Great thread! I had never thought too much about Gollum's "issues" before now. (Don't get me wrong, though. Still feel that Gollum has to accept personal responsibility. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] )
I've just been re-reading "Riddles in the Dark", and even there, where Gollum isn't much more than a "Boogie Man" in a cave, Tolkien hints at his lost humanity.
There are many examples of an Everyman playing an heroic role in epic events in fiction, but Gollum may be the first Everyman Villain.
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