[otabdeveloper4]

'Allegory' has a pretty specific meaning when talking about literature - the practice of speaking in coded meanings.

Example: I write of a 'garden door opening' but what I really mean is 'penis-in-vagina intercourse'. Or I say 'anthill', but what it really means is 'urban sprawl'.

So no, there are no allegories in LotR; the One Ring doesn't really stand for the atom bomb or whatever.

[alisonkisk]

Right. "Industrialization destroying nature" in the book isn't an "allegory" for "Industrialization destroying nature" in reality. It's an illustrative example.