Was Gollum's slip the only way?

[Findegil]

Maybe we should look at Letter no. 246 again. It provides not only one allternative ending, but 3 or 4. In on Tolkien started with the scene before Shelobs lair, where Gollum is did nearly repend from his badness and is to easily driven back to by Sam. Had that scene gone other wise Tolkien said Gollum would have helped Frodo to the cracks of Doom. But in the end he would have robbed him of the Ring as well and then jumped in by his one will, seeing in it the only way to help Fordo, to protect the Ring for ever from Sauron and to have it for him self for ever. And with the next sentence Tolkien does tell us that such a deed could have been what Frodo would have done with the Ring if he had have the time to think of it.

Some scatter remarks:
Posted by Kath:

When Gandalf tells Frodo to throw the Ring into the fire he is unable to do so and Frodo has only really had hold of it for the length of their conversation.

Frodo recieved the Ring in the 3001 and the conversation between him and Gandalf was in 3018 so he had it already in his possesion for 17 years. But that does not render the point much: He was nearly not effecte than and was already not able to make such even silly try to harm the Ring.

Posted by Elianna:

Gosh, it does seem rather hopeless with Gollum. He had a part to play, and that was it: to die with the Ring.

That seems to be exactly what Prof. Tolkien thought about him. But if that means there was no Hope for him is a nother question.

Respectfully
Findegil