[Inderjit Sanghera]

Hmm….Gollum is certainly one of my favourite characters, and definitely one of the most interesting. But I think that Gollum’s death was essential to the book, since no one, not Frodo, not Sam and definitely not Gollum had the power to throw the ring into the cracks of doom. Albeit, I WISH that it was that annoying Sam who fell into the volcano, but I think that Gollum falling into the volcano, this destroying the ring, albeit by accident, was the only way he could redeem himself. Gollum was very twisted indeed, but look at Bilbo. He had the ring for 60 odd years, and he was beginning to turn into a Gollum like character, or at least he was showing signs of possibly developing into one. Smeagol may have murdered his best friend to get to the ring, but does this compare the deed of Isildur in not taking the ring, and thus wrecking the best chance EVER of destroying Sauron, thus bringing peace to Middle-Earth. And remember, this was done after he had just taken the ring off Sauron.