The Unfair Fate of Saruman

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Lotrelf

(can someone clarify this? Why is was okay to put Saruman in the list of those who resisted the Ring?).

Do you mean this article?
https://www.eviscerati.org/articles/...ng-Rather-Well
I can't "clarify" it because that would mean agreeing with what the author has said. His reasoning is based on false premises.

And since we know from some of the things Gandalf says that he was instrumental in the assault that drove Sauron/The Necromancer out of his fortress in Mirkwood, we can assume he was still working for the Good Guys at that point, and he had been studying the One Ring long before that.

Saruman delayed the Council from attacking Dol Guldur for a long time because he was hoping the Ring would reveal itself. When he finally relented it was because he was becoming concerned that Sauron would find the Ring before he did. He did not have positive motives for the attack, and had actually been making motions towards becoming a "Power" in Middle-earth for some time, albeit in secret.

He is lowest on the list because he never actually comes into contact with the ring and is corrupted by it anyway--and, also, he gets points deducted because he's really an incredible jerk--but he still gets a nod because as far as I can tell he was studying the ring and being seduced by it for an incredibly long time before he finally gave in.

I don't see how he even qualifies for inclusion, then. He can hardly be said to have "resisted" the One Ring just because he was aware that it existed and studied Ring-lore. Although I daresay they did not to the same extent, you might as well include Elrond or even Denethor on the list for almost the same reasons.
Saruman never came into the presence of the One Ring in his entire life. I think his inclusion here is just an effort on the part of the author of this article to be surprising, in addition to writing based on incomplete knowledge. He also writes

"Galadriel scores higher on the list than Gandalf because she is actually put in the position of being offered the ring directly, so she is tempted directly."

Wrong again. Frodo offered Gandalf the Ring as well:
"You are wise and powerful. Will you not take the Ring?"
I suppose it's just the author's opinion but Sam only bore the Ring for a day, more or less. Frodo carried it almost all the way to Mordor and didn't succumb until the very end. Also Boromir only "resists" the Ring after Frodo's put it on and run away. He still tried to take it, unlike Galadriel or Gandalf, who were mightier than him (albeit more wise, but I won't get back into that discussion again...) and arguably had greater need of it.

My point is, I think this article's argument that Saruman "resisted" the Ring is nonsensical. He never encountered it personally, and he fell anyway!