Frodo Baggins carries the One Ring toward Mount Doom with no intention of using its power. His mission requires him to give up everything the Ring offers rather than seeking wealth or status.
The newly assembled Fellowship sets out from Rivendell on the 25th of December, the date of Christmas. They destroy the One Ring and cause the fall of Sauron on the 25th of March, marking the Anglo-Saxon tradition for the Crucifixion.
Tom Shippey describes this as an anti-quest focused on renunciation where good characters must struggle to relinquish power rather than acquire it. The hobbit dreads his journey yet feels compelled to fulfill its purpose despite the Ring's influence.
Tom Shippey states that Tolkien lived through two world wars during his lifetime and witnessed routine bombardment of civilians and the use of famine for political gain. The author decided to write a story about renunciation based on these experiences including concentration camps and genocide under regimes he observed firsthand.
Bilbo finds his home auctioned off upon return while Frodo discovers the Shire has been ruined by Saruman's forces. A separate moral quest begins when they find the land despoiled by Sharkey's evil before saving the Shire applies the story's morals to daily life.