In The Lord of The Rings by J.R. Tolkein and The Gulag Archipelago by Vintage Solzhenistyn, the theme of closeness and coming together as a group during hard times is shown. Specifically, in Book 5 in Chapter 2 of The Lord of The Rings, as the hobbits are facing fear and hard times on their journey, they still manage to work together due to the situation that they are in. This idea is presented when Tolkein writes,“They looked back. Dark yawned the archway of the Gates under the mountain-shadow. Faint and far beneath the earth rolled slow drum-beats: doom. A thin black smoke trailed out. Nothing else was to be seen; the dale all around was empty. Doom. Grief overcame them, and they wept long: some standing and silent, some cast upon the ground. Doom, doom. The drum-beats faded” (332). This quote captures the scene perfectly, as the hobbits move out of the area. This portrays the idea that although they may disagree and have their differences, they all work together and have one main thing in common, their fear and their need to succeed as a group. Similarly, in Chapter 1 of Part 2 in The Gulag Archipelago, as the prisoners are traveling the same idea is shown of them working together and sharing the fear. This is shown when Solzhenistyn writes, “The train starts- and a hundred crowded prisoner destinies, tormented hearts, are borne along the same snaky rails, behind the same smoke, past the same fields, posts, and haystacks as you, and even a few seconds sooner than you” (150). Here, Solzhenistyn describes the environment that they are in and how they all share the same experiences as they try to survive as prisoners. Although they are tortured and treated as animals, the prisoners come together through their similarities as Jews and as prisoners with fear inside of them. Overall, the idea of coming together as a group and allowing similarities to bring groups together is shown throughout The Lord of The Rings, as well as, The Gulag Archipelago, as the hobbits work together sharing their fear, and the prisoners attempt to hold on and come together with shared fear and faith.