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    The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All
    The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All
    The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All
    Ebook333 pages4 hours

    The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All

    By Open Court

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    The Lord of the Rings is intended to be applicable to the real world of relationships, religion, pleasure, pain, and politics. Tolkien himself said that his grand tale of wizards, orcs, hobbits, and elves was aimed at truth and good morals in the actual world.
    Analysis of the popular appeal of The Lord of the Rings (on websites and elsewhere) shows that Tolkien fans are hungry for discussion of the urgent moral and cosmological issues arising out of this fantastic epic story.
    Can political power be wielded for good, or must it always corrupt? Does technology destroy the truly human? Is it morally wrong to give up hope? Can we find meaning in chance events?
    In The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy, seventeen young philosophy professors, all of them ardent Tolkien fans and most of them contributors to the four earlier volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, address some of these important issues and show how clues to their solutions may be found in the imaginary world of Middle-earth. The book is divided into five sections, concerned with Power and the Ring, the Quest for Happiness, Good and Evil in Middle-earth, Time and Mortality, and the Relevance
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Court
    Release dateNov 13, 2013
    ISBN9780812698060
    The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All

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    The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy - Open Court

    The Lord of the Rings

    and Philosophy

    Popular Culture and Philosophy® Series Editor: George A. Reisch

    VOLUME 1 Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (2000)

    VOLUME 2 The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (2001)

    VOLUME 3 The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002)

    VOLUME 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (2003)

    VOLUME 5 The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (2003)

    VOLUME 9 Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (2004)

    VOLUME 12 Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine (2005)

    VOLUME 13 Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way (2005)

    VOLUME 17 Bob Dylan and Philosophy: It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Thinking) (2006)

    VOLUME 19 Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think! (2006)

    VOLUME 24 Bullshit and Philosophy: Guaranteed to Get Perfect Results Every Time (2006)

    VOLUME 25 The Beatles and Philosophy: Nothing You Can Think that Can’t Be Thunk (2006)

    VOLUME 26 South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating (2007)

    VOLUME 28 The Grateful Dead and Philosophy: Getting High Minded about Love and Haight (2007)

    VOLUME 29 Quentin Tarantino and Philosophy: How to Philosophize with a Pair of Pliers and a Blowtorch (2007)

    VOLUME 30 Pink Floyd and Philosophy: Careful with that Axiom, Eugene! (2007)

    VOLUME 31 Johnny Cash and Philosophy: The Burning Ring of Truth (2008)

    VOLUME 32 Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy: Darkness on the Edge of Truth (2008)

    VOLUME 33 Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up? (2008)

    VOLUME 34 iPod and Philosophy: iCon of an ePoch (2008)

    VOLUME 35 Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant (2008)

    VOLUME 36 The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am (2008)

    VOLUME 37 The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy: Wicked Wisdom of the West (2008)

    VOLUME 38 Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter Happier More Deductive (2009)

    VOLUME 39 Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy: The Porpoise Driven Life (2009) Edited by Erin McKenna and Scott L. Pratt

    VOLUME 40 Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind (2009) Edited by John R. Shook and Liz Stillwaggon Swan

    VOLUME 41 Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!) (2009) Edited by Aaron Allen Schiller

    VOLUME 42 Supervillains and Philosophy: Sometimes, Evil Is Its Own Reward (2009) Edited by Ben Dyer

    VOLUME 43 The Golden Compass and Philosophy: God Bites the Dust (2009) Edited by Richard Greene and Rachel Robison

    VOLUME 44 Led Zeppelin and Philosophy: All Will Be Revealed (2009) Edited by Scott Calef

    VOLUME 45 World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King (2009) Edited by Luke Cuddy and John Nordlinger

    Volume 46 Mr. Monk and Philosophy: The Curious Case of the Defective Detective (2010) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

    Volume 47 Anime and Philosophy: Wide Eyed Wonder (2010) Edited by Josef Steiff and Tristan D. Tamplin

