many nights upon my tongue, foreboding that worse yet lay in the dregs? As now indeed I find.’
*
No, I’m afraid not, Sam,’ said Frodo. ‘At least, I know that such things happened, but I cannot see them. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, no memory of tree or grass or flower, no image of moon or star are left to me. I am naked in the dark, Sam, and there is no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I begin to see it even with my waking eyes, and all else fades.’
*
‘There go three that I love, and the smallest not the least,’ he said. ‘He knows not to what end he rides; yet if he knew, he still would go on.’
‘A little people, but of great worth are the Shire-folk,’ said Halbarad. ‘Little do they know of our long labour for the safekeeping of their borders, and yet I grudge it not.’
*
‘And not only Sam and Frodo here,’ said Gimli, ‘but you too, Pippin. I love you, if only because of the pains you have cost me, which I shall never forget. Nor shall I forget finding you on the hill of the last battle.’
*
‘A great shadow has departed,’ said Gandalf, and then he laughed, and the sound was like music, or like water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. But he himself burst into tears. Then, as a sweet rain will pass down a wind of spring and the sun will shine out the clearer, his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he sprang from his bed.
Funny
‘Fool of a Took!’
*
‘“Butterbur they call him,” thought I. “If this delay was his fault, I will melt all the butter in him. I will roast the old fool over a slow fire.” He expected no less, and when he saw my face he fell down flat and began to melt on the spot.’
*
‘You do not know your danger, Théoden,’ interrupted Gandalf. ‘These hobbits will sit on the edge of ruin and discuss the pleasures of the table, or the small doings of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, and remoter cousins to the ninth degree, if you encourage them with undue patience. Some other time would be more fitting for the history of smoking. Where is Treebeard, Merry?’
*
‘It was already dark, but I could see the rider’s face clearly: it seemed to shine, and all his clothes were white. I just sat up, staring, with my mouth open. I tried to call out, and couldn’t.
There was no need. He halted just by us and looked down at us. ‘‘Gandalf !’’ I said at last, but my voice was only a whisper. Did he say: ‘‘Hullo, Pippin! This is a pleasant surprise!’’? No, indeed! He said: ‘‘Get up, you tom-fool of a Took! Where, in the name of wonder, in all this ruin is Treebeard? I want him. Quick!”’
*
‘And I will come, too,’ said Gimli. ‘The matter of the Lady Galadriel lies still between us. I have yet to teach you gentle speech.’
‘We shall see,’ said Éomer. ‘So many strange things have chanced that to learn the praise of a fair lady under the loving strokes of a Dwarf’s axe will seem no great wonder. Farewell!
*
‘I will forget my wrath for a while, Éomer son of Éomund,’ said Gimli; ‘but if ever you chance to see the Lady Galadriel with your eyes, then you shall acknowledge her the fairest of ladies, or our friendship will end.’
[Gimli’s crush on Galadriel is soo funny!]
*
‘We started on our feet, and we have those still.’
*
‘We have come ill supplied. If we do not find them soon, we shall be of no use to them, except to sit down beside them and show our friendship by starving together.’
‘If that is indeed all we can do, then we must do that,’ said Aragorn. ‘Let us go on.’
The road goes ever on and on…
At last the three companions turned away, and never again looking back they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire, but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road.
At last they rode over the downs and took the East Road, and then Merry and Pippin rode on to Buckland; and already they were singing again as they went. But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap.
He drew a deep breath. ‘Well, I’m back,’ he said.
*
So it ends. And the reread begins.
A quick read on mono no aware:
https://www.utc.edu/sites/default/files/2021-06/Untranslatable%20Words.pdf
‘The doom of the Elves is to be immortal, to love the beauty of the world, to bring it to full flower with their gifts and delicacy and perfection, to last while it lasts, never leaving it even when ‘slain’, but returning — and yet, when the Followers come, to teach them, and make way for them, to ‘fade’ as the Followers grow and absorb the life from which both proceed.’
- From a letter by J.R.R. Tolkien to Milton Waldman, 1951
‘There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?’
- Chapter 7, Book Six, The Return of the King
You've written a great review. I'm especially impressed because you are Japanese (I think), and there is a cultural gap to cross over.
One favourite quotation which I don't think you mentioned comes early in the Fellowship. Gandalf has just revealed that Frodo's ring is the One, and that he is in danger. Frodo rather plaintively says:
// I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?’
‘Such questions cannot be answered,’ said Gandalf.
‘You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.’//
Tolkien's heroes are realists, not caricatures. Frodo doesn't jump up and say he will go and destroy the ring like a comic-book character. Instead he wails against the fact that it has come to him, and wants nothing to do with it. Sensible hobbit!
But Gandalf reminds him that fate has given it to him and he can't duck his destiny.
Another favourite quotation of mine comes in the third book. In Mordor, tired, hungry and thirsty, Sam has an epiphany:
//Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him.
For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.
His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master’s, ceased to trouble him.//
This passage reflects Tolkien's view that at a deep or high level the universe is fundamentally good and benign, and that evil is essentially powerless and transitory. It's a lovely moment in their journey.
Welcome to the club!