[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>"No loyal friend was ever there for me" is Sméagol's critisim of Frodo's appreciation of Sam and not him.<BR><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Or perhaps an expression of envy and self-pity. Of course Sméagol did have a friend once: perhaps not so staunch a companion as Sam, but a friend nonetheless, whom he murdered for the Ring. Gollum would never admit to himself, though, that his plight is of his own making. Even his split personality can be attributed to an unwillingness to contemplate his own actions. It could be argued that Stinker is created by Sméagol as a separate personality, who will accept responsibility for the worst of his deeds, leaving "poor Sméagol" with a clear conscience, at least in his own mind. This certainly seems true of the film incarnation, although in the books it seems much more as though Slinker and Stinker are a literary device, used to emphasise the inner debate that precedes Gollum's betrayal of Frodo and Sam.<p>[ January 07, 2003: Message edited by: Squatter of Amon Rudh ]