Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemanpoet
But as the link in my post first indicates, the findings are now that a chemical "hook" is not necessary for addiction. It is, as Galadriel reminds us, emotional/psychological.
|
Indeed, which is why we can get addicted to all kinds of things which aren't chemical in nature, such as sex, being in control, success, gambling and gaming, approval of others etc. Whenever we want X bad enough that we feel maimed and deprived without it and we'll do anything, sacrifice anything to get it we're addicted. That, I think, is clearly the case with Gollum and the Ring.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by lmp
How could the ring not cut off human connection, rendering one invisible at the very least?
|
Yep. And I think it's symbolic in this context that the act by which Gollum took possession of the Ring, and thus the Ring of him, was murdering Déagol, his friend. He put his lust for the shiny thing above the bonds of friendship. And yes, he was outcast by his clan, as
Morth reminds us, but only after he had stopped interacting with them as a kinsman and neighbour but turned against them:
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by TFotR, The Shadow of the Past
'He used it to find out secrets, and he put his knowledge to crooked and malicious uses. He became sharp-eyed and keen for all that was hurtful.'
|
Same with Frodo. Observe his reactions when he feels that others threaten to take the Ring from him, whether it's Bilbo in Rivendell wanting to touch it one more time, or Sam offering to carry it for him in Cirith Ungol. His first reaction is to lash out at his friends like a junkie defending his drug or a game addict if you try to take away his Nintendo. And I'm not sure we can blame it all on Sauron's power reaching out through the Ring, for what did it matter to Sauron whether one halfling or the other held the Ring?
At the end of the day, I don't see much of a contradiction here. Of course what we see at work here is Sauron's power, or rather the externalized part thereof embodied in the Ring, interacting with and working on the mind and will of the bearer, but I'd say addiction is the form this interaction takes.