The Fellowship's True Purpose?

[The Saucepan Man]

Gandalf trusted in providence ...

[Boromir88]

Right now, I don't know the "true purpose" of the fellowship, besides the fact to get the ring to Mount Doom, where it atleast has an oppurtunity of being destroyed. And of course the quest was supposed to fail, or well, was a "desperate task."

The one good thing I saw the Fellowship for however, is it created long lasting friendships. You have the Sam-Frodo friendship, Merry-Pippin, Aragorn-Legolas-Gimli, and then everybody, it all created a lasting friendship between the companions.

For some added info on Boromir, I have read this interesting little discussion topic. But, Boromir took the ring, in thought that it wouldn't corrupt the righteous, it's not that he wanted it for himself (eventhough once he had it he would have taken it for himself). But his thought was it wouldn't be able to corrupt "the righteous" people. And here is a quote from The Council of Elrond.

"I do not understand all this" Boromir said "Saruman is a traitor, but did he not have a glimpse of wisdom? Why do you speak ever of hiding and destroying? Why should we not think that the Great Ring has come into our hands to serves us in the very hour of need? Wielding in the FREE LORDS of the FREE may surely defeat the Enemy. That is what he most fears, I deem."

The "righteous" people I mean are these "free lords" Boromir wishes to give the ring to.

[gorthaur_cruel]

Gandalf trusted in providence ...

Yeah, that was what I believed. "The only logical explanations are that Gandalf was a dolt, or his Maia foresight told him that sending Frodo on this quest would turn out to be good. Gandalf is personally my favorite character, so I'll take choice #2, but he does seem to have some holes..."

But I still think relying 100% on providence is wrong, when all the 'logical' explanations say that Frodo would fail.

And of course the quest was supposed to fail, or well, was a "desperate task."

True, but wouldn't it have been better to use the Ring then? Then Sauron could be defeated, and then they could worry about the new guy next. Maybe the new Ring-user would take a while to become corrupted. After all, Bilbo did last 60 years, and still didn't show too much signs of becoming corrupted.

For some added info on Boromir, I have read this interesting little discussion topic. But, Boromir took the ring, in thought that it wouldn't corrupt the righteous, it's not that he wanted it for himself (eventhough once he had it he would have taken it for himself). But his thought was it wouldn't be able to corrupt "the righteous" people. And here is a quote from The Council of Elrond.

That's why I support Boromir. He knew that the Quest had a 99% chance of failure, while using the Ring to defeat Sauron had a 99% chance of success. He believed that strong Men wouldn't be corrupted, so he disregarded the "second Sauron" thing. His main goal was to defeat Sauron, and whatever happens after would happen.

But, actually, Boromir did want it for himself, though he suggested Aragorn first (he believed himself to be one of those "strong Men").

'Or if he refuses, why not Boromir? The Ring would give me power of Command. How I would drive the hosts of Mordor, and all men would flock to my banner!'

[the phantom]

He knew that the Quest had a 99% chance of failure

Nah... logic and reasoning seem to suggest that the quest had a 100% guarantee of failure (or something really close to that).

while using the Ring to defeat Sauron had a 99% chance of success

No way. The only person who would really have a chance would be Gandalf and even his chances wouldn't be anywhere close to 99%.

However, the chances of successfully overthrowing Sauron using the Ring still would be higher than the chances of destroying the Ring, so I agree that Boromir's actions were understandable.

I've been sitting here thinking for a while and I'm fairly certain that if I would've been in Boromir's position (I hate to say this) I probably would've tried to take the Ring like he did.

[Firefoot]

True, but wouldn't it have been better to use the Ring then? Then Sauron could be defeated

The problem with this statements is that Sauron never could be truly defeated as long as the Ring existed. He could come back in another couple thousand years, and then you are back where you started. The point of destroying the Ring was (I'm paraphrasing) to take care of the problem once and for all, not just for one age of men. In addition, anything done with the Ring becomes evil and ultimately works for Sauron. Gandalf also said that it would take too long for one person to learn how to use the Ring adequately enough to be able to overthrow Sauron, and in that time Sauron would learn exactly where it was and 99% chance says he gets it back.

Maybe the new Ring-user would take a while to become corrupted. After all, Bilbo did last 60 years, and still didn't show too much signs of becoming corrupted.

