The Addictive Ring

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

In thinking about this issue, one must resist the temptation to categorize the Ring's influence within modern context. The Ring is not chemically, pharmacologically, physically or (exclusively) mentally addicting. While Middle Earth is, "historically", our Earth, it is different in a markedly important aspect. Preternatural power, call it magic if you will, though in some respects Tolkien seems to make a real effort to avoid "magic", perhaps as a writer would avoid a deus ex machina. The Ring has a power that deeply affects its wearers. Its attraction is "like" addiction, but it is something very different.

I second this. The Ring is dissimilar to our familiar addictions in another way, too.

In our world, there are certain persons who are more or less vulnerable to becoming addicted to various things. Case is point, both my grandfathers were alcoholics. I don't know the hows or whys. I myself, in my younger wild oats sowing, was known to drink "a bit" more than I should have, more often than was good for me, but I never reached that stage of addiction that required drinking every day, or even every other day.

Now the Ring is presented as irresistible ultimately, by anyone who seeks to keep it. A power beyond the normal is wielded by it, more spiritual than anything else.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I agree with the points that Mithadan has raised and that Inzil mentioned in his last post; the Ring certainly is something deeply supernatural, it is a powerful object made by the Dark Lord and so forth, so obviously there is more to it than "our common" drug addiction (although in regards to one person's life, there is little difference in how destructive they can be. They just are).

However, out of the posts above I find myself agreeing the most with what Galadriel55 and Pitchwife had mentioned here. I, personally, do see the description of the Ring's destructive addictive power as something we can relate to simply as humans. I have always seen it as one of the things in which art, a story, a metaphor, can be million times more accurate than a scientific paper. Simply because art gets in touch with us and describes - no, shows - us things in a manner we can all relate to. Yes, I believe Gollum's case is so clear and very perfect copy of how an addict's life might look like. But I don't think that required any experience with meeting morphine addicts from Tolkien (whether he actually did have any or not, I am not here to judge that), or any weird supernatural precognitions of what science is about to discover (that, in my opinion, would be venturing into a very dangerous territory). Addictions, like Pitchwife said, have existed since the dawn of mankind (and probably before), and it is just something each of us can have some intuitive idea of, because we all have the potential for it (if potential is a good word to use, I'd rather use some negative word).

There are other dimensions to the Ring, like it promising people something they crave for and twisting them according to their original ideals etc., but I wouldn't mix that with the addiction part. That has nothing to do with it, in my opinion. That is merely the way the Ring demands the "addict's" (bearer's) attention, but that doesn't change anything about the mechanism of the addiction, which is the same like of any other drug. Alcohol addiction makes you crave for alcohol, sex addiction makes you crave sex, opium addiction makes you crave opium, the Ring addiction makes you crave the Ring - wishing to have it in your pocket, on your finger; and then also to use it. What exactly do you use it for - whether to become the king of Gondor, to eat all the fishess in the world, to make Mordor a garden or whatever - is simply the "bonus" of the fact that the Ring adapts itself to the user, which a bottle of wine can't do. But the mechanism behind it doesn't change; if a bottle of wine was more clever, it could work the same way.

[littlemanpoet]

To be purist about the things of Middle Earth being Middle Earthish, and not having a modern context, contradicts Tolkien's own dictum that his story has many applications. The addictiveness of the Ring is one such.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

To be purist about the things of Middle Earth being Middle Earthish, and not having a modern context, contradicts Tolkien's own dictum that his story has many applications. The addictiveness of the Ring is one such.

However, Tolkien also disliked 'scientification' of LOTR, as his displeasure at lembas being called a 'food concentrate' showed.
Taking that route, Gollum would seem to be less an addict than a victim of Dissociative identity disorder, with his Slinker/Stinker personas.

I maintain that lust for the One Ring, since it derives from the spiritual power of an incarnate divine being has no real-world counterpart.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

However, Tolkien also disliked 'scientification' of LOTR, as his displeasure at lembas being called a 'food concentrate' showed.
Taking that route, Gollum would seem to be less an addict than a victim of Dissociative identity disorder, with his Slinker/Stinker personas.

I maintain that lust for the One Ring, since it derives from the spiritual power of an incarnate divine being has no real-world counterpart.

Your "dissociative identity order" suggestion is far more scientification than an application of addiction.

What you maintain presupposes that there is no spiritual power of an incarnate divine being in the real world, which I find presposterous.

However, the purpose of this thread is not theology, but addiction; so you have essentially argued yourself to a dead-end. So be it.