I had this discussion with a friend of mine recently, it is one that often comes up and is very difficult without the books on hand. I cannot find it even with them, but I seem to recall a place where, I think it is either Shagrat and Gorbag or the Orc Tracker and his friend (when Frodo and Sam are hiding in the bushes) that says something along the lines of;
"
I wish we could go away from all this war and have a peaceful life with no big bosses around."
You'll have to confirm my quotation, as I cannot find it.
This suggested to me, at first, that, given the chance, Orcs would go forth and live out good lives where they had nothing to fear. But Reading the Silmarillion brought something to my mind. This in particular:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Tollers
Wolves there were, or creatures that walked in wolf shapes, and other fell beings of shadow; and amongst them were the Orcs, who afterwards wrought ruin in Beleriand: yet they were few and wary, and did but smell out the ways of the land, awaiting the return of their Lord.
The Silmarillion: Chapter 15 - Of the Sindar
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To me, this suggested that the Orcs are somewhat lost without their lord to guide them to do evil. Looking at how they moved through the forests after the fall of Boromir would suggest that they would delight in trampling all living things even if it were not in their way.
This is a big assumption, I suppose. It seems that violence is in their nature as it were, in the same way that the love of gold is in the nature of Dwarves. Yet, I would say that, from Tolkien's words that they are not 'incurable' just as Gimli was, in a way, cured of his gold lust. "Your hands shall run with gold, yet over you, gold shall have no dominion." I would guess that it is plausible, then, that the Orcs could be 'cured' of their violent ways if given the opportunity.
I can't comment with any authority on the subject, but I would guess that after the fall of Sauron, the Orcs probably tried to find somewhere to go to live out lives without big bosses. Then again, one could look at the goblins in the Misty Mountains (From
The Hobbit) and, indeed, Moria. They had no links with Sauron that is mentioned, so one can only assume that they went under their own leadership, in a way. But then once again, you could argue that at the time of
The Hobbit, Sauron was still prudent as The Necromancer in Mirkwood and his influence may have even been amongst them, or at least the fear of his return.
Just a thought.