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Originally Posted by Aldarion Elf-Friend
I got the impression that the denial of the gift of men was a curse based on their earlier treachery. Aragorn offered them a chance to redeem themselves and thus be released to wherever men go when they die.
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It does seem that the reason is Isildur's curse:
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But the oath that they broke was to fight against Sauron, and they must fight therefore, if they are to fulfil it. For at Erech there stands yet a black stone that was brought, it was said, from Númenor by Isildur; and it was set upon a hill, and upon it the King of the Mountains swore allegiance to him in the beginning of the realm of Gondor. But when Sauron returned and grew in might again, Isildur summoned the Men of the Mountains to fulfil their oath, and they would not: for they had worshipped Sauron in the Dark Years.
Then Isildur said to their king: "Thou shalt be the last king. And if the West prove mightier than thy Black Master, this curse I lay upon thee and thy folk: to rest never until your oath is fulfilled. For this war will last through years uncounted, and you shall be summoned once again ere the end."
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This gets back to the importance of
oaths and oathbreaking. The Dead are bound by their promise, and so long as it remains unfulfilled, they must remain. However, I don't think it is within Isildur's power to keep them from going on to their ultimate fate. Sauron's keeping the Nazgul is the only other example I can think of where the sprits of Men have been prevented from passing beyond the world. Wild thought: having sworn their oaths, perhaps Eru has stepped in to temporarily rescind the gift until they make good on the oath.