Influence of Power Over Good vs Evil
By: Chloe Troy
The cheers from the West armies of Mordor are matched with a sinister silence from Sauron’s soldiers. The opposers of Sauron assemble towards Maranon on horse, this includes a representative from each race from Middle- earth, the battle has finally begun. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien highlights characters’ internal struggle of good vs evil, therefore illustrating the real-life context in The Gulag Archipelago, where prisoners constantly have to make choices under a totalitarian power. Tolkien and Solzinitzen are able to highlight characters’ internal struggle of good vs evil through the temptation of power. The totalitarian dictatorship demonstrated in The Gulag Archipelago can be seen in many other powerful industries and governments today. These concepts can also be found in daily life situations where a person must decide how to act if they gain a higher rank for example a promotion. Today, many people begin to act differently when they obtain more materialistic goods than others and act superior to those who don’t. This social climbing mentality is shown in the context of Lord of the Rings through the characters desire to be the keeper of the One ring.
DICTION AND DEPICTION OF EVIL VS GOOD
Suddenly Frodo is stabbed by a Mordor blade and is beginning to die, until Arwen sweeps in to save him on his white horse. As Arwen rides off he looks behind him to find a dozen Riders chasing them on their blackhorses. Throughout the entirety of the series, the fellowship is constantly trying to escape and dodge Sauron and his army. Tolkien portrays the duality of the characters through his use of light and dark as well as character actions. This therefore illustrates the inner conflict in the characters while deciding to be good or evil. There is an obvious good and evil side in the books shown through the actions of the characters. For example, it is clear to the reader because of Tolkien’s description of the hobbits; “ At no time had Hobbits of any kind been warlike, and they had never fought among themselves. […]Nonetheless, ease and peace had left these people still curiously tough. They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or kill; and they were, perhaps, so unwearyingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well-fed faces” (5), they are good. Tokien establishes the nature of the hobbits in contrast to the evil going on around them. Other characters whose alliances are revealed through their behavior are Frodo, and Sam. Both demonstrate selflessness and humility as they help those around them and doubt their own strengths or responsibilities. Sam, one of Frodo’s closest friends during his journey states, “‘You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin – to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours – closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the Ring. We are horribly afraid – but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.’” (105) This quote is an example of just how pure and good Sam and Frodo are, even though they are extremely scared they will not abandon each other or their duty to destroy the One ring. Additionally, Tolkien’s use of diction when describing certain places, also reveals their honest form. Tolkien describes Rivendell, the home of the elves, as the, “Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, ‘a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them” (249). This description of Rivendell puts the town in a very joyful, peaceful place, full of light. Tolkien uses the adjectives “perfect”, “homely”, “pleasant”, and “best”, to clearly establish the angelicness of Rivendell. Tolkien also goes into detail of the nature of Mordor when Boromir states, “‘One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume’” (199). The diction “poisonous”, “black”, “evil”, “fire”, and “wasteland” all indicate dark, gloomy, devilish activities. Compared to Rivendell, there is a very noticeable distinction between the two. It makes sense that the most evil character of the books lives in such a dark and demonic place. Sauron’s character serves as the epitome of darkness and evil. It makes sense that since the One ring was made by such an impure being, it constantly brings about danger and temptation to give into the evil power. When Frodo first learns about the One ring, he begs Gandalf to explain to him the power of the ring, Gandalf states, “A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings. Yes, sooner or later – later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last – sooner or later the dark power will devour him.” “How terrifying!” said Frodo. There was another long silence. The sound of Sam Gamgee cutting the lawn came in from the garden” (47) Gandalf finally shares with Frodo the true purpose of the One ring is to destroy all of Middle earth, which is why they must keep it away from Sauron and his allies. Sauron’s evil nature is partly in the One ring since he created it which is why it attracts so much peril while Frodo tries to destroy it. Essentially, Tolkien strives to establish the alliance/nature of people and places through his diction and descriptions to highlight the clash and uncessant conflict between good vs evil.
