The Council of Elrond

I think that the character of Gandalf could be a symbol of God. In the passage, Gandalf was depicted as being very wise, good, and having much more knowledge than the other characters. This is similar to the Christian god, who is good, caring, and omniscient. Additionally,  Gandalf was able to read the inscription on the ring, something that no voice had ever “dared to utter”. This sets him apart from the other characters and makes him seem more powerful.

In contrast, the character of Sauron seems to represent evil, arrogance, and sin. Sauron is the one that made the ring, which causes a lot of problems throughout the story. Another interesting character was Saruman, who decided to follow Sauron. One quote in the passage made me think that Saruman could show how humanity started as pure, but was eventually tempted by sin. Gandalf noticed that Saruman’s robes, “which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colors, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered”. Saruman replied, “White! It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken”. This conversation reminded me of the fall and how humanity went from pure to sinful. The original white robe could represent purity and the new colors could represent temptations to sin.