Lord of the Rings is an epic event full of flawed heroes and armies of evil creatures. Yet, it also created one of the most pitiable baddies ever written. I’m not sure I can even call Gollum a villain. He did bad things, yes, but he was a servant to the ring. That artifact wore him done over the centuries, leaving only a bundle of basic needs — food and access to the ring itself — loosely enclosed in a pale, decaying body and tormented mind.
Credit: naruedom
If Sauron was the king on the chessboard, planning world domination, and Saruman, the queen leading the army of orcs, then Gollum was a pawn. He was weak, small, and wanting only the ring. Yet his moves shaped Frodo and Sam’s journey and relationship, and ultimately delivered the final outcome. For that, Gollum is the villain. While he at times fought with a glimmer of his former self, he lost that battle and gave in to the madness. When we see Frodo losing to the ring, our pity and empathy for Gollum increases, as we understand the impossibility of breaking away from its power. And its Gollum, in his last reach for the ring, who frees us as all.
That last poignant, painful reminder, that bad as much as good can move us forward, perhaps at a much steeper cost.
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How did Gollum make you feel? Pity? Anger? Disgust? Should he even be considered in a villain’s lineup.
It’s hard to think of Gollum as evil Certainly pitiable, and there was a lot of dislike. But he was a victim of circumstance. He was weak, and he gave into temptation. He certainly wasn’t a ‘good’ character, but I don’t think he was evil. He’s one of the greys… a murky darker grey.
Ros from Fangirl Stitches
Murky dark grey is real sweet spot for writers. I think its the hardest to do. I think the best villains stay there for most of the time, leaving a hint of redeemability.
Visiting from A to Z. I pity Gollum. He can’t help what he became. I wrote about it in the A to Z last year (here).
This year, I did Grisham. I’ll be back to visit!
Thanks for dropping by. I’m looking forward to popping over and seeing what you wrote on Gollum, and Grisham.
A lot of the best characters are in shades of gray. Gollum does a lot of horrible things because a dark spirit possesses him from enchanted jewelry. The difference between him and Frodo is that Frodo holds out for more than a few minutes. Still, it is clear that he was not a strong man and the ring just weakened his moral fiber even more. Regardless of what he had done, I feel bad that he gets tortured. I am not just talking about the physical torture by the orcs but also the way he tortures himself and the way he is mentally tortured by the ring being so close but out of his grasp. He may not be a villain but he cannot be forgiven either.
I couldn’t agree more. If you compare Frodo and Sam with Sméagol and his original companion, you can see clearly how the descent into evil is a combination of fate/circumstance and choice. All have weaknesses. In the end, what distinguishes the protagonist from the antagonist often is the choice made in similar circumstances.
He was a well-crafted character. It was easy to feel bad for him. What an excellent choice for G! Was he a villain? That certainly is debatable. Then again, the best villains see themselves as heroes.
operationawesome6.blogspot.com/
Thanks for dropping by. The best villains do tend to think highly of themselves and believe they are the best things that could happen.
I definitely think he’s more to be pitied, especially as he comes across as so pathetic. Maybe he gave in too easily to the ring’s power but it seems likely he had previous character flaws that accelerated that process.
Definitely pitiable. But he definitely makes us think about the sources of villainry, and what truly makes a villain.
Gollum was weak rather than evil which for me makes it hard to think of him as a villain – for me a villain has to be strong
Debbie
True, but its also interesting to think about the types who might follow a villain. Gollum is one way into that line of thought.
Ha…Gollum was my letter G as I am writing about antagonists this year. I agree that Gollum isn’t so much a villain as he is being manipulated by his exposure to the Ring. But he definitely falls under the category of an antagonist as he tries to thwart Frodo and Sam’s journey.
Cool. I’ll pop over and take a look. Be good to compare notes when the challenge finishes given over overlapping theme.