You may be right about the orcs/goblins; we can't know. I, however, always thought of them as corrupted beings, much the same way angels were supposedly corrupted down into demons and devils - a process that takes them from pearly-shininess to grody, slimy darkness. Orcs/goblins don't give me racist feelings at all. I do agree about the men on Sauron's side, and almost mentioned that. Just because it is a historical connection (the main theme he seems to have featured in his novels) to centuries-long history between Europeans and more exotic races, doesn't mean it isn't racist in tone.


I have never heard that, but I would say that it seems we're in that narrow area between not being politically correct and getting into actual racism. It would be much worse if he had turned the dwarves into evil characters, but they certainly are not, and he didn't repeatedly connect them to other Jewish stereotypes, unless I'm simply not aware of what/how. Yet again, it seems that he was less careful about using stereotypical definitions, not necessarily trying to make a racist statement - unless we're counting positive racism? "Hey, dwarves are Jews, BUT look how much we love them!"


Unfortunately, I feel like I look like I'm making excuses, but I am just telling you how I've interpreted these things while reading. I always thought Eowyn was stupidly impetuous when she didn't listen to Theoden telling her how much the people needed her. I thought that at the end, she lost her crush and met someone she could actually love (rather than being married off for convenience or ties) and realized that great people (she is more than just a woman) have certain responsibilities. It always seemed more like "growing up" to me than falling back into a "place." So anyway. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows.