>>211702551In The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien drew upon the language and themes found in the old Medieval hero-tales in order to construct a kind of new mythology. The brilliance of Tolkien was in his departure from the Pagan modes of conduct and morality of these old tales, his creation of a syncretistic fusion between Christian thought and Pagan language, and so his work achieved a deep resonance with all who read it.
We find this passage at the conclusion of The Return of the King:
>The Dark Lord was suddenly aware of him, and his Eye piercing all shadows looked across the plain to the door that he had made; and the magnitude of his own folly was revealed to him in a blinding flash, and all the devices of his enemies were at last laid bare.Adversaries in the stories that Tolkien drew upon, Grendel, Mordred and the like, often served as obstacles that the heroes could overcome through feats of strength and cunning. Sauron is not like them. When Sauron is defeated, it is not because Aragorn is stronger than him or because Gandalf is wiser. They are not. It is only that his hubris was so great that it never occurred to him that anyone would want to destroy the thing he held so dear. It is not until the final few seconds of his existence that he realizes his mistake.
I think that Jonah experienced a similar moment. In the pictured scene, Jonah's journey out of incelhood is almost complete. He is strutting his stuff, a nonchalant devil-may-care expression on his face, his enormous gut carefully disguised by hip designer clothing. But as Eru Ilúvatar nudged Gollum over the Crack of Doom into the fires beneath, so too does the God of our world intervene in this.
>Pop!In a second, the follies of men are undone as Jonah's drink leaps to its death leaving only a plastic lid where his cup used to be. In that moment of blind panic and terror, Jonah is Sauron. All triumph and victory is gone. Only the Void remains.
