Lord of the Rings: Absolute

¶ … Lord of the Rings:

Absolute power corrupts, absolutely, in fiction and in life

Fiction, especially fantasy fiction, is often thought of as providing an escape from reality. When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his famous fantasy trilogy the Lord of the Rings, the world was embroiled in World War II and his native England was being besieged by the Nazis. On the surface, the tale of Frodo to destroy the 'Ring that will rule them all' seems to be an imaginative construction. However, the idea that power corrupts absolutely, regardless of who holds it, and the real threat of world domination experienced by Tolkien and his fellow British citizens runs through this apparent childish fiction. During this same time period, many contemporary writers of Tolkien tried to use psychological or historical realism to examine the conflicts of the age. But in retrospect, Tolkien's analysis seems even more trenchant and psychologically truthful to what he witnessed, because it illustrates an epic struggle of good and evil in such stark terms.

The story of the Lord of the Rings is of an unlikely hero, a hobbit named Frodo, who is charged with taking a mighty, powerful Ring back to Mount Doom, where it was forged, and to prevent others from using its power. Over the course of the novel, it becomes clear that the One Ring and its power of absolute control over others changes whoever has it in its possession. The figure of Gollum, for example, is a compelling example of how having possession of the Ring alters a person's psyche in a permanent fashion. Before possessing the One Ring, Gollum was an ordinary hobbit known as Smeagol. But after being divested of the Ring by Bilbo Baggins, Gollum pursues it for the rest of his life. While Gollum can recall what it was like to be an ordinary hobbit, and to take pleasure from the simple things of life that Tolkien suggests are the only truly meaningful aspects of the world, he is never the same. When he has the Ring, he uses its powers to deceive others for personal gain, and after the devastating loss of the Ring, he develops a split personality, constantly talking to himself, and mourning the loss of what he regards as his one, true friend.

Gollum is not constitutionally different from the other hobbits of his clan, but the power of the Ring is too great for him to resist. It is even too great for the good Frodo to resist. At the last minute, before throwing the Ring into Mount Doom, Frodo puts on the Ring. However, he is unwittingly saved from its evil when Gollum, seizing the opportunity, bites off Frodo's finger and falls into the fires of the mountain, destroying the Ring as well as himself for all time. Frodo has been affected by the Ring more and more as it has come closer to its 'home' near Mount Doom, so without Gollum's attempt to steal it away it is likely that he would have become completely paralyzed by its power.

The irony is that as evil as Gollum may have been, he did have the ability to ensure that some 'good' came of his existence, through the destruction of the Ring. Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, and Sam, all had opportunities to Gollum and did not, because he seemed so pathetic, despite his frequent acts of treachery. Their compassion enabled the Ring to be destroyed and for Frodo to be saved from its destructive power, even though Gollum met his end by the Ring, which he calls to the very end his 'precious.' "Do you remember Gandalf's words: Even Gollum may have something yet to do?" (Tolkien 958).

Frodo's desire to put on the Ring and to enjoy its power, despite all he had sacrificed to transport the Ring to the desolate mountain is a stark illustration of Tolkien's view of power. Some authors would have portrayed Frodo as a kind of Sir Galahad, too pure to be corrupted by the evils of the Ring. Other authors would have suggested that Frodo learned from his quest, and was able to throw away the Ring because of the profound lessons he had learned. But even though Frodo has clearly changed and grown more sober and mature as a result of his trials and travails, Tolkien portrays evil as a kind of disembodied force that has a power of its own. Frodo cannot resist the Ring, and only the forces of chance and circumstance can separate him from it. While some individuals are more easily and swiftly affected by the Ring, like Gollum, no one, not even Bilbo Baggins can fully divest themselves of the desires it sparks in their hearts. Even Sam, the most stalwart and stable of all of the characters knows: "He himself, though only for a little while, had borne the Ring, and now dimly he guessed the agony of Gollum's shriveled mind and body" (Tolkien 955).

As Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings, the entire world was gripped in a struggle of good vs. evil, in the form of the Axis powers that were threatening the rest of the world. Tolkien resisted an easy characterization of his novel as a mere translation of the historical events of his age. "The Ring was not meant to symbolize the atomic bomb. Likewise, the characters Sauron and Saruman, although both tyrants, are imaginary characters and are not meant to represent Hitler or Stalin" ("The Lord of the Rings," National Geographic, 2011). But the atmosphere of the age permeates the book. Not even most pure of heart can escape the terrors of the influence of the Ring.

Yet, even when he is most under the spell of the Ring, near the fires of Mount Doom, Frodo does not experience the burdens of power as pleasant. The Ring saps his energy, despite his attraction for it. "It is such a weight to carry, such a burden," he says to Sam (Tolkien 947). And yet when Sam offers to carry it for him, he reacts violently. "It is mine, I say! Be off!" (Tolkien 947). No matter how hated the burdens of power may be, people are loathe to relinquish them, once they have them. The Ring is so mesmerizing it is impossible to destroy, and it protects itself by possessing those who hold it: "I do not choose to do now what I came to do! I will not do this deed!" cries Frodo (Tolkien 955). After losing the Ring, Frodo becomes himself again, in Sam's eyes the same Frodo as when the two of them were friends at the shire. However, Frodo is forever maimed and physically changed as a result of his action. The memory of possessing the Ring is written upon Frodo's body, and he will never lose the scar of being so close to its power.