[Boromir88]

I have been thinking, and have come up with this theory. One may easily disagree with it but here's what I've thought about.

What was Saruman doing that he somehow managed to break the light?

We can all say that LOTR is a classic battle of good vs. evil, light vs. dark. The light has been identified as Gandalf, Galadriel, Celeborn, Theoden....and so one. But who is the dark? Well, I would say Sauron, he is the one everyone is trying to get rid of forever, and ever. I don't think Saruman is dark, and therefor is portrayed as a "Man of many colors," and here's an explanation.

Saruman is evil, plain and simple. As already stated, Light broken up you get a range of different colors. And Saruman breaks this white in order to try to overpower white, and seek dominion over it. But, he isn't doing this just to light either, he's also trying to do it to dark. Therefor, Saruman is alone. He can't be light, or dark, because he's trying for "World Domination" over both light and dark. Saruman has been called a traitor by the light, but he is also despised by the Dark (Sauron)

Did they come from Saruman, perhaps? Who does he think he is, setting up on his own with his filthy white badges? They might agree with me, with Grishnakh their trusted messenger, and I grishnakh say this: Saruman is a fool, and a dirty treacherous fool. But the Great Eye is on him.

If we think of Dark as "black." What is the color black? A combination of all the colors, if you combined all the colors you will get black. I think Saruman shown in this range of colors symbolizes that he is in this War on his own self, neither as light nor dark. So what other way is there to represent a man who is neither light nor dark, other then showing him as a man of many colors? Since, light broken up becomes a range of colors, and dark (black) broken up is a range of colors. If he's trying to seek dominion over light and dark, he can't be either, he's got to be shown on his own, and that is by showing him with many colors. If the colors were to combine they'd be light or dark, but since he's seeking dominion over both, they are seperated, portraying him as a "Man of many colors."

I hope I didn't lose anyone with this .

Edit: Lal, I intended to answer the question, but I sort of forgot, so now here it is. Again this is only my taking of it, it's not the fact that Saruman did something to break the light, or dark, it's just more on the symbolic note that Saruman is neither. He is trying to dominate over both light and dark, so he is portrayed as what Light and Dark is seperated, a mass of many colors.