Throughout the many books by J.R.R. Tolkien, the presence of his masterful use of setting to provide intensity and enjoyment to readers is very apparent. Primarily however, the usage of setting is seen in every other sentence in his sub-world of Middle-Earth. Tolkien, who is extremely religious, uses the effect Catholicism has had on his life to form an analogy of divine creation. Tolkien uses this to form a "fantasy" world filled with magical beings that all live in vastly different places. Throughout some of his novels such as; The Hobbit and the Lord of The Rings trilogy, Tolkien often makes use of setting to determine the atmosphere in the book. Tolkien is seen utilizing this in The Hobbit, where our main character Bilbo Baggins is shown to live in a bright green and lush hobbit hole, and illustrates how light-hearted the area is by mentioning they often prance around in fields, and laze around all day. However, he then proceeds in the story to places such as the city of Dale, and describes the depressing, moist, and cold atmosphere of the human town which once faced the desolation of the fire dragon, Smaug. He also has areas such as the elvish kingdom which create a mystical and almost supernatural feeling of awe and calm. This is apparent due to the curved and intricate architecture forming the elvish kingdom, and the lush greenery observable throughout the entering forest. To continue, Tolkien’s usage of setting also greatly contributes to how the reader perceives the surroundings in the story, and how they may interpret the character’s choices based on the environment. Moreover, The Hobbit, is home to the creature Gollum, and his black, abnormal hideaway deep within the Misty Mountains. The unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins, managed to find himself lurking around nightmarish pathways, and sharp and deadly stalagmites while searching for a way to return to his friends. Tolkien uses this setting to highlight the severity of Mr. Baggins’ situation, as the shadow of Gollum lurks around, and scratches can be seen up and down the cavern walls. The unprecedented amount of descriptive measures taken to form a barrage of emotions are highly contrary to other authors who may tend to write a book using a singular back and forth setting scale. Ultimately, the uniqueness of Tolkien's writing, and his utilization of setting throughout his works; formulates a bright and dark world of adventure.

Throughout Tolkien's literary career, he has made it apparent that his life events heavily influence both his characters and their interactions with problems. In fact, Tolkien even created two characters based on himself and his wife. Those names were even engraved onto their joint tombstones. To begin, Tolkien often used the gruff and greedy personalities of the dwarves as representation of his love for Norse myth, and portrayed them as such. Throughout Tolkien’s various works, certain races; such as humans, dwarves, elves, hobbits, and orcs, have largely over encompassing traits which make for criticism throughout the Middle-Earth centered books. The issue of hate, and racial bias comes up even in The Hobbit where characters have a preconceived belief of another's character due to their race. This often contributes to character interactions with one another, and sparks the argument on whether or not Tolkien was attempting to make a nod to racial bias prevalent during his early life. On the other hand, the usage of real world problems in his writings often create a more in-depth and relatable piece of literature. Therefore, through the usage of common character traits, Tolkien is able to masterfully devise a plot which simultaneously brings characters together and separates them. One way Tolkien does this is through uncharacteristic bravery, and the development of honesty and trust throughout many of his stories: most notable The Hobbit. Additionally, the aforementioned development could be linked to Tolkien’s rendition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and translation of Beowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight showcases a knight of Arthur’s roundtable, Sir Gawain, come to terms with his inevitable death after taking on the challenge of the Green Knight who vowed to return a blow to the neck of whoever challenges him one year and one day later. Sir Gawain breaks his promise by taking a green sash from the wife of Bertilak de Hautdesert, which is said to provide protection to the wearer. Eventually the knight returns and chops his neck after testing his bravery, and reveals that he was Bertilak the whole time. He proved his bravery, and vowed to never be dishonest again. This largely played part in the development of characters throughout the novels by Tolkien. Moreover, the psychological challenges faced by characters throughout the majority of Tolkien’s works often lead to the development of new or reformed traits and beliefs held by said individual characters. All in all, J.R.R. Tolkien masterfully crafts a plethora of unique characters who face a diversity of challenges, and steep mountains which properly develop their personalities and values.

