Something I threw in on the Frodo at Sammath Naur Thread, but wasn't picked up on there:
'Someone once pointed out to me that when Gandalf agrees with Frodo that Gollum 'deserves' death, he may have meant it differently to Frodo - intending 'death' as a release from centuries of torment, & peace at last. He could no longer live without the Ring, so only death could end his torment, & Eru, in bringing about his death at the Sammath Naur is finally forgiving Smeagol & allowing him to rest.'
Don't know if anyone finds that idea relevant here. Did Illuvatar finally permit Smeagol the 'release' he needed, after all those centuries of suffering? Had Illuvatar decided there was no peace to be had in the world for Smeagol, that He would allow him to obtain, finally, the thing that had obsessed him for so long, & then allow him to finally have the death he 'deserved' - if death is the 'Gift' of Illuvatar to Men (& by extension Hobbits), then denial of it to any mortal creature is a punishment.
Or, is Smeagol's death the final punishment of a wicked creature, leading to eternal damnation, or is it Illuvatar's final act of forgiveness?
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