The doom of the Ring

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Leaf

I interpret Frodo's failure to be inevitable. I don't think any other being, or 'person', would have been able to destroy the Ring of Power willingly. Maybe with the exception of Tom Bombadil, but I won't dive into this topic right now. As I see it, the person who destroys the ring willingly, at the cracks of Mt. Doom, would have to be a person who rejects the very possibility of any kind of influence to the world around him, a person without any interest in his own fate and in the fate of others. The problem is that this 'being' would be, essentialy, an 'un-person'. So, I don't put any blame on Frodo. I think his decision, if you could call it that way, is very understandable in the given situation.

Tolkien made it clear in later writings that Frodo indeed was totally incapable of harming the Ring intentionally when he stood at the Sammath Naur. At that time and place the Ring's power was at its zenith, and only "fate" allowed for its destruction through an unconscious act.

Originally Posted by Leaf

It's necessary to stress that Frodo's actual achievements are different from that. He made it to Mt. Doom and brought the Ring to the right place. A indispensable requirement for the destruction of the Ring. He also, against his initial attitude, didn't kill off Gollum and, more so, allowed him to accompany him. This was, in hindsight, the second requirement, as Gandalf vaguely (and wisely) predicted.

Correct. Frodo's achievement was in bringing the Ring to the point where its destruction was possible, and it had taken every bit of his strength to do just that.
The mercy he showed Gollum, which led to an end no one foresaw, was tied to his special understanding as a Ring-bearer of the torment Gollum had endured.

Originally Posted by Leaf

How literal can we take Sam's vision?! Did the Ring really speak to Gollum, or was this just Sam's imagination? Those questions are highly debatable. But let's just assume, for the following thought, that it was indeed the voice of the Ring of Power. The thing that irks me is that the Ring's verdict (or doom) towards Gollum comes true. Gollum dares to touch the thing again and is cast into the Fire of Doom. This includes, ironically, the Ring itself.

Yes, my belief is that the Ring's "spirit", that is to say, Sauron's, was speaking through Frodo, whom it had temporarily wholly conquered. The fact that the threat was quickly brought to bear was not the intention of the Ring, but merely another example of the true Power pulling the strings using evil to work good.

Originally Posted by Leaf

Here comes, finally, my question to you: Do you think that it's plausible to say that the Ring, due to his very nature, settled his own doom? Is evil, with it's inherent immutable determination and fatalism eventually disadvantaged?! In the end it was Gandalf's way of thinking that saved the day. Frodo took his careful indecision towards Gollum to heart and, "irrationally", trusted this advice. The Ring itself, on the other hand, condemned Gollum beyond a doubt and issued a non-revocable death sentence, so to speak.

I would say Sauron sealed the fate of the Ring by his personal weakness. The Ring itself had actually done what its Maker intended: the "possesser" (in quotes, because in fact the role was reversed) had brought it almost all the way back to him. Sauron had had Gollum as a captive not too long before, and it was his own impatience that pushed him to release Gollum, knowing Gollum would hunt for "Baggins" himself, and thinking thus to be led to the Ring.
Sauron got distracted though, and by the time Gollum had his attention again, it was too late. He had led the Ring-bearer into Mordor.
If Sauron hadn't let Gollum go, trusting in his ability to monitor his movements, Frodo and Sam could hardly have made their way to Mt. Doom.

[Leaf]

Thanks for your replies! All of you brought important things up. But it'll take some time for me to respond to each post.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

I would say Sauron sealed the fate of the Ring by his personal weakness. The Ring itself had actually done what its Maker intended: the "possesser" (in quotes, because in fact the role was reversed) had brought it almost all the way back to him. Sauron had had Gollum as a captive not too long before, and it was his own impatience that pushed him to release Gollum, knowing Gollum would hunt for "Baggins" himself, and thinking thus to be led to the Ring.
Sauron got distracted though, and by the time Gollum had his attention again, it was too late. He had led the Ring-bearer into Mordor.
If Sauron hadn't let Gollum go, trusting in his ability to monitor his movements, Frodo and Sam could hardly have made their way to Mt. Doom.

That's an interesting point. Sauron's arrogance in his treatment of Gollums most certainly played it's part. That reminded me of another important point about Gollum. I think that the the treatment and interaction with Gollum plays a mayor role. That is, from both sides - good and evil. You underlined how Sauron tried to use him to his his own advantage. He failed because he misunderstood and underestimated Gollum.

I think that "Gandalf's way of thinking", on the other hand, is the opposite from that perspective. This way of thinking grants conscious beings a worth of their own and doesn't degrade them to chess pieces. It doesn't utilize a cost-benefit analysis to determine the course of action. There are very important points in the story when Gollum receives undeserved (from a certain rational stance) mercy. By Bilbo, when he decided to take the risky route and jump over his head, instead of hurting this pitiful creature. The decision of the elves to let him out of the dungeon, because they felt sorry for him, turned out to be from uttermost importance as well. Even if the (maybe) undeserved mercy towards him was immediately punished by Gollum's and Sauron's plotting; it was, in the long run, the right decision. Without those random and small acts of kindness all the important politico-military actions would have been in vain.