The story's hobbits are meant to be like us, middle class and unprepossessing. At 4 feet tall or less, they seemingly stand no chance in a hostile world of wizards and monsters. But they soldier on and, in remaining true to their duty, help save the world. For all their weakness and failings, they are part of something larger that infuses their struggles with purpose. This is what we all want to believe of our own lives, and when we do, we have hope.
The word "hope" is studded throughout "The Return the King." The leader of the forces of the West is told: "The men have found their captain. They will follow him to battle. Even to death. You have given us hope." At a dark moment, a hobbit asks Gandalf, a wizard who has achieved a kind of saintliness: "Is there much hope for Frodo and Sam?" He replies, "There never was much hope, just a fool's hope." Ah, but the beauty of "The Lord of the Rings" is its message that such hope can be realized, that a beneficence beyond our understanding underpins the universe.
As the world pauses this week to celebrate a holiday marking the birth of a Savior born in a manger, it is the season for cherishing the hope of fools.