All characters and concepts from “The Lord of the Rings” are presented here under Fair Use for purposes of cultural analysis. THE RING AS SOVEREIGNTYIf Sauron represents order, then the One Ring is not an instrument of evil, but a mechanism of unity. When examined through this lens, “The Lord of the Rings” no longer tells a tale of good versus evil. THE SAURON WE WERE TOLD TO FEARThe Sauron we met in decades past was the villain. But the Sauron of 2025’s fractured America, viewed through the prism of MAGA’s illogical ideology, looks like something else.