I think The Democratic Party is just an instrument of The Enemy, certainly it’s most reliable political party in US history, rotten from its very inception as a pro slavery organization.
I don’t know enough to say who The Enemy is by name. My favorite fiction author also kept it quite vague to masterful literary effect.
AI overview on google actually does a good job of summarizing Tolkien’s concept of The Enemy.
Tolkien describes “The Enemy” as a concept representing the force of evil and desire for domination, personified by figures like Sauron and his predecessor, Morgoth. This force operates through corruption and the lust for absolute control, which stems from a twisted desire to benefit the world according to its own plans. The Enemy’s power lies not only in its evil nature but also in its ability to corrupt others, making it difficult to fight without succumbing to similar vices. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
The Nature of The Enemy
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Pride and Revolt: In the early lore, Melkor (later Morgoth) is the supreme spirit of pride and revolt, embodying the ultimate source of evil in the world. [1]
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Domination and Control: The Enemy’s primary goal is sheer domination, seeking utter control over others. [2]
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Corruption: The Enemy corrupts through the allure of power and the temptation to use evil means to achieve good ends. [2, 4]
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A “Good” Root: Tolkien notes that the frightful evil of The Enemy can arise from a root that seems good—the desire to benefit the world, albeit according to its own plans and disregard for others’ wants. [2]
The Enemy’s Manifestations
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Sauron: In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron is the primary manifestation of The Enemy, though he is not the only one. [1, 7]
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Orcs: These creatures are the primary foot soldiers of The Enemy, depicted as repulsive and degraded beings serving their dark master. [8, 9]
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Corrupted Individuals: Figures like the wizard Saruman fall to evil by studying the arts of The Enemy, demonstrating how even those with good intentions can be corrupted. [4]
How The Enemy Operates
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Perilous Art: The arts of The Enemy are dangerous to study, as they can lead to a fall from grace, as exemplified by Saruman’s fate. [4]
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Temptation of Power: The Enemy tempts others with the promise of power, as seen in the story of the Ring, which cannot be used as a weapon without turning the user into an enemy themselves. [2, 4]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://journal.finfar.org/articles/good-and-evil-in-j-r-r-tolkiens-legendarium-concerning-dichotomy-between-visible-and-invisible/
[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1hsdx0v/does_sauron_believe_that_hes_doing_good_to_middle/
[3] https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/8/1/54
[4] https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/good-evil-lord-rings
[5] https://www.reddit.com/r/lotr/comments/57o7bm/is_this_quote_from_the_books_or_the_films/
[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/b9bsrh/on_the_nature_of_evil_and_coercion_in_tolkiens/
[7] https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/k1kbgd/is_the_enemy_specifically_sauron_or_a_generic/
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien%27s_moral_dilemma
[9] https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1342&context=journaloftolkienresearch