LUST FOR POWER CLOUDING JUDGMENT
Boromir had always disliked the idea of destroying the One ring; he believed he could use the ring to defeat Sauron and save Middle Earth. As a result, Boromir asks Frodo to give him the One ring, Frodo obviously refuses. In this particular scene, we see one of the members of the fellowship, who are supposed to be on the good side, protecting the people from the evils of Sauron, give into the temptation of the power of the ring. These actions therefore illustrate how easily good can be corrupted by evil when offered power. Boromir was always seen as a benevolent character, but here he begins to think he knows best. Boromir states, “‘We of Minas Tirith have been staunch through long years of trial. We do not desire the power of Wizard-lords, only strength to defend ourselves, strength in a just cause. And behold! in our need chance brings to light the Ring of Power. It is a gift, I say; a gift to the foes of Mordor. It is mad not to use it, to use the power of the Enemy against him. The fearless, the ruthless, these alone will achieve victory. What could not Aragorn do? 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!”(398) Boromir tries to act like he wants the best for his people and that his only reason for wanting the ring is to protect others, when in reality he desires the power and titles that come with it. Boromir grows selfish, he doesn’t truly care about the people he will save, he just wants the glory that would come with him saving everyone. Boromir tries to trick a good friend of his into giving him the One ring which would jeopardize the whole group. Boromir furthers his plea for the ring stating, “‘True-hearted Men, they will not be corrupted…‘I am a true man, neither thief nor tracker. I need your Ring: that you know now; but I give you my word that I do not desire to keep it. Will you not at least let me make trial of my plan? Lend me the Ring!’‘No! no!’ cried Frodo. ‘The Council laid it upon me to bear it.’‘It is by our own folly that the Enemy will defeat us,’ cried Boromir. ‘How it angers me! Fool! Obstinate fool! Running wilfully to death and ruining our cause.’” (399) Boromir’s manipulative actions illustrate how far some will go to obtain power, which ultimately highlights how power corrupts people’s character and their actions. Sam, Frodo’s companion on the journey to Mordor, is another good character that gives into evil. Sam wakes up in the dark trapped outside the Orc with a large door in his way. While he needs to save Frodo he cannot get past the door, so he decides to put on the ring. After putting on the ring he feels a strong force of power come over him. Sam feels the power of the ring and desires to be more than just a hobbit, “He felt that he had from now on only two choices: to forbear the Ring, though it would torment him; or to claim it, and challenge the Power that sat in its dark hold beyond the valley of shadows. Already the Ring tempted him, gnawing at his will and reason. Wild fantasies arose in his mind; and he saw Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age, striding with a flaming sword across the darkened land, and armies flocking to his call as he marched to the overthrow of Barad-duˆr.” (901) Two innately good characters throughout the books give into the evil power of the ring in an instant. The way Sam begins to feel power and want to be more recognized than he is demonstrates how power corrupts people who have too much of it. With all the power of the world in his hand, Sam is still able to put the ring down and walk away from the power of the ring. Although he had a minor lapse in judgement, due to his self control and good within him, Sam is able to resist and stay good. This desire of power Sam feels can also be seen in The Gulag Archipelago. With the power given to the guards in the Gulag, it is shown how out of hand power in the wrong hands can be. Once given a small taste of power, many want more and more and ultimately become selfish and ruthless like the guards of the Gulag. The camps even started to train little children, “robust youngsters born during the First Five- Year Plan, who had no war service when they took their nice new Tommy guns and set about guarding (them)…any one of them was at liberty to kill any one of us… Any wrong movement, any false step, they must cut short with a bullet… These kids were not allowed to know anything about us; they were allowed only the right to shoot without warning!” (379) Those in charge of the Gulag went as far as to put children in a position of more power than men with more service years in the war than these children have been alive. On the other hand, these children accepted the mutilating position without a second thought because it gave them power and they were able to boss around grown men and even kill them if they wanted. The lust for power as shown in both cases has the ability to cloud judgment and corrupt the behavior of those with the power. It is clear too much power is extremely detrimental to anyone close to it which explains why throughout the entire lord of the rings the characters were trying to destroy the ring and its power.
