LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 01 - The Taming of Sméagol

[Firefoot]

Nuru said:

Perhaps the Elf eyes are good and bright, but Gollum, not being that, finds them fierce and terrible? Perhaps because he knows Light and his lack of it, he hates it more than he would otherwise?

I think this is very interesting, and quite true. Gollum hates what he is, but he hates what he is not much more. Perhaps this hits even deeper with him, because not only is he not good and bright, but perhaps he cannot be these things. This is what makes Gollum so utterly wretched: he is so consumed by hate that, until he is shown mercy and pity, there really is no chance for him to escape that hatred. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "You cannot overcome darkness with darkness, only light can do that. You cannot overcome hate with hate, only love can do that." This is Gollum's problem. Until he was given prolonged contact with Frodo, he was not shown mercy or kindness that he could understand. Frodo was uniquely suited to the role of providing Gollum with mercy; though he was 'elvish' in his way, he shared the understanding of the burden of the Ring, resulting in that comprehension of each other's minds remarked upon in the chapter and earlier in the thread.

The other thing I noticed upon rereading the chapter that I had never noticed before was (yet another) one of Gollum's internal struggles: the one seemingly argued with Sauron himself, though I imagine that it must have been in recollection of Sauron's task for him than actually occurring at that moment. It is yet one more evil that Smeagol would have to overcome if he had ever been saved. Quite honestly, the odds that the good in Smeagol would ultimately triumph are extremely slim: he has been living in Darkness for half a millenium dwelling on the evil, and now he is battling not only himself and his own desire of the Ring, but also the will of Sauron. Not impossible, I think, as he came quite close just before he led them to Shelob, but extemely hard.

I think that the Sauron factor does not crop up again (if memory serves correctly) is that in this chapter, Gollum apparently renounces Sauron's will for him saying: "Smeagol will swear never, never, to let Him have it. Never!"

[Lathriel]

I get really interested in the story line with Aragorn and co. when I'm suddenly reading about Frodo and Sam again. It takes me a few pages before I have grudgingly accepted that there's no going back to the other story (to exagerate a little)

One part of this chapter that I remember distinctly is the incident with the elven rope. It is one of those small moments that explains a lot about elves and their magic. It seems subtle, their magic is not very showy but happens in a lot of small ways like the rope coming loose when Sam didn't want to leave the rope behind. Its not like some magic that authors describe in their own books, things like fire bolts etc.
I like it how Tolkien keeps the magic subtle and only makes it seem big at a few moments in the course of LOTR. (Compared to some other authors who make magic huge;not that I mind)

Far away ---the Anduin, that had gleamed fitfully in sun-breaks during the day,was now hidden in shadow.

After this image Frodo and Sam don't see any light till Ithilien. This certainly sets a darkening mood. And it isn't just because of the setting it also makes it clear that the story has become much more serious.There are also several other thing that make the story darker such a the Nazgul that flies over Emyn Muil.
Plus the entrance of Gollum,who helps the hobbits but who also will turn dangerous. There is a bit of foreshadowing for this already because immediatly upon meeting Gollum we see that he quickly switches from one position. When he swears not to hurt Frodo and Sam he changes his mind several times on who/what to swear. This could also be seen as a way of trying to please Frodo and sam but it also shows that he quickly changes his mind all the time.It also shows suspicion which proves to be dangerous later on at Henneth Annun when he thinks Frodo is responsible for his capture.
Thus with all these gloomy prospects all the light and hope is slowly dissapearing for Frodo and Sam.
This is especially for Frodo who feels the ring growing heavier and heavier the closer they get to Mordor. But I think the ring makes it easier for Frodo to loose hope as well.This always makes me anxious and when I read the chapter I want things to go faster before Frodo can't go on any longer.
This is one of the reasons why Frodo and Sam become so closely connected. They find what they need in order to survive this journey, in their relationship. With their friendship they are able to pull through their ordeal.
At first while they were still with the fellowship they could relie on Gandalf or aragorn. Now however, they have to depend on each other and their friendship which has begun to grow now comes into full bloom.