    VOLUME 48 The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations (2010) Edited by Michael Macomber

    VOLUME 49 Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy: New Life for the Undead (2010) Edited by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad

    VOLUME 50 Facebook and Philosophy: What’s on Your Mind? (2010) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

    VOLUME 51 Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game (2010) Edited by Ted Richards

    VOLUME 52 Manga and Philosophy: Fullmetal Metaphysician (2010) Edited by Josef Steiff and Adam Barkman

    VOLUME 53 Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness (2010) Edited by Graham Priest and Damon Young

    VOLUME 54 The Onion and Philosophy: Fake News Story True, Alleges Indignant Area Professor (2010) Edited by Sharon M. Kaye

    VOLUME 55 Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside (2010) Edited by Courtland Lewis and Paula Smithka

    VOLUME 56 Dune and Philosophy: Weirding Way of the Mentat (2011) Edited by Jeffery Nicholas

    VOLUME 57 Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United (2011) Edited by Jim Berti and Durrell Bowman

    VOLUME 58 Dexter and Philosophy: Mind over Spatter (2011) Edited by Richard Greene, George A. Reisch, and Rachel Robison-Greene

    VOLUME 59 Halo and Philosophy: Intellect Evolved (2011) Edited by Luke Cuddy

    VOLUME 60 SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy: Soaking Up Secrets Under the Sea! (2011) Edited by Joseph J. Foy

    VOLUME 61 Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy: The Footprints of a Gigantic Mind (2011) Edited by Josef Steiff

    VOLUME 62 Inception and Philosophy: Ideas to Die For (2011) Edited by Thorsten Botz-Bornstein

    VOLUME 63 Philip K. Dick and Philosophy: Do Androids Have Kindred Spirits? (2011) Edited by D.E. Wittkower

    VOLUME 64 The Rolling Stones and Philosophy: It’s Just a Thought Away (2012) Edited by Luke Dick and George A. Reisch

    VOLUME 65 Chuck Klosterman and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Seth Vannatta

    IN PREPARATION:

    Neil Gaiman and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Tracy L. Bealer, Rachel Luria, and Wayne Yuen

    Breaking Bad and Philosophy (2012) Edited by David R. Koepsell and Robert Arp

    The Walking Dead and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Wayne Yuen

    Curb Your Enthusiasm and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Mark Ralkowski

    Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Jon Cogburn and Mark Silcox

    The Catcher in the Rye and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Keith Dromm and Heather Salter

    Jeopardy! and Philosophy (2012) Edited by Shaun P. Young

    Planet of the Apes and Philosophy (2013) Edited by John Huss

    Boardwalk Empire and Philosophy (2013) Edited by Richard Greene and Rachel Robison-Greene

    The Wire and Philosophy (2013) Edited by Joanna Crosby, Seth Vannatta, and David Bzdack

    For full details of all Popular Culture and Philosophy® books, visit www.opencourtbooks.com.

    The Lord of the Rings

    and Philosophy

    One Book to Rule Them All

    Edited by

    GREGORY BASSHAM

    and

    ERIC BRONSON

    OPEN COURT

    Chicago and La Salle, Illinois

    Volume 5 in the series, Popular Culture and Philosophy™

    To order books from Open Court, call toll free 1-800-815-2280, or visit our website at www.opencourtbooks.com.

    Open Court Publishing Company is a division of Carus Publishing Company.

    Copyright ©2003 by Carus Publishing Company

    First printing 2003

    Second printing 2004

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Open Court Publishing Company, a division of Carus Publishing Company, 315 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 300, Peru, Illinois, 61354-0300.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    The Lord of the rings and philosophy : one book to rule them all / edited by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson.

    p. cm. — (Popular culture and philosophy ; v. 5)

    Includes bibliographical references and index.