DUALITY OF GOLLUM SEEN IN THE REAL WORLD
A black crawling shape emerges from behind the boulder, hissing and snuffling towards Sam and Frodo. Anger and disgust fill the creature’s eyes as Frodo denies him of the One ring. While Gollum originally started the book as a kindhearted, adventurous hobbit, he soon fell prey to the desire of the One ring, therefore highlighting the destructive and altering effects of power. Gollum is a prime example of the duality of evil. In other words, evil is not permanent, and changes can be made to regain the good within themselves. Smeagol (name before he turned to Gollum) was an adventurous and curious hobbit who would have continued his life like so if he had not found the One ring and been so easily swayed by the power. Most good characters in the books are able to fight the urge and resist, but when De ́agol, Smeagol’s best friend found the ring, “ he caught De ́agol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger.‘No one ever found out what had become of De ́agol; he was murdered far from home, and his body was cunningly hidden…he used it to find out secrets, and he put his knowledge to crooked and malicious uses. He became sharp-eyed and keen-eared for all that was hurtful. The ring had given him power according to his stature.” (70) The evil that desired the power of the ring within Smeagol grows to become the dark, dangerous creature of Gollum. Even the most congenial characters in the book, the hobbits, have an inner urge to take the power, as shown through Gollum, illustrating the evil residing in everyone deep down, no matter how pure. From then on all Gollum can talk about is the ring and its power. Throughout the books, Gollum is literally fighting the good and evil within himself (Smeagol vs Gollum). As illustrated later Gollum begins talking to himself saying,”’ Not hurt the nice hobbit, of course, no, no.’But the Precious holds the promise,’ the voice of Sméagol objected.’Then take it,’ said the other, ‘and let’s hold it ourselfs! Then we shall be master, gollum! Make the other hobbit, the nasty suspicious hobbit, make him crawl, yes, gollum’” (827), Gollum is going back and forth between his good and evil thoughts, part of him wants to hurt Frodo and take the ring, but the other side likes Frodo and knows he should not hurt him. The internal conflict between the two sides of Gollum/ Smeagol is a slightly more dramaticized version of what all the other characters go through on a daily basis when around the ring. The one thing in common with all the characters that fall to the compulsion of the ring, is their desire for power for personal gain. Through the illustration of essentially every good character succumbing to the power of the one ring for personal reasons, Boromir wanting glory, Sam wanting to recognized as something more than a hobbit; Tolkien is trying to allude to the fact that evil occurs when characters have selfish impulses to obtain power. Gollum demonstrates he can be good and evil, he knows what is right and wrong, and while he may still choose to do the wrong thing he does not pretend to be good like others. Tolkien states in one of his letters “”If (Sam) had understood better what was going on between Frodo and Gollum, things might have turned out differently in the end. For me perhaps the most tragic moment in the Tale comes in II 323 ff. when Sam fails to note the complete change in Gollum’s tone and aspect.” (The Letters of JRR Tolkien 264) This quote of Tolkien’s shows that if Gollum was given more of a chance, and people believed in his redemption, maybe he would have been able to revert back to Smeagol. Gollum starts to soften around Frodo because he likes him and his tone even begins to change, but because Sam was so judgemental and only thought of Gollum as evil, he was unable to continue changing. Sam’s dismissal of Gollum’s good side demonstrates a lot of people’s mindset towards misunderstood criminals in the real world. While Gollum did indeed do many malicious things, he may have been able to change under different circumstances. This idea once again reinforces the concept of a fluidity between good and evil. As Solzhenitsyn states, “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart.” (233) This is true to life today, just like Gollum, people everyday have internal conflicts whether or not to do the right thing. All people possess good and evil within them, it’s the resistance to the evil urges that makes someone good. While some people do not possess this control, like Gollum, and give into the evils. This suggests that that person does not have enough strength or a good enough character to rebuke evil. Everyone struggles to make the right choices as well as everyone is capable of coming back from their wrong choices. But, in the presence of power, making these good decisions is much harder than it seems.
THE SELF DESTRUCTION OF EVIL
Tired of being scorned and treated poorly, Wormtongue grabbed the knife he hid and slit his master’s throat. Saurman layed there lifelessly as the blood poured from his neck. This scene specifically exposes the mindset of the allies of Saurman and Sauron, therefore illustrating the seductive power of evil and how it destroys itself in the end. Wormtongue was a secret spy of Saurman’s that worked to manipulate the king Theoden. On one journey to the Shire with Saurman, Wormtongue was degraded by his master the whole way. Wormtongue states, “how I hate him! I wish I could leave him!” (983) But, the alluring force of evil does not allow Wormtongue to escape. In the end, when Wormtongue finally becomes fed up he is able to kill his master. When Wormtongue kills Saurman, it is a prime example of evil defeating itself. Although at first Wormtongue could not escape the seductiveness surrounding evil, and the power that is usually gained with it, evil ultimately overcomes itself as shown. Evil destroying evil can also be found when Gollum destroys the ring. Gollum is portrayed as an evil character, for the most part, who is constantly obsessing over the ring and having it in his possession. Thus, when it is him who destroyed the One ring, it shows the inevitable self destruction of evil. All the evil characters are not killed by Frodo, Gandalf, or Sam, they are destroyed by something else evil. Tolkien makes a statement through this illustration of evil harming evil to show the narcissistic and isolated mindset that comes with the desire of power on the evil side. The lure of the ring can also be seen as a metaphor for lust. It is known parts of Sauron’s power lie in the One ring, making it evil, but the way Tolkien portrays some characters not being able to resist the ring speaks volumes. The ring itself has an allure to anyone around it. Most good characters are able to resist the urge to give into the ring’s evil power, but those who have self serving purposes with the ring easily give into the craving for power. Through this portrayal of the enchantment of the One ring, Tolkien is hinting at the overarching theme of good resisting evil, while people become evil when they can’t resist power.
ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE ONE RING AND ITS POWER IN RELATION TO TOTALITARIANISM
While Sauron was not originally evil, “ For nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so” (267), Sauron’s desire for power ultimately corrupted who he was. The depiction of Sauron, the most evil and powerful character in the books, starting out good and then turning evil displays the appealing nature of evil and how those who desire power for selfish reasons turn evil. Sauron wanted more power than he had so that he could control all of Middle earth, once he gained that power he began to use it for wrongful reasons which is what made him so evil. Desiring power is not the problem, the issue arises when those who desire power want it for the wrong reasons, like Sauron. When Sauron’s armies went to battle against Gandalf, Sauron’s armies were extremely large in quantity in comparison to Gandalf’s. Although Sauron’s army was much larger, Gandalf’s army had something they lacked, trust. Sauron’s army was created through fear and manipulation, therefore when it came time to battle, Sauron’s army had no purpose to fight except the fear of Sauorn’s wrath. Tolkien’s description of the two different sized armies highlighted the weakness of evil. In the case of the allies of Sauron, most simply wanted to be something more than they were or to have more control. Arendt talks about in her book, The Origins of Totalitarianism , the attractiveness of power, The attraction of evil and crime for the mob mentality is nothing new. It has always been true that the mob will greet “deeds of violence with theadmiring remark: it may be mean but it is very clever.”” The disturbing factor in the success of totalitarianism is rather the true selflessness of its adherents…” (354) Arendt’s quote captures exactly how Sauron and The Soviet Union soldiers in The Gulag Archipelago are successful. From the Soviet Union perspective, they were able to create the mob mentality to imprison, torture, and beat random, innocent people because they had to power to. Sauron can be seen also trying to hurt innocent Frodo because he has the One ring. The atrocities these soldiers committed were justified in their eyes by the power they were given in addition to everyone else around them doing the same. Just like Sauron, when given a taste of power, the Soviet soldiers could not control themselves and acted irrationally because of the power they had. Sauron can be seen using totalitarian tactics, as he inflicts fear to gain a following and is not worried about the consequences of his actions. Both the Soviet soldiers and Sauron wanted power for selfish purposes and now because of it do evil things. The mob mentality of their allies and those around them add to their success because rarely is their authority questioned. Even those not involved in the camps or as soldiers did not question the harmful ways of the soldiers. The bystanding civilians did nothing to stop the Soviet soldiers because they too followed the pack mentality. The actions of the majority on the outside of the prisons reflect the good vs evil struggle because many people watched the atrocities take place without saying anything because they feared they would be killed. Solzhenitsyn states, “ Without that (public opinion) behind us we can protest as much as we like and they will laugh in our faces!… Escape, then? History has preserved for us accounts of some major escapes from Tsarist prisons. All of them, let us note, were engineered and directed from outside” (352). Solzhenitsyn makes the point that without the help of sympathizers on the outside, the prisoners’ revolts are pointless, they have no power or advantage like outsiders do. But, due to the pressures of the totalitarian regime, outsiders did not dare try and help prisoners escape. While some outsiders may have known what was happening was wrong, they struggled to decide whether to help the prisoners or not because that meant risking their own safety. Since the majority of bystanders around them were doing nothing to help, it made it that much easier for the others to decide not to as well. They weren’t doing anything, so why should they? In both cases, the public and Sauron’s allies/ those who fall under the power of the ring, act in the interest of themselves and worry only about their survival either due to the fear instilled by those in power or for their own selfish desires. The depiction of the people outside the prisons not helping highlights the dangers of a mob mentality especially under a totalitarian power. Tolkien demonstrates how the internal struggle of good vs evil is more easily swayed in one direction typically because of the influence of others. In the case of a totalitarian power, like the Soviet Union or the one ring, swaying towards evil is much more appealing as shown by the actions of the soldiers and characters in The Lord of the Rings.
