Gollum by VampInMask (Own work) [CC BY-NC-ND 3.0], via Deviant Art
Poor Gollum. He was a hobbit named Sméagol. Then the One Ring found him and he was lost. After he lost the ring to Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, he hated all hobbits, thus creating the foundation for his character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I've always felt Gollum is the most misunderstood antagonist in fiction. He wasn't a bad guy. He got poisoned by a very bad, very magical ring. It really wasn't his fault. Yes, he's difficult, whiny, sneaky and full of conflicting desires, but I've felt nothing but pity for him since the first time I met him. If you don't find his plight as saddening as I did, I'd be surprised.
I agree. I was just re-watching LotR the other day and I noticed in the very end, when he falls into the lava, he STILL held the ring over his head for as long as possible to try and save it. Poor guy. :(
ReplyDeleteI loved his expressions in the movie... yeah it kinda makes you feel bad for him.
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I agree but Gollum still had a little bad in him I think. If you compare Frodo and Sam with Sméagol and his original companion, Frodo fights the ring to the degree he can, while Sméagol gives in right away and kills his companion All folks have weaknesses. In the end, I think what distinguishes the protagonist from the antagonist often is the choice made in similar circumstances. So he is pitiable, and I feel bad for him as he's a pawn to the ring, but he did make some choices early on that perhaps he didn't have to. Gollum certainly gives us something to talk about it. He's so well done.
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