Suicide in Middle Earth

[blantyr]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

What I key on is Frodo's threat that Gollum would be cast into the Fire. One might take that as a doom, or a curse, but Gollum wasn't made to fall by any discernible outside force. Therefore, I see it as a very possible subconscious effort on his part to free himself from the Ring in the only way he was then capable of being free. Frodo had given him the idea.

I have a different spin on the threat. I believe it was the ring itself that pronounced the threat / curse / prophecy / promise, rather than Frodo.

Then suddenly, as before under the eaves of the Emyn Muil, Sam saw these two rivals with other vision. A crouching shape, scarcely more than the shadow of a living thing, a creature now wholly ruined and defeated, yet filled with a hiddeous rage and lust; and before it stood stern, untouchable now by pity, a figure robed in white, but at its breast it held a wheel of fire. Out of the fire there spoke a commanding voice.

"Begone, and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom."

The key words are 'out of the fire'. If so, the Ring, an aspect of and creation of Sauron, pronounced its own doom.

That the ring spoke those words is important to the primary theme. Throughout, Frodo was merciful towards Gollum, Sam was merciful towards Gollum, everyone was merciful towards Gollum. It's a big deal that the good guys, though Gollum deserved death, did not give it to him. Even the elves of Mirkwood showed Gollum more kindness than they would show a bunch of random dwarves. It was the Ring itself that did not show mercy.
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