# What was the point of Saruman in LotR?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-saruman-in-lotr/1026418>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** middle-earth\
**Created:** [January 7, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-saruman-in-lotr/1026418 "2026-01-07T01:17:29Z")\
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**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-saruman-in-lotr/1026418/11 "2026-01-07T15:46:43Z")

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I agree with much of the above, but something else to consider, the _kind_ of story Tolkien was writing: a mythic history. He wasn’t trying to maximize the tightness of the plot, or the amount of action or melodrama. As in a real history, things exist and do stuff that may be inconvenient for particular storytelling purposes. And Tolkien wanted to capture that feel in the Lord of the Rings.

I think that’s what the movies fail to capture as well as Tolkien’s writings.

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