The elucidation of truth

[Child of the 7th Age]

I would claim , if I did not think it presumptious in one so ill-instructed, to have as one object the elucidation of truth, and the encouragement of good morals in this real world, by the ancient device of exemplifying them in unfamiliar embodiments, that may tend to 'bring them home.'

These were Tolkien's words in Letter 153, which he had composed for Peter Hastings, manager of a Catholic bookshop in Oxford (1954). The letter was afterwards marked: "Not sent.....It seemed to be taking myself too seriously."

In other threads on this board, I have seen people write eloquently about how the writings have had an enormous impact on their personal lives and have actually helped guide their conduct or aided them in making certain moral decisions. I have also read other posts that stated quite emphatically the books were a wonderful fantastic tale but should not be regarded as a serious exemplar.

From the above letter and the fact that it was not sent, we may conclude that Tolkien himself may have had split feelings in this regard.

Do you feel that Tolkien succeeded in his stated intent to use his writings for the "elucidation of truth" and the "encouragement of good morals?" How and why is this so? Have their been instances in your own experience when your conduct or ethical decisions were influenced in a positive way by Tolkien's writings? Or do you feel that this is pushing the meaning of the books too far, and that these lovely fantasy tales should not be taken or construed as a way for readers to deal with the very different problems of the 21st century?

sharon, the 7th age hobbit