Interesting question Jessica. I would like to think that I would "defend my existence" (good quote, somebody. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] ) if it was threatened. But that I would not shoot someone who was taking my car.
Obviously Frodo's instincts were "right" when it came to Gollum. He would not kill the wretch just because of what he "might" do to them. Suspicion warrants caution, but not killing.
Now at the very end of the quest, when Frodo was attacked by Gollum, I think it's obvious that Frodo would have killed Gollum. It was both a fight for the Ring and a fight to the death. The Ring controlling Frodo would demand nothing less, just to preserve its own existance. It's just lucky that neither of the combatants had weapons.
Now if such a fight had happened earlier in the story, would Frodo have strived to kill Gollum to preserve his own life?
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