Of all the relationships that exist in the latter parts of The Lord of the Rings, the triangle between Frodo, The One Ring and Gollum is one of the most intriguing and arguably the most important to the story itself. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join us as we put this relationship under the microscope and examine what really was the key factor by which Frodo controlled Gollum.
Many people believe that Gollum’s newly-found obedience when leading Sam and Frodo through the lands outside Mordor was inspired by Frodo’s kind treatment of him; through Frodo’s kind treatment, Gollum began to find redemption in assisting those who captured him. However through a chance encounter with Faramir and the Men of Gondor, whatever trust Gollum had for the Hobbits disintegrates, and he knowingly leads them to almost certain death in the form of Shelob’s Lair.
But was it the humanity that Frodo showed Gollum that made him revert to the more morally bound Smeagol persona? Or was it simply that Gollum was so bound to the Ring that he had no choice but to lead the Ringbearer through Emyn Muil, under the control of the allure of the Ring? Could it be that The One Ring was the true reason that Gollum guided the Hobbits safely the the Black Gate of Mordor and beyond? Or was Gollum ever really under their control, his re-discovered conscience all a ruse to recapture his Precious?
If you share any of these opinions, then stop by the Hall of Fire this weekend and be prepared to join in on what should be a fabulous debate!
Upcoming Discussions:
Jan 25 & 26 – Arwen’s Immortality Choice
Feb 02 & 03 – RotK Chapter One: Minas Tirith
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