    ISBN 978-0-8126-9806-0

    1. Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892–1973. Lord of the rings. 2. Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892–1973—Philosophy. 3. Fantasy fiction, English—History and criticism. 4. Middle Earth (Imaginary place) 5. Philosophy in literature. I. Bassham, Gregory, 1959- II. Bronson, Eric, 1971- III. Title. IV. Series.

    PR6039.032L6356 2003

    823'.912—dc22

    2003015450

    To the entwives—wherever they may roam

    Contents

    Acknowledgments

    Abbreviations

    Introduction: The Wisdom of Middle-earth

    Part I

    The Ring

    1.The Rings of Tolkien and Plato: Lessons in Power, Choice, and Morality

    ERIC KATZ

    2.The Cracks of Doom: The Threat of Emerging Technologies and Tolkien’s Rings of Power

    THEODORE SCHICK

    3.My Precious: Tolkien’s Fetishized Ring

    ALISON MILBANK

    Part II

    The Quest for Happiness

    4.Tolkien’s Six Keys to Happiness

    GREGORY BASSHAM

    5.The Quests of Sam and Gollum for the Happy Life

    JORGE J.E. GRACIA

    6.Farewell to Lórien: The Bounded Joy of Existentialists and Elves

    ERIC BRONSON

    Part III

    Good and Evil in Middle-Earth

    7.Überhobbits: Tolkien, Nietzsche, and the Will to Power

    DOUGLAS K. BLOUNT

    8.Tolkien and the Nature of Evil

    SCOTT A. DAVISON

    9.Virtue and Vice in The Lord of the Rings

    AEON J. SKOBLE

    Part IV

    Time and Mortality

    10.Choosing to Die: The Gift of Mortality in Middle-earth

    BILL DAVIS

    11.Tolkien, Modernism, and the Importance of Tradition

    JOE KRAUS

    12.Tolkien’s Green Time: Environmental Themes in The Lord of the Rings

    ANDREW LIGHT

    Part V

    Ends and Endings

    13.Providence and the Dramatic Unity of The Lord of the Rings

    THOMAS HIBBS

    14.Talking Trees and Walking Mountains: Buddhist and Taoist Themes in The Lord of the Rings

    JENNIFER L. McMAHON and B. STEVE CSAKI

    15.Sam and Frodo’s Excellent Adventure: Tolkien’s Journey Motif

    J. LENORE WRIGHT

    16.Happy Endings and Religious Hope: The Lord of the Rings as an Epic Fairy Tale

    JOHN J. DAVENPORT

    The Wisdom of the Philosophers

    The Fellowship of the Book

    The Wizard’s Index

    Acknowledgments

    Every book is a journey, and it is a pleasure to say Thag you very buch to the many good people who made this one so stimulating and enjoyable.

    First, our thanks to the contributors. Eighteen months is too short a time to work with such excellent and admirable authors.

    Second, to Bill Irwin, the fearless series editor: thanks for your unflagging support and encouragement, your wise council, and the excellent pipe-weed.

    Third, to David Ramsay Steele, Carolyn Madia Gray, and the fine production and marketing staff at Open Court: We don’t know half of you half as well as we should like, but we admire your energy and professionalism, and we are grateful for all you have done to make this book a success.

    Thanks are also due to Steve Colby, Jeremy Sauers, Jonathan DeCarlo, John Davenport, Brian Pavlac, Rachel Bronson and John and Casley Rose Matthews, for providing helpful feedback on drafts of the essays. A special word of appreciation to Abby Myers, our editorial assistant, who read and commented on the entire manuscript, tracked down quotes, and helped out in various and sundry ways.

    Eric is most appreciative for the logistical support received from Arthur Blumenthal and Phil Krebs at Berkeley College. As always, Greg’s greatest debt is to his wife, Mia, and son, Dylan, for their love, patience, and understanding.

    Abbreviations

    References to Tolkien’s most frequently cited works occur in parentheses throughout the book, followed by the page numbers. The following abbreviations are used:

    Introduction: The Wisdom of Middle-earth

    J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has been a publishing and literary phenomenon for half a century. Since its publication in 1954–55, Tolkien’s fantasy epic has sold more than fifty million copies, and has been voted the greatest book of the twentieth century in several recent readers’ polls.

