[Mat_Heathertoes]

Another subject where Tolkien himself received much correspondence. He answered it (most eloquently, as only he can) with some of the following ripostes:

Frodo was in such a position: an apparently complete trap: a person of greater native power could probably never have resisted the Ring's lure to power for so long; a person of less power could not hope to resist it in the final decision. (Already Frodo had been unwilling to harm the ring before he set out, and was incapable of surrendering it to Sam.)

However this letter (No. 181) goes on to say:

But at this point the 'salvation' of the world and Frodo's own 'salvation' is acheived by his previous pity and forgiveness of injury. At any point any prudent person would have told Frodo that Gollum would certainly* betray him, and could rob him in the end. To 'pity' him, to forbear to kill him, was a piece of folly, or a mystical belief in the ultimate value-in-itself of pity and generosity even if disastrous in the world of time. He did rob him and injure him in the end - but by a 'grace', that last betrayal was at a precise juncture when the final evil deed was the most beneficial thing any one could have done for Frodo!
By a situation created by 'forgiveness', he was saved himself, and relieved of his burden. He was very justly accorded the highest honours ......

The second quote does indeed indicate a deeply religous undertone to this crucial scene. However Tolkien does also indicate the involvement of a 'higher power' steering the situation :

Letter 191

I think you will see that not only was it quite impossible for him to surrender the Ring, in act or will, especially at its point of maximum power, but that this failure was adumbrated from far back. He was honoured because he had accepted the burden voluntarily and had then done all that was within his utmost physical and mental strength to do.

This letter also goes on to say:

No, Frodo 'failed'. It is possible that once the ring was destroyed he had little recollection of the last scene. But one must face the fact:the power of Evil in the world is not finally resistable by incarnate creature, however 'good'; and the Writer of the Story is not one of us.

Now this 'Writer of the Story' is the real answer to the question as Tolkien later goes on to reveal in Letter 192 to Amy Ronald,

Frodo deserved all honour because he spent every drop of his power of will and body, and that was just sufficient to bring him to the destined place and no further. Few others, possibly no others of his time, would have got so far. The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), 'that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named'† (as one critic has said). A third (the only other) commentator on the point some months ago reviled Frodo as a scoundrel (who should have been hung and not honoured), and me too. It seems sad and strange that, in this evil time when daily people of good will are tortured, 'brainwashed', and broken, anyone could be so fiercely simpleminded and selfrighteous.

*not quite 'certainly'. The clumsiness in fidelity of Sam (@ Cirith Ungol) was what finally pushed Gollum over the brink, when about to repent.

†Actually referred to as "the One" [Eru Illuvatar]

So, if it hadn't been for the finger of God prodding Gollum up the slope of Orodruin all would've been in vain ... Gollums the real hero!! [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]