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littlemanpoet · 03-31-2002, 05:37 PM

I guess for the sake of discussion it's interesting to talk about how alter-egos balanced each other out and how when one character was gone the other had to leave, but I would caution against making any kind of hard and fast rule out of it. Tolkien's own words are probably the best guide here. The books say that Frodo went over the seas to be healed, not because his alter-ego Gollum had died. Sorry if this irritates or alienates anybody, but it seems like your notions are derived from a dualistic philosophy of good being equal to evil. Tolkien was at odds with that. His approach was organic, coming out of who the characters were. Disagree if you like.

03-31-2002, 05:37 PM	#9
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	I guess for the sake of discussion it's interesting to talk about how alter-egos balanced each other out and how when one character was gone the other had to leave, but I would caution against making any kind of hard and fast rule out of it. Tolkien's own words are probably the best guide here. The books say that Frodo went over the seas to be healed, not because his alter-ego Gollum had died. Sorry if this irritates or alienates anybody, but it seems like your notions are derived from a dualistic philosophy of good being equal to evil. Tolkien was at odds with that. His approach was organic, coming out of who the characters were. Disagree if you like.