Gandalf hints that this has something to do with Hobbits. Hobbits appear to be more resistant to this type of evil than Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Bilbo did not use the Ring with the intention to dominate others, which also slowed his corruption. It took Bilbo a long time, but look how long it took Isildur or Sméagol. I wouldn't want to take the chance that the next ring-bearer would be the same way. And let's say you give the Ring to someone who already has a good share of power in order for that person to weild it to defeat Sauron. Galadriel would not take it because she knew that it would just be replacing one dark lord for dark and terrible queen. Gandalf pr Elrond would not take it either. Another example of hobbits resisting evil is that Frodo lasted 17 days with the shard of the Morgul blade whereas Gandalf says he knows many strong men that would not have lasted nearly that long.

He believed that strong Men wouldn't be corrupted, so he disregarded the "second Sauron" thing.

Isildur was strong.

His main goal was to defeat Sauron, and whatever happens after would happen.

The whole problem with this is that what happens after this would be bad, almost guaranteed. If it hadn't been for divine providence and Mt. Doom, the Ring wouldn't have been destroyed. There might be no stroke of divine providence later on, and short of pushing the bearer into Mt. Doom there is no way of destroying the Ring. It would not let itself be destroyed while Sauron existed, and as long as the Ring existed Sauron existed. So if the Ring was kept around, even if it was guarded under lock and key, Sauron would probably get it eventually if it wasn't destroyed.

[gorthaur_cruel]

No way. The only person who would really have a chance would be Gandalf and even his chances wouldn't be anywhere close to 99%.

I'm assuming you're talking about Tolkien's letter where it said only Gandalf would have a chance of beating Sauron. But if you re-read it, it actually says only Gandalf had a chance of defeating Sauron 1v1 with the Ring. Elrond and Galadriel could wield the One Ring to build up armies and defeat Sauron. Here's the quote:

In any case Elrond or Galadriel would have proceeded in the policy now adopted by Sauron: they would have built up an empire with great and absolutely subservient generals and armies and engines of war, until they could challenge Sauron and destroy him by force. Confrontation of Sauron alone, unaided, self to self, was not contemplated.

However, the chances of successfully overthrowing Sauron using the Ring still would be higher than the chances of destroying the Ring, so I agree that Boromir's actions were understandable.

I've been sitting here thinking for a while and I'm fairly certain that if I would've been in Boromir's position (I hate to say this) I probably would've tried to take the Ring like he did.

My point exactly.

The problem with this statements is that Sauron never could be truly defeated as long as the Ring existed. He could come back in another couple thousand years, and then you are back where you started. The point of destroying the Ring was (I'm paraphrasing) to take care of the problem once and for all, not just for one age of men.

Really? Tolkien says that if Gandalf mastered the Ring and defeated Sauron, then...

If Gandalf proved the victor, the result would have been for Sauron the same as the destruction of the Ring; for him it would have been destroyed, taken from him for ever. But the Ring and all its works would have endured. It would have been the master in the end.

The difference with that case and Isildur's case is that the Ring did not adopt Isildur as his new master. Isildur never mastered the Ring's powers. If somebody else masters the Ring, Sauron loses his mastery over it. But the Ring would then eventually master the one who mastered it. I think I said enough "master"s now.
Also, if there was a 99~100% chance of failing to defeating Sauron once and for all, wouldn't it be better to take the high chance of defeating Sauron for now?

Isildur was strong.

I know...I was just saying what Boromir thought. But even then, you see, Isildur wasn't corrupted by the time he died, so we don't know how long he'd have held out. The effect of not wanting to lose the Ring is only the signs of corruption, not corruption itself. He never tried to do any evil before he died.

[Son of Númenor]

The 'true purpose' of the Fellowship was to destroy the Ring. Gandalf knew that it was a hopeless task, but knew equally well that it was the best alternative - the others being to hide it somewhere and let it lie until it was found generations later and Sauron was able to regain it; to slip it on his finger and declare open war on Sauron; or to send it over the sea and hope against hope that it would be hidden there forever - or that the Valar would accept it. The only hope of the people of Middle-earth was in the destruction of the Ring - even if they had hidden it, Sauron would have been strong enough to defeat the Free Peoples of Middle-earth (they won the War of the Ring only because Sauron was destroyed), Likewise, the only hope in destroying the Ring was in taking it secretly to Mordor - an open assault on Sauron's realm with the purpose of winning a path to Mount Doom was pure folly. And, since it was already known to Gandalf that no one can destroy the Ring of his own free will, who better to take it than the one who bore it all the way from the Shire to Rivendell, and indeed for seventeen years before that? After the decision was made and the Fellowship was formed - a group of of keen thinkers, keen fighters and friends of the Ringbearer, representative of all the Free People - Gandalf had only, as The Saucepan Man said, to trust in providence.