Structuring is a large part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing style. He often is accredited to being one of the fathers of modern fantasy novels, and is a large proponent in the use of a “hero plot”. While he does not always use this writing style, it is noticeable in his largely popular works; The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He primarily focuses on Jungian archetypes, and formulates the development of characters such as Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, and Aragorn throughout both previously mentioned novels. By structuring his stories in an easily comprehensible and enjoyable fashion for all ages, Tolkien crafts a smooth and fun reading experience. It is safe to say that the majority of individuals enjoy stories of heroes overcoming challenges, and defeating the evil villain. As shown in the image to the left, Tolkien often formulates an interconnecting, and looping storyboard design which ultimately leads to a fulfilling ending. In the case of Bilbo Baggins, from The Hobbit, the thought that he would be ensnared in a deadly and risk filled adventure would have never been brought to mind. However, he does inevitably end up in such a situation. Consequently, the readers are simultaneously dragged along with Bilbo and forced to encounter situations throughout the story as Bilbo does. This allows the reader to step in the shoes of characters such as Bilbo Baggins, and showcases a fantastical way Tolkien is able to engulf someone into his writing. On the other hand, other stories by Tolkien characterize a story which is built upon the delaying of the final goal through many trials and tribulations. This is apparent in the short story Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien. In said short story, Niggle is attempting to complete a singular painting in which he ends up spending countless hours detailing a singular tree. He is stopped numerous times by his neighbor Parish, and is forced to go on a trip leaving his painting behind. He eventually finds his painting had been taken apart except for one singular leaf which he detailed immensely. His neighbor, who was also a gardener, had created a giant beautiful garden based on Niggle’s garden to reward him for the help he had received time and time again. As seen in the aforementioned story, Tolkien, just like the characters in his stories, can grow and learn new writing techniques. This is made apparent through his plethora of works, and illustrates the necessity of a unique and detailed story structure in literature. 

Throughout the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, there is a noticeable variation in regards to the point of views the speakers perform. He is most notably known for his usage of third-person omniscience in books such as The Lord of the Rings. For those who may be unaware, third-person omniscience is the most flexible viewpoint authors are able to utilize in their writing. It is also known as the all seeing and all knowing viewpoint. It showcases both what a character is seeing and feeling, and also outside commentating on the situation faced by the character. This allows a reader to fully delve into the story, while also having enough knowledge of a situation to build tension. This is also apparent in The Hobbit. It is most notably seen when Bilbo Baggins first encounters Gollum in his cave. The psyche of both characters are separately explained, and creates tension between the characters, and simultaneously creating an even stronger feeling of tension in the reader. This is because the reader is able to have more knowledge of what an anti-hero, or villain is thinking; whereas, the hero/heroine must remain in the dark. Moreover, the usage of ‘speaker’ in literary works are almost entirely necessary for the formulation of a sound story. Tolkien is regarded as a key proponent in the modern application of third-person omniscient viewpoints in new-age literature. In fact, in the beginning of The Lord of the Rings the narrator is revealed to be a modern historian who found text describing the third age of Middle-Earth. This adds deep history, and a sense of time to the writing. It also allows the flow of the story to remain largely uninterrupted, as all outside information described to the reader is given by the historian reading the tale. On the other hand, the usage of third-person omniscience limits the “greater wealth of detail and focus” (Christine Barkley). Through the many differing narration types and techniques, Tolkien is ultimately able to forge a multitude of entertaining and impactful pieces of literature. This is through the limiting and expanding viewpoints utilized in different works which form the pace at which a story's plot will be unraveled to wow the reader. Overall, Tolkien masterfully creates fantasy worlds which are unveiled through the usage of differing points of view, and how exactly the perception of a reader can be manipulated to create tension and joy.