Since this thread has already been resurrected, I might as well add my two cents on the original subject matter.
Back in 2004, the user
Gorwingel offered an interesting interpretation:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Gorwingel
All of the mighty who did fall in Tolkien's works, fell because they went to the evil side and strayed from their original purpose. They gave into their own personal greed, and desires for greatness and domination over everything. The mighty who didn't fall (like Gandalf) stuck to their original purpose, and kept on basically a path of "good". And of course they were rewarded in the end.
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The observation that not all of the ever so powerful entities in the middle-earth mythos do indeed
fall, seems important to me. We encounter many instances of supremely powerful beings that don't get corrupted and twisted. First and formeost there's Manwë and the rest of the Valar. They may err at times but they ultimately stay true to their
path. The same can be said for less powerful beings like Gandalf or Galadriel. They key difference between those characters and
evil characters lies in the willingness to oblige to their preordained roles in the
cosmic plan. This difference in attitude marks a certain breaking point: Melkor, Sauron, Saruman, the Númenóreans, and so forth, all of them went astray in ther desire for things that were beyond their stature and standing. This insight bears the quiet depressing notion that everything and everyone ought to stay right where they belong, or else...!
I think this is why these
fallen characters are able to claim a somewhat rebellious and free-spirited appearance for themselves which consistently attracts an entourage of less powerful but like-minded mortals. And this claim isn't solely a lie or a ruse to catch some minions. Its
plausibility rests on the fact that it can be quite scarry to surrender one's own fortune and wellbeing to a largely unknown and vague but indisputable
cosmic plan.