The Character of Sméagol in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

2434 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism in the lord of the rings

The Character of Sméagol in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

Although JRR Tolkien is notorious for his numerous, and often seemingly irrelevant, minor characters - the necessity of an index of names in The Return of the King proves this without a doubt - one of the most crucial and fascinating characters of The Lord of the Rings physically appears in barely more than one-sixth of the novel. The character Sméagol, often referred to by his alter ego Gollum, on a basic level serves only to guide Frodo and Sam to Mordor, as well as to destroy the Ring when Frodo cannot. However, in the course of doing so, we are revealed, hint by hint, of the enigmatic and contradictory character who "hates the Ring and loves the Ring - just as he hates and loves himself" (Sibley 170). In The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien uses the character Sméagol, forged from a collection of historical and historically mythological tales, as a foil for the central hero Frodo Baggins as well as the Christian example of hope, despite the powerful corruption of evil.

Tolkien, Oxford's Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, was an avid fan of history; the ancient past of his beloved Europe fascinated him to such a degree that it is little wonder the history of Middle-Earth mirrors our own. Sméagol's lust for, reverence to, and even fear of the One Ring bases its roots, most especially, in the ancient practice of Dactyliomancy, or the use of rings for divination and magic. In the first century AD, Apollonius of Tyana, a major figure in the Gnostic religion and early alchemy, received seven rings from the Brahman Indian prince Iarchus, which he believed gave him healing powers if he would "[revere] them as divine... and...

... middle of paper ...

...ous power of evil, but the everlasting, and far greater, power of good.

Works Cited

Bruner, Kurt, and Jim Ware. Finding God in The Lord of the Rings. Illinois: Tyndale House,

Publishers Inc, 2001. 69, 89.

Chance, Jane. The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power. New York: Twayne

Publishers, 1992. 34, 102.

Day, David. Tolkien's Ring. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1999. 22-23, 50-51, 88,

154.

Sibley, Brian. The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy. New York:

Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 170, 171.

Tolkien, JRR. The Letters of JRR Tolkien. Ed. Humphrey Carpenter. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin Company, 1981. 330.

- - - . The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. 68, 643, 659, 979.

Tyler, JEA. The Tolkien Companion. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1976. 446, 454.

Show More
Related

  • The Lord Of The Rings: Human Action Myth

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Peter Jackson’s film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” revolves around a young hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins and his unique group of companions. They go on a journey to destroy the One Ring of Sauron (the Dark Lord). In short, the One Ring has malevolent powers to whomever wears it.

    Read More

  • Let There Be Light: Did Punk Rock Really Make a Difference

    3161 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the early 1950s when Rock and Roll was born, it was so new and so different than anything heard before that by the time the above song was released more than 25 years later, it seemed like nothing had existed before it. Punk Rock had a similar effect on the music scene. Just as the original Rock and Roll was embraced by the youth culture as something new, exciting and possibly dangerous, Punk Rock was embraced by many as a new revolution with the potential to change everything. But did it? This essay will address the question of whether Punk Rock changed anything. It will focus on the business and industry that evolved within and around the punk scene, the politics of punk and the internal ideological debates within the scene.

    Read More

  • Theme of Religion in "Dead Man Walking"

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ng everything he will leave behind. He is no longer thinking about himself instead he is worrying about the families he has hurt and his own family that he is leaving behind. However, now that it is his time, he has found love and the true meaning behind it.

    Read More

  • John F. Kennedy

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Kennedy, John Fitzgerald, Jr. (1960-1999)." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 May 2014.

    Read More

  • Causes and Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    PTSD is a debilitating mental illness that occurs when someone is exposed to a traumatic, dangerous, frightening, or a possibly life-threating occurrence. “It is an anxiety disorder that can interfere with your relationships, your work, and your social life.” (Muscari, pp. 3-7) Trauma affects everyone in different ways. Everyone feels wide ranges of emotions after going through or witnessing a traumatic event, fear, sadness and depression, it can cause changes in your everyday life as in your sleep and eating patterns. Some people experience reoccurring thoughts and nightmares about the event.

    Read More

  • Smeagol And Gollum Diagnosis

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sméagol/Gollum is a very strange character to diagnose with a mental disability. In this paper, the diagnosis will take into consideration the many different attributes of the world that he is in to be able to correctly name the ailment that he has. A prime source of information of the hobbit comes from one of the main characters of the movie/book, Gandalf the Wizard. It is known that Sméagol is single, 587 years old, and has no specific home. He shows antisocial behavior, increasing aggression towards the other main characters of the story, and a fixation with the One Ring.

