Did Gollum deserve death?

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Originally Posted by Aaron

It all depends on how you look at it. My point is that Gollum added more pressure onto a mind that was already starting to unravel. His effect on Frodo was akin to psychological torture.

I would disagree. Gollum was essential to Frodo's journey, and I'm not writing about the one that he took with his hairy feet. On the side we have Gollum - kills Deagol within minutes of seeing the Ring. On the other,we have Sam. Not only does he resist the temptation longer than many (though it's within his grasp for the entire story, and one of the days may even have been his birthday!), when he finally claims the Ring, he, alone in history, freely gives the Ring away, even while on the steps of Mordor, where, purportedly, the Ring's influence would be even stronger than in the Gladden Fields in Sauron's absence.

Gollum did not mentally torture Frodo; on the contrary, he showed Frodo daily that, "But for the will of Eru and the love of Sam, there be I."