Gandalf: the Unilateral Coalition Builder

[davem]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Some fine posts have been made already. Perhaps we can expand this to a discussion between Gandalf and Saruman in LOTR? How Gandalf uses his persuasion for good purposes. And he does it because it's the right thing to do, not to gain anymore power in which is the big reason Saruman manipulates.

Interesting idea. Its almost as if the Istari had a tendency to take control - perhaps their sense of having a 'mission' from their superiors affected them more deeply & gave them a greater sense of driving urgency than we generally think? Maybe Saruman felt more driven than Gandalf & so succumbed to the lure of the Ring. He must have been caught first by the idea that the Ring could enable him to defeat Sauron & thereby achieve his mission. Gandalf, on the other hand, was aware of where this would eventually lead, & so, while his sense of mission may have lead him to 'push' other's in the direction he needed them to go, he would never force them against their will. However much he may 'manipulate' Thorin, Bilbo, Elrond, Beorn, etc, they all retained the freedom to reject him & carry on as they were.

I wonder if the reason they went along with him was that deepdsown they had the sense that while he might be so 'pushing' them, they were being pushed in the right direction? Gandalf was felt to be simply helping them along the way they should have been going anyway. Saruman, & Sauron, were attempting to force people down the wrong road, & deep down their victims knew it.

So, I think that Gandalf was doing what he had been sent to do - which was not simply to wait around till someone could be bothered to do something against Sauron & them offer to 'hold their coat', but actually to 'inspire', to 'push' the inhabitants of Middle earth to do the right thing.

Of course, the question is widened when we bring in the other wizards - the Blue Wizards may have gone east to inspire the people there, but why did Radaghast not feel so driven - or maybe he was 'manipulating' the birds