^Exactly! And to think that a ring could hold so much evil in it and bring so much evil upon people is quite disturbing really. It makes me think of how that would work in our world...

i think that gollum is a being twisted by emotion and temptation and therefore representsd the fact of what happens when we devote more than just ourselves into and object of some sort... along with that i think Tolkien is painting a picture of how sin can twist a person into something they are not... Gollum wasnt always Gollum he was Smegol then twisted by obsession he turned into something he wasnt.

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Put aside the ranger... become who you were born to be.

I agree with Larael and many others who've expressed something similar. But, I'd also go a step farther to say Gollum represents humanity or society. He is as the world is, as it continues to progress...have you heard the expression "reaching for the brass ring" and other's similar? Many people in all walks of life are pursuing something, fame, fortune, etc.. some, without the cares of the reprecussions on their loved ones or the world...and to me Gollum/Smeagol, represents one option of what can happen if we let either our fear or greed for something take over. Not only did his family deny him after he stole the ring, but the world continued to reject him as well, the sun grew to be his enemy as did the moon, ...he had to slink and sneak to find a living, as much as he distrusted the world, due to his possession, the world also distrusted him because of it. On the other hand, we can compare Sam and Frodo to the alternative, the positive, when we realize family, friends, and in their case, the safety and wellbeing of the world is at stake....over our eagerness for whatever we're pursuing. While Gollum showed what happens if we let material possessions take over our lives, Frodo and company showed what is possible, what greatness can occur, if we keep our heads and take charge of our lives.

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..back again, picking myself up, dusting off..and facing life..

he stands for corruption

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*applauds* That was so nicely expressed tindomerel! It really makes me think. In the end, what is really important in our lives?

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"If you do not find a way, no one will."

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[~+@&#=^?]

..back again, picking myself up, dusting off..and facing life..

There is no doubt that Tolkien was a wise man. And, unlike many works today, he spent a sizable chunk of his life writing LotR and the related matterials. In some ways I feel like it was his life work. But I haven't read a biography of Tolkien yet. (Soon! I just finished Gresham's biography of Lewis)

Beyond that, I think there is more there than he intended. We write to understand. I know I have felt the flow of creativity and inspiration through the things that I write or compose. I'm sure you have too. Many times I look back over what I have written and wonder if I wrote it! Truth and understanding often surprise me as I explore the joy and sadness and mystery that is life and reality.

Tolkien, I'm sure was no different. He understood much from what life and others had taught him but those things resonated with an inspiration and universal truth that charged his work with wisdom that was beyond him.

Consequently I believe that his works contains deep layers of inexhaustible wisdom and truth. That is part of the pleasure I find in reading LotR and interacting with others about them.

I like what you said about contrasts as I've never thought about that specifically in LotR. That is a powerfully emotional way to teach.

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"If you do not find a way, no one will."

Exactly! As humans we can get very distracted by our greeds and wants. Material possessions can really get in the way of what we really want out of life. It seems that our possessions do more distracting than actual helping, and that is why we have our friends and family. Without them we would be stuck on path to nowhere, going around in circles. We have them to keep us on track, and to clear the way.

[I think I'm getting a little off topic here, but your statements got me thinking tindomerel. ]

^ That's exactly what I always thought Gollum represented. The dark side of human society, and what terrible things can happen when greed and longing corrupts us and we forget our moral ethics. I'm sure that there are lots of people who would gladly hurt other people to get what they desire. Hopefully they're in the minority...

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Hmm. The dark side of human society? I never really thought of that one. Getting alot of reasons!

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i love gollum so much!

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I have been following this topic loosely since it started, but I'm not sure what I think about Gollum's character. He is the trickster and the jester, the outsider and the outcast, who might end up representing ourselves, our dark sides. He is despised by other living creatures, because he doesn't live their way and follow their norms, but sometimes the reason for it is that he represents everything, we don't want to see and recognize in ourselves.
I don't know about it, and I was actually just planning to comment on others posts...


This is so true. Sometimes you loose yourself and the work "takes over" and lives its own life. I believe it is the essence in all good writing. The writer becomes a medium to generate the universal truth and wisdom into his work, he words it so we are able to talk about it.
I'm so glad for what you say about writing to understand. That's what I've done all my life and it means everything to me that I can be able to express myself in writing. I'm very aware of when I'm doing it, but seeing others wording the same need felt... good. This is not relevant for the topic at all, but I wanted to thank you posting.

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Gollum, to me, represents that all mortals have the ability to be corrupted to evil ends. The ring is metaphor for a power to turn everyone into their worst in their personality. Some obviously worse then others.
Bilbo had the ring for 60 odd years, an before he gave it up, you could see it turning him to a darker side of his personality. It took longer because he is by nature a gentle hobbit.
Gollum was by nature a loner, and was much easier to corrupt, as he looked for the dark in everything.
Unfortunately there is probably a little Hitler, or Stalin, or any truly evil person inside each human being on the planet, and it's just a case where a few of us give in to their evil ways.

Power corrupts..and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

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"I am Anduril, who was Narsil, let the thralls of Mordor fear me".
Translation of the blade.

Just a little ring, that’s all. How can it ruin a life—a community—a nation? One small hole in the dam will eventually destroy it. A small leak, if not attended to, can sink the ship. And one small evil, persistently cherished, will eventually make a total shipwreck of a life.

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"If you do not find a way, no one will."

In my opinion, Gollum sort of represtents those of us who are still deciding which way to go. Or we were on the bad side, but are trying to turn good but things keep coming up and stoping us from turning completely good. And there's something on the bad side we're still holding on to thats holding us behind. I don't know if that makes any sense... Does it?

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