The Children of Húrin is a strange story. It is a work I would never own, and yet will recommend in many contexts (namely those that require an example of the destruction wrought from pride, despair, and self-loathing); it is a book wholly depressing, and yet wonderful in the presentation of its setting. It is definitely a work that only a Roman Catholic could write. I do not say this with derogatory intent, but with a knowledge of the harsh Roman Catholic mentality that life-lessons are best learned hard and unapologetic if life is to be best served. Arguably, the aim is to scare the listener into strict discipline, otherwise "this" could happen to you: a cursed life where one bounces from scene to scene with the knowledge (passive or active) that the shoe will drop...eventually. This is the hopeless fate of errant paths, Húrin warns.
Even more depressing is that the book reminds just why fighting evil is a thoroughly dangerous proposition. There is, of course, no other choice for the godly man, but Tolkien seems to want to make his readers secure in the knowledge that this life is something of a burden (at the least) with the only hope being that those who are willing to stay the course against evil must (and will) be rewarded on another horizon. (Not that this message of hope comes from this particular story, but from The Lord of the Rings.)
Fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit should be warned that they will not find anything near the charm, heroism, or frivolity that is contained in either of those two principle works. The Children of Húrin is a dark tale taking place in the First Age of Middle-Earth, during a period when Morgoth (the mentor of Sauron) was at the height of his rule.
It should be noted that Húrin is technically an unfinished work, although his son (and the editor of the work) noted, "While I have had to introduce bridging passages here and there in the piecing together of different drafts, there is no element of extraneous 'invention' of any kind, however slight." It may be that Tolkien had intended there to be something of a "happier" ending, but given that Kullervo (a famous tragic figure from Finnish folklore), Oedipus, and Sigmund (from the Völsungasaga and made famous by Wagner) were the primary influences for the tale this would be unlikely.
If one can glean any happy thought from this story it is in experiencing the vile Morgoth confidently purporting control over the fates of men and Middle-earth. Evil loves to purport this delusion that they are in full control of all ends. It rebels against authority while setting itself up as authority; evil is the bedfellow of hypocrisy. The only power it works is that which we give it. The depravity that befalls Húrin's children is not from any uttered curse of a dark lord, but a pronouncement of a condition that can be held at bay by noble right action and other virtues (at least within the setting of Middle-earth). In the real world this curse of original sin, caused by our rebelling, holds no damning power over those who believe in Christ--thus the right actions here against evil being faith, love, and trust in the Triune God and His Word.
Tolkien isn't wrong in painting a picture of how we are hopelessly corrupted when we rebel against our Creator (God, for us; Ilúvatar, for Middle-earth). The problem with this story is that there is no salvation to be spoken, let alone had. It's as if the story is saying, "Salvation is a moot point. It is best not to stray too far from the path at all."
This story is right to conclude that we do not have the strength or wisdom to save ourselves from our flaws and sins. Unfortunately the story stops there. As an evangelical Christian, this is a message I cannot abide.
GRADE: C+
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