    Read More

  • What´s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    Post-Traumatic Stress Di-sorder is a syndrome exp-erienced by many veter-ans, and is a priority of a plethora of psychological researchers. The Diag-nostic and Statistical Man-ual of Mental disorders lis-ts eight criterion for this widespread mental dis-ease, including a stressor, meddling symptoms, ev-asion, amendments in provocation and react-ivity, and a duration of symptoms for more than a month. PTSD is often characterized by disrupt-ions in sleep patterns, with the traumatic event fre-quently popping up in the veterans’ nightmares.

    Read More

  • The Hobbit: Thematic Analysis

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print

    Read More

  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wiederhold, Brenda K.: Wiederholder, Mark D. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 1st ed. American Psychological Association., 2004. Print.

    Read More

  • J.R.R. Tolkien Research Paper

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Print.

    Read More

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

    2155 Words  | 5 Pages

    What is post-traumatic stress disorder? “Post-traumatic stress disorder is a DSM-IV psychiatric disorder characterized by an acute emotional response to a traumatic event or situation involving severe environmental stress….” ( Mosby’s,2002) PTSD stems from events that you yourself experience, like abuse, combat, or a serious accident, but can also stem from a witnessed threat of harm or death to another, like 9-11-01. After such events happen you may feel scared, angry, or confused, which is perfectly normal but if those feelings don’t subside and start to get worse, there’s a good chance that you have developed PTSD, and need seek psychiatric help.

    Read More

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    The DSM-IV-TR requires six criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. Criterion A defines the traumatic event, including any specifics relating to the event itself (Criterion A1) and the response to the event (Criterion A2). Criterion B refers to symptoms of re-experiencing the trauma, criterion C refers to the avoidance of reminders and numbing of general responsiveness to the event and criterion D refers to symptoms persistent by increased hyper arousal. Criterion E involves symptoms being present for longer than 1 month, and criterion F involves disturbances that cause distress and impairment to areas of functioning (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 2000). It is classified as acute if symptoms last less than three months and if symptoms present beyond 3 mo...

    Read More

  • Lord of The Rings

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. Many "Hobbits" show up at his party including his third cousin, Frodo, which is the main character of the novel and a powerful wizard named Gandalf. Biblo possed a powerful ring known as the "Ruling Ring" which gives "Supreme Power" to whoever has possession of it. At the end of the party, Bilbo uses his magical ring to turn invisible and stun his guests. Gandalf, the powerful wizard, then meets up with Biblo at his house and takes the ring from Bilbo, which is corrupting him. Gandalf examines it, realizing that the ring Bilbo has is the powerful "Ruling Ring". Knowing that the forces of evil are in search of the ring, Gandalf sends Frodo, a relative of Biblo, to destroy the ring in the only place it can be destroyed, "Mt. Doom". Overhearing the talk between Gandalf and Frodo, Sam, a "Hobbit", that is good friends with Frodo is forced on the quest to aid Frodo.

    Read More

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Description

    1957 Words  | 4 Pages

    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can turn into a very chronic condition that can immensely affect the daily life of an individual. As the name implies, there is a great amount of stress and fear related symptoms that follow a traumatic event. These events can range from something as extreme as being in combat or to something that can happen at any given moment, such as a car accident or assault. In general, we associate this disorder with veterans, as most develop signs of the disorder soon after coming back home, but in reality, PTSD can happen to anyone at any point in their lives. The fifth edition of the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses lists eight criteria that an individual must meet in order to receive proper diagnosis of the disorder. These criteria are dependent whether one is older or younger than six years old, but are both very similar. Specifically in children, there will be more observable behavior during play and demonstrate more attachment towards the parent or guardian, but otherwise, the symptoms are similar to adults. The first criterion states that the patient must have been involved in the traumatic event, whether they were directly involved, witnessed, or heard about the event that involved someone close to them. Vivid flashbacks and nightmares are also an indicator of the disorder. These are not just any flashbacks and nightmares; they relate to the event and cause a great amount of physiological arousal. When it comes to their sleeping habits, there are constant sleep disturbances that can prevent the individual to fall asleep. There must also be avoidance of anything that reminds the patient of the traumatizing event. The patient will do anythin...

    Read More

  • Heroism, Magic and Retribution in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

    2214 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wood, Ralph C. "Traveling the one road: The Lord of the Rings." The Century Feb. 97: 208(4).

    Read More

More about The Character of Sméagol in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

Open Document