Otherwise he would not paint Turin and Hurin as tragic, but as right.
Hurin is no more a product of Tolkien's despair than Denethor.
But I do agree that The Sil is much darker than LotR. Hope survives, but
only as a seed underground, or a star far above the darkness. Beleriand
and Numenor are lost. Sauron and Morgoth's taint survive. Hope
survives, but we must await the future to see it blossom.
Perhaps this does reflect Tolkien's mood during and immediately after
WWI. LotR does seem like a brighter work, although the melancholy remains
in the background. In LotR, for one brief moment, we catch a glimpse of
the glorious victory to come, of Arda
Remade.
“I dislike Allegory - the conscious and intentional allegory - yet any attempt to explain the purport of myth or fairytale must use allegorical language. (And, of course, the more 'life' a story has the more readily will it be susceptible of allegorical interpretations: while the better a deliberate allegory is made the more nearly will it be acceptable just as a story.)” (From Tolkien Letter # 131.)
Tips for posting in the Reading Room.
