“Marissa let’s watch ‘Lord of the Rings,’” my friend Ally said a few weeks ago.

I’m not going to lie, I was hesitant. I’ve always loved stories about magic and other world, but “The Lord of the Rings?” The twelve hour fantasy movie series about magic rings? I said yes, mostly because they were Ally’s favorite. It didn’t take long for me to understand why Ally loved this story so much. By the end of the first movie, I was completely obsessed, and by the end of the last movie we were, like all English majors taking in a new story, analyzing symbolism, themes and characters.

“There are themes of anti-industrialism all throughout the movies! Saruman is presented as an evil character. He takes out an entire forest and turns the nature around his tower into a factory like pit in the ground full of fire. The Hobbits on the other hand, are presented as good and known for their love for ‘all things that grow.’ Even living in holes in the ground instead of tearing down nature to suit their need,” expert fan Ally Dolezal said of the theme of deforestation within the fantasy series. “Nature literally wins because the Ents wash clean the polluted land during The Battle of Isengard.”

The “Lord of the Rings” also acknowledges that you do not have to be ‘big’ to make a difference in the world. The smallest creatures in the series—the Hobbits—turn out to be the biggest heroes. Sam dedicated himself to helping his best friend, Frodo, destroy the ring. He stood by Frodo even when Frodo acted against him because of the corruption of the ring. Merry and Pippin join Frodo and Sam on this adventure, willing to sacrifice themselves for Frodo’s success. Of course Frodo also risks his own life to destroy the ring and rid the world of that evil.

“They frequently feel insignificant and even state that nothing they can do can will make that much of a difference but still dedicate their lives to fighting the evils in their lands—for the good of the world and their friends. And through the pure intent, they enact the biggest changes. Gandalf says that the reason he likes Hobbits is that Saruman thinks that it is a big example of power that keeps the darkness at bay, but that is not what Gandalf found, stating that it is the small, everyday kindness of ordinary folk that hold the darkness back,” Dolezal said of the Hobbits.

The “Lord of The Rings” is not just a story about a magic ring. It is a deep, complex story that shows the impact of deforestation on the world and proves that even the smallest creatures are able to make big differences and even help defeat the darkness.

Written by Marissa Mayfield