    With Peter Jackson’s blockbuster film version of the great Quest, Tolkien’s magical tale of cheerful hobbits, snarling orcs, and short-tempered wizards garnered millions of new fans. The day before New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers nationwide, The New York Post ran a full-page article with a front-page teaser: "Lord of the Rings for Dummies." Toy stores are crammed with Aragorn action figures, Legolas trading cards, and other Lord of the Rings paraphernalia. The movie’s theme of pursuing a magical ring was used as the theme for the 2002 NBA playoffs, and even parodied in Comedy Central’s notorious South Park.

    But not all Tolkien devotees are happy about this sudden surge in popularity. After The Two Towers was released, websites were awash with anger over the sometimes substantial variations between the book and the movie. As debates erupted over the Internet (sometimes in elvish), the old empire struck back. On the official Lord of the Rings website, one old-timer disgustedly called a Rings neophyte a complete idiot for not knowing that a wizard’s power comes from his staff.

    To satisfy everyone, it appears that we need more than a "Lord of the Rings for Dummies. We need a Lord of the Rings for Smart People."

    With this in mind, we’ve assembled a distinguished cast of seventeen erudite philosophers and other academics, (all of them devoted Lord of the Rings fans) and asked them to help out with some of the deeper philosophical questions raised by the books and movies. Can power ever be wielded for good, or is it always corrupting? Should death be seen as a gift? Can golden rings and dragon’s treasures ever bring us true happiness? If an ent fell in the forest, and no one was around to hear, would it make any sound?

    Tolkien himself, of course, was an Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon, not a professional philosopher. He was, however, a leading scholar in his field and a close friend of leading British intellectuals such as C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, Neville Coghill, and Hugo Dyson. Moreover, as a devout Roman Catholic, he was deeply interested in such perennial philosophical and theological issues as good versus evil, fate versus freewill, mind and body, life after death, and environmental stewardship. All these philosophical issues, and more, are introduced in Tolkien’s writings and explored in this collection.

    This is not to say, of course, that Tolkien explicitly thought about or intended all the various ideas and theories discussed in this volume. Our main goal is to highlight the philosophical significance of The Lord of the Rings, not to tease out any hidden philosophical meaning or message.

    We hope this book will not only help you understand many of the deeper issues that inform The Lord of the Rings, but also spark an interest in the enduring questions of philosophy. In his letters, Tolkien remarks that one of his goals in writing The Lord of the Rings was the elucidation of truth, and the encouragement of good morals in this real world (Letters, p. 194). Like Tolkien, we believe that fiction—and popular culture in general—can serve as an effective medium for eliciting and presenting philosophical ideas. This appeal to popular culture goes back at least to Socrates, the first great philosopher in Western civilization. To encourage people to think about their lives and beliefs, Socrates often used examples from art, sports, music—whatever his interlocutors knew about and were interested in. In a similar way, we believe that today’s popular culture can help to get people excited about the great questions of philosophy.

    So light your hobbit pipe and warm your toes with a generous nip of elvish cordial. As the philosopher-wizard Gandalf says, If you have walked all these days with closed ears and mind asleep, wake up now!

    PART I

    The Ring

    1

    The Rings of Tolkien and Plato: Lessons in Power, Choice, and Morality

    ERIC KATZ

    If a mortal being—a human or a hobbit, for example—possesses a Ring of Power, would he choose a moral life? When we ask this question, we might be concerned about the physical abilities and limitations of the possessor of the Ring. We might wonder whether a mere hobbit, such as Sam Gamgee, could wield the powers of the Ring in the same manner that Aragorn, a human nobleman could. Would the Ring provide different kinds of power to different kinds of beings, so that some strong willed individuals—such as Aragorn—would have the power to control the minds and actions of others, while weaker-willed individuals—Gollum comes to mind—would only use the Ring as a means of escape and evasion?

