[MLD-Grounds-Keeper-Willie]

Welcome Dain! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I'm not sure "no apparent reason" is right. Gollum is a nasty, murderous, sneaking, corrupted being who wants to kill his master and take the ring and end their quest.

I don't think Gollum always wanted to kill Frodo. Maybe when he was tracking them he did want to so he could get the ring, but when Frodo showed him mercy, love, compassion, and acceptance, I think he changed his mind. He still wanted the ring of course, and that's why he led them to the Shelob. In the time the ring had been lost from his possesion and in the time Frodo gave him a chance, I think that part of his mind that was still Smeagol's was still reletively small, but I think it was growing. So, he wanted to do the right thing, but he also wanted the ring. I think that Frodo had become a friend to him (or at least he thought so). So what does he do? He brings them to Shelob because he does not want to kill Frodo but he desperately needs that ring. He has Shelob kill Frodo to get the ring. And he kills Sam to get revenge. And by having Shelob kill Frodo, it is not a repeat of Deagol, which I think greatly tormented him for years and years. Also, I think the ring used that to corrupt Smeagol and to keep Gollum under its control. And he even used that story of the birthday present so many times that he kind of began to believe it. So, you can see how he greatly desires the ring but does not want to kill his friend, Frodo, for it.

Usually if you are like Sam and you meet someone like Gollum, you usually don't like them at all. However, you really don't hate him. If you hate him, he has to have done something to you that sparks the hatred. Atleast that's what it is like for me.But, you do bring up some good points about that when you said

Sam has never met such deplorable creatures, and is filled with disgust and dislike.

I'm sort of used to that thing, but obviously Sam isn't.

and

He doesn't see what Frodo sees because he doesn't have the ringbearer's perspective or Frodo's wisdom.

Although Sam does have the ring momentarily, he does not have it long enough to have the understanding that Frodo and Gollum have. Although he does have a glimpse, and that's why he does not kill Gollum on Mount Doom. So if Sam had that glimpse of bearing the ring while Gollum was still guiding them, do you think that Gollum's and Sam's relationship might have been different, if only slightly?

So, "no apparent reason" isn't the best way of putting it. And I have a bad hobbit (oops, I mean habit [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] ) for not putting things in their best way.

Ah, but in the end a major major good thing happens, the distruction of the ring. I don't think Gollum could ever completely be saved, though he may have regained some of his lost "humanity/hobbitity". The ring is just too evil

Yes, the ring was destroyed, but that was coincidence. If I were in Sam's shoes, I would have helped Gollum, even if the ring would not be destroyed because I wouldn't even know that would happen anyways. So yes, good came out of it, but it was unintentional. It's really confusing and hard to explain, but do you see what I mean?

And I still believe that Gollum could have been saved. I'll argue that to the death. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

As for the ring, I always saw it having somewhat of a will of it's own

Check out this thread Do you consider the ring a character in LotR?. I think you'll enjoy it. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]