For this week’s substack post, I will be focusing on the first section of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the 50th anniversary one-volume edition. Before we get into the work, I must make a disclaimer: I have never read nor seen the movies surrounding this saga (please do not stone me). So, this is my first time being exposed to the lore of Tolkien’s work outside of knowing about the “my precious” debacle.
That being said, I would like to explore the character surrounding the above debacle. More so, I would like to explore his position on the scale of good and evil. Tolkien writes
“There was among them a family of high repute, for it was large and wealthier than most, and it was ruled by a grandmother of the folk, stern and wise in old lore, such as they had. The most inquisitive and curious-minded of that family was called Sméagol. He was interested in roots and beginnings; he dived into deep pools; he burrowed under trees and growing plants; he tunnelled into green moungs; and he ceased to look up at the hill-tops, or the leaves on tree, or the flowers opening in the air: his head and his eyes were downward” (53).
Okay, not a bad introduction so far. In fact, Sméagol seems like a decent guy. Though he seems quite strange at first, he seems to be finding the beauty in life where people do not normally look. This is quite a unique trait, and if I had to place him on the good and evil scale, I would place him more towards the good based off of this passage. Let us continue.
“And behold! when [Déagol, his friend] washed the mud away, there in his hand lay a beautiful golden ring; and it shone and glittered in the sun, so that his heart was glad. But Sméagol had been watching him from behind a tree, and as Déagol gloated over the ring, Sméagol came up softly from behind” (Tolkien 53).
Immediately, the reader can see where this is going. The two best of friends will fight over the beautiful golden ring. However, I would like to point of the term used to describe Déagol’s action: gloated. Merriam-Webster defines this verb as “to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification, or delight” (Merriam-Webster: To Gloat). So, it seems that Déagol wanted Sméagol to feel inferior to his finding (on his birthday, no less!). From this passage, it does not seem like Déagol was that great of a person as well, since he wanted to show off his malicious gratification over his finding.
Next, Sméagol “caught Déagol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger” (Tolkien 53).
At this point in the novel, Tolkien got me. Alright, I thought, Sméagol is a horrible friend with his own malicious intent. In fact, this idea was reflected in Sméagol’s physical and mental transformation that reflected his evil intent. However, something Gandalf later says made me rethink this idea.
Gandalf states that Sméagol, now named Gollum, had “a little corner of his mind that was still his own, and light came through it, as through a chink in the dark: light out of the past. It was actually pleasant, I think, to hear a kindly voice again, bringing up memories of wind and trees, and sun on the grass, and such forgotten things” (Tolkien 55).
Wait, what? What do you mean there was a corner of his mind that was still his own? Gandalf goes on to tell Frodo that Gollum both hated and loved the ring as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. Remind you of someone, dear reader? Well, that’s just like our good old friend Bilbo!
So why do we consider Bilbo as relatively good while Gollum is evil? The only difference that I can currently come up with as I am new to this saga (no spoilers, please) is that Bilbo had a support group. While Gollum had his family, they all turned their back on him. If you recall, Bilbo did not want to part with the ring. There was an argument between Bilbo and Gandalf until Gandalf had to pressure (or intimate) Bilbo into giving to ring to Frodo. Gollum, however, did not have a person to command him to give up the ring. With the hatred of the world, and the hatred of himself, Gollum ultimately turned into the person he is today: a scary story for most, but really a lost man that is in a constant battle with himself because of the effects of the ring.
So, dear reader, what do you think of Gollum? Is he inherently good, but was immediately corrupted but the ring? Or did he always have some evil within him, waiting to be brought out? Can Gollum be redeemed? Can he even be classified as one or the other, if the choice had to be made? I shall leave this up to you.
I think the comparison between Bilbo and Gollum is so important especially when compared to the real world. Some people have a support system to help them get through difficult times or overcome things that want to harm them while others do not. Since we know one of the themes in the novel depicts the importance of love, especially with friendship, it is hard not to feel sorry for Gollum who does not have family or friends. In fact, his only connection is to the ring which is a toxic relationship as it has so much control over him. Gollum, to me, is a living creature that is both good and bad. Like all of us, he has his faults but I still think there is still some good in him. Will that goodness help him out in the end is the question.
I want to start by saying that I found this article a nice read, and I'm always down to hear theories and talk surrounding LoTR, but I think that the ring reveals more than just who had support groups and who doesn't. I know it's frustrating to be so much in the dark at the start of such a complex story, but there are later instances that reveal the deeper intricacies of what exactly the ring takes advantage of to tempt individuals. I'd love to see an update to this once some additional context is revealed. Overall, great post!