    Although these are interesting questions about the way the Rings of Power are physically used, in this essay I am not primarily concerned with the physical aspects of the use of the Ring; I am rather concerned with the moral aspects. Does the use of a Ring of Power entail any moral or ethical limits? Is there a morally right or morally wrong way to use a Ring? These questions become even more important when we consider not just any Ring of Power, but the One Ring of Sauron, for the possessor of the One Ring can wield almost unlimited power, and a being who possesses such power would seem to have little reason to concern himself with the dictates of morality.

    In The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien presents us with several clear examples of the relationship between personal choice, power, and morality. Indeed, the story of the One Ring, and Frodo’s quest to destroy it, can be seen as a modern representation of a problem in ethical thinking originally posed by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his classic dialogue, the Republic. Plato was also concerned with the relationship between power and morality. He tells us the story of Gyges, who finds a ring of magical power. The ring causes its wearer to be invisible. Gyges uses the ring to enter the palace, seduce the queen, and kill the king. Plato’s question to us is whether or not one should be a moral person even if one has the power to be immoral with impunity. Does immense power destroy the need to be a moral person?

    It is interesting to view Tolkien’s tales of the rings as a variation of this old Platonic moral problem. Sauron’s One Ring is similar to the ring of Gyges in that it gives its possessor the power to act beyond normal limits.¹ The characters who seek to use the One Ring believe that many of their desires can be satisfied, without regard to the interests or needs of any other creature. The story of Sauron’s Ring is a representation of the idea that unlimited power cannot co-exist with morality; the Ring represents the idea that absolute power is in conflict with behavior that respects the wishes and needs of others. But the use of Tolkien’s Ring is a matter of personal choice. One does not have to follow the example of Plato’s villain, Gyges; all beings are capable of rejecting the use of a Ring of Power.

    Tolkien’s characters react to the possibility of possessing the vast power of the One Ring in different ways. Gollum is utterly destroyed by his desire for the Ring. Boromir is seduced by the thought of wielding unlimited power for the good of Gondor, but Galadriel rejects the use of the Ring altogether. Sam and Frodo each use the Ring in a limited way and thus avoid its worst effects; but while Frodo succumbs to its power, Sam, like Galadriel, ultimately rejects it. Tom Bombadil appears to transcend the Ring’s power entirely. These characters and their relationship to the use of the One Ring thus reveal to us several different answers to the question posed by Plato. We can make the personal choice to reject unlimited power and to act by the principles of morality.

    Let’s examine the arguments and the stories in more detail.

    Plato’s Challenge of Immorality

    Plato’s long dialogue, the Republic, is concerned with one central issue: the justification of the morally good life. Why be moral? is the crucial question that must be answered. The participants in the main section of the dialogue (Books II–X) are Socrates, who defends the importance of the moral life, and Glaucon and Adimantus, who play devil’s advocate and defend the life of immorality. Plato sets himself an imposing task, for Glaucon and Adimantus present the strongest possible case for the life of immorality—can we justify choosing a moral life even when the immoral life is more rewarding? If an immoral life leads to wealth, power, and fame while a morally virtuous life leads to poverty, powerlessness, and abuse, then why be moral?

    It is during this argument that Glaucon recounts the story of the shepherd Gyges and his discovery of a magical ring that makes the bearer invisible. As we have seen, Gyges uses the ring for evil purposes—he seduces the queen of the kingdom, slays the king, and becomes himself the ruler of the land. For Glaucon, this is what all men would do. He imagines that there are two such rings of invisibility, one possessed by a just or moral man, and one by an unjust or immoral man. Even the just man would succumb to the power offered by this ring. No one could be found . . . of such adamantine temper as to persevere in justice and endure to refrain his hands from the possessions of others . . . though he might with impunity take what he wished . . . and in all other things conduct himself among mankind as the equal of a god (Republic II, 360b–c).

