The Mismeasure of Orcs: A Critical Reassessment of Tolkien’s Demonized Creatures

Despite its well-earned reputation as the richest world in fantasy, there exists a notable, troubling problem in Tolkien’s legendarium: the existence of a sentient, rational being for whom no sympathy or moral feeling is ever shown. Examining the origin stories of the orc, which changed over time according to Tolkien’s own worries about whether orcs were ＂redeemable,＂ this book endeavors to show that these ＂inhuman＂ creatures are, in fact, among the most human (perhaps ＂all-too-human＂) to be found in The Lord of the Rings. This work discusses racism and class hierarchies in Tolkien’s writings, contexts in which the characterization of orcs is particularly noticeable. But Tolkien’s own writings reveal the nature of orcs to be worthy of sympathy, despite their often dehumanized or demonized depictions. Focusing on key scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, this study uncovers the richly diverse cultures, as well as the distinctive personalities of various orcs, who turn out to be a far cry from the monsters they are taken to be in the popular imagination. A revised understanding of the orcs as a people presents Middle-earth’s history, geopolitics, and cultural anthropology in a new light.

Robert T. Tally Jr. is a professor of English at Texas State University in Austin, Texas.