[Folwren]

I know the ring had a great deal to do with Gollum's behavior later on in life. But when he first saw the Ring and when he first had the ring, if he had been a good fellow, like Bilbo and Frodo both were, he wouldn't have 1. killed Deagol for it, 2. wouldn't have used it to steal things from his Grandmother as soon as he got it, and 3. wouldn't have been kicked out of society because of it.

I think the Ring's power over people was directly connected with the people's tendency towards evil before they had or saw the Ring. Just look at how different people handled it!

Bilbo - before he had the Ring, he was a common hobbit, who wished nobody ill. He was childish and sweet and badly frightened, by the time he came across the Ring. When he found it, I don't believe he felt a great pull towards it. He put it in his pocket, which was somewhat strange, I will admit, but he didn't put it on, and he forgot about it until the riddle game. There was no lure, no temptation, no nothing. And when he finally gave the Ring up, he stuck it on the mantel piece, his hand jerked back and it fell, and Gandalf picked it up. Bilbo had a flash of anger pass through him, but he didn't attack Gandalf, he didn't have a 'blackout' of rage. Bilbo's character was one that leaned towards good, rather than evil.

Frodo - was even more pure than Bilbo. He owned the Ring for a long time before the quest. It did affect him some in different places of the books...but never to the point of evil, until he claimed it for himself. When Sam took it from him after he was wounded by Shelob, he didn't attack Sam when Sam admitted having it. He asked for it back, saw Sam as an orc, and snatched it from him, but he didn't attack him.

Sam - purest of all the hobbits. He took the ring off of what he thought was Frodo's dead body, and when Frodo asked for it back, he handed it over.

Tom Bombadil - Ring had no affect on him whatsoever, but that was due to his power in his land as well as to his perfectness.

Others I don't have time for. Sorry. But I believe you see what I'm doing. My point is, Smeagol's character was bent towards evil, and therefore, the evil power of the Ring had an easier time of consuming him.

-- Folwren