    For Glaucon, people are morally good only because they cannot act with impunity—they fear punishment for their evil actions. For any person, the best possible world would be one in which the individual could act without any fear of being punished, acting with unlimited power to satisfy his own desires regardless of the evil effects on others. The worst possible world, in contrast, would be one in which the individual would be abused by others with no power to respond. Morality is thus a compromise between these two possible extremes: the rational people in a community agree to limit their own selfish behavior and not harm others. We agree not to abuse other people and in turn society protects us from potential abusers. Glaucon argues that there is thus nothing really good about the morally good life. If we had the power to act as we choose without fear of punishment we would not be morally good. The question Why be moral? is thus answered with the cynical response of the immoralist: the moral life is the life chosen by the weak.

    Plato seeks to refute this cynical conclusion and justify the value of the moral life. The argument is long, but the essential point of Plato’s response is simple: the immoral life is a worse life than a morally virtuous life because ultimately the immoral life corrupts the soul of the immoralist. The immoral life leads to a fundamental unhappiness: mental anguish, the loss of friends and loved ones, and emotional bankruptcy. All the power in the world cannot compensate for the psychological emptiness of an immoral life. The moral person, in contrast, lives a life of integrity and personal fulfillment, even if he or she is limited in power, wealth, and fame. The moral person is at peace with himself.

    For Plato, then, the moral person rejects the use of a Ring of Power. The moral person prefers to live a life of inner peace and integrity, a life guided by moral principles, not a life of power and the mere satisfaction of self-interest. Using the story of a magical ring that gives its possessor unlimited power, Plato is able to illustrate and answer one of the basic questions of philosophy: how should I live my life?

    The Temptation of the One Ring

    With this ancient challenge to the moral life as background, we can see how Tolkien’s characters demonstrate various responses to the question posed by Plato: would a just person be corrupted by the possibility of almost unlimited power? Through these different responses, Tolkien shows us—not by philosophical argument, but by the thoughts and actions of living characters—why we should be moral beings, why we should live a virtuous life. But Tolkien’s stories about the One Ring actually improve and augment Plato’s argument, for Tolkien’s Ring explicitly corrupts the souls of its possessors. The use of the One Ring corrupts the desires, interests, and beliefs of those who wield it. Plato argues that such corruption will occur, but Tolkien shows us this corruption through the thoughts and actions of his characters. Moreover, Tolkien also shows us the difficulties involved in living a life of virtue: there are burdens to be undertaken and sacrifices that must be made to fulfill the requirements of morality.

    The character that most obviously illustrates Plato’s argument that the unjust life leads to nothing but unhappiness is Gollum, who is invariably described as a miserable creature, afraid of everything, friendless, homeless, constantly seeking his precious Ring. Gollum is the mortal being who possessed the Ring for the longest period of time and he seems almost completely corrupted by the desire for it—every action he takes in the book, even guiding Frodo and Sam on their journey into Mordor, is designed to regain the Ring. It is during the long journey through the barren lands surrounding Mordor that we see the true disintegration of Gollum’s personality, all caused by the desire of the Ring. Gollum constantly talks to himself, for his soul is split in two: one part is Sméagol, the hobbit he was before the Ring came into his possession, and one half is Gollum, the creature whose only desire is to possess the Ring again. The only reason that Gollum cooperates with Frodo and Sam is that the two halves (what Sam calls Slinker and Stinker) have made a truce: neither wanted the Enemy to get the Ring (TT, p. 274). Frodo recognizes the immense power that the thought of the Ring has on Gollum’s mind. Earlier, he made Gollum swear on the Ring that he would be a faithful guide (TT, p. 250), but soon after, near the Black Gate of Mordor, Gollum was in great distress at the thought that Frodo would lose the Ring:

    "Don’t take the Precious to Him! . . . Keep it, nice master, and be kind to Sméagol. Don’t let

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