What caused Frodo to finally give in to the power of the Ring and claim it? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

***Mister Underhill*** · 12-18-2001, 10:25 PM

Well-spoken, Maril. I have to admit that I generally tend to be comfortable myself only walking right up to the edge of giving the Ring "a mind of its own". However, I do think there's a sort of middle-ground between that and the Ring as merely a tool without even some limited form of causing evil. I think the Ring does stand as a sort of symbol for mindless unavoidable "evil", which is in the world and hearkens to the kind of universal truth you describe.

I could flip your argument upside down and say that Frodo's real struggle is with faith -- faith that the impossible task can be made possible by something greater than the strength of his will or the sum of his own actions. And there is some value in that conflict. How do you face the unwinnable situation and still find the strength to go on? How do you give up the responsibility and trust that the ultimate responsibility lies outside of your control? This is, for many people, one of the key challenges of life.

12-18-2001, 10:25 PM	#12
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,744	Well-spoken, Maril. I have to admit that I generally tend to be comfortable myself only walking right up to the edge of giving the Ring "a mind of its own". However, I do think there's a sort of middle-ground between that and the Ring as merely a tool without even some limited form of causing evil. I think the Ring does stand as a sort of symbol for mindless unavoidable "evil", which is in the world and hearkens to the kind of universal truth you describe. I could flip your argument upside down and say that Frodo's real struggle is with faith -- faith that the impossible task can be made possible by something greater than the strength of his will or the sum of his own actions. And there is some value in that conflict. How do you face the unwinnable situation and still find the strength to go on? How do you give up the responsibility and trust that the ultimate responsibility lies outside of your control? This is, for many people, one of the key challenges of life.