Arendt continues her point adding Totalitarian regimes, “‘were convinced that evil-doing in our time has a morbid force of attraction…’”(307) The concept of evilness being attractive can be illustrated throughout the entire journey of trying to destroy the One ring. The One ring is extremely attractive to those around it, as creatures are constantly being tested to resist the power of the ring. By creating the One ring, which has the ability to rule them all, Tolkien has mimicked, in a way, a totalitarian regime in Middle earth. When describing the effects of power Solzhenitsyn states, “Power is a poison well known for thousands of years. If only no one were ever to acquire material power over others!” (147) Thus, resisting power and the urge to give into evil must be prevented in order to remain good and pure. While Tolkien was writing Lord of the Rings, he himself was experiencing the pressures of totalitarian powers as well. It makes sense that Tolkien would incorporate this kind of totalitarian dominion shown in through the One ring since he was going through a situation not so different. In both cases, Solzhenitsyn and Tolkien encountered and endured the effects of a totalitarian government, while some more extreme than others, both are very knowledgeable on the topic and relay a similar theme. One might say they share the theme of staying away from totalitarianism at all costs, and while this may be an underlying theme, a stronger concept they share is the proposition of resisting power because it ultimately results in evil when used greedily.
DAVID AND GOLIATH SCENARIO; GOOD BEATING EVIL
When Frodo and Sam initially started their Journey to destroy the ring, many doubted their success. Even Gandalf, who was almost seen as their mentor, says to Pippin that the hope Frodo and Sam have to finish their journey is really a “fool’s hope” (815). During their quest Tolkien portrays many ups and downs as well as despair which illustrates the challenges of staying good to defeat evil. To Gandalf, the fact that two common hobbits must defeat the most powerful being in Middle earth is laughable. The fate of Middle earth lies in the hands of mortal Frodo and Sam who lack self confidence and bravery. Many people doubted them and they were clearly the underdogs in this situation, making them David and Goliath as Sauron. The story of David and Goliath goes as follows, David was sent to fight Goliath who was visibly much larger and stronger with no armor and no sword. Everyone believed David was a deadman, but David had faith and hope that he would win. To everyone’s disbelief David beat the mighty Goliath. This is a true underdog tale and can be seen in Frodo’s situation. Frodo and Sam encounter many near death experiences with supernatural creatures set out to kill them. When Frodo is injured, the Fellowship becomes very distraught. Later as the group continues their journey in the woods of Lothlórien, some figure climbs Frodo’s way up the tree. The shadow is not revealed because it is scared away. As they enter the woods, the words of Elrond are called upon, “‘You will hear today all that you need in order to understand the purposes of the Enemy. There is nothing that you can do, other than to resist, with hope or without it’” (315). During times of evil, the fellowship must dig deep to resist the evils around them. Additionally, similar to The Gulag Archipelago and their ordinary citizens turning a blind eye, the group of the fellowship also in a way turn a blind eye to the dangers and evils surrounding them because of the one ring. Although it is not exactly parallel to the nonfiction events the citizens are ignoring, the fellowship ignores the dangers that follow them in order to help Frodo. The fellowship knows the danger they are placing themselves in but continue to help and guide Frodo, unlike the ordinary citizens who ignore the thousands of unnecessary arrests being made.
It is through these trials and tribulations where they ultimately come out stronger. The good of Frodo and Sam is only able to succeed and destroy the ring after ceaseless trying and never giving up. Tolkien writes, “even as hope died in Sam, or seemed to die, it was turned to a new strength” (934). This quote demonstrates the idea that the despair and sorrow Frodo and Sam feel when they fail multiple times is actually making them stronger and giving them more hope when they continue the quest even though they’ve failed. The hope the good characters have illustrates the powerful mindset they have to not give up like the evil forces around them want them to. Before all successes in the books, there are failures that the good characters must endure to defeat evil. At the end of The Lord of the Rings Sam asks, ““Is everything sad going to come untrue?” I feel like spring after winter, and sun on the leaves; and like trumpets and harps and all the songs I have ever heard!” (952). The joy, shock Sam and Frodo feels makes up for all the hardships they had to endure to get there. The way Tolkien has two Hobbits defeat the most powerful creature known, creates a strong message of good always being able to defeat evil even in the darkest of times. Frodo and Sam were always being tested while on their journey whether to give into the rings power and because they were able to resist the desire to gain more power, ultimately leading to their success.
Through The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien addresses numerous topics related to good vs evil. The apparent attraction to evil is highlighted through every character’s actions around the One ring, except Frodo. As depicted, there are objectively good and evil things in the book, but evil and good itself is not objective. It is fluid, one does not stay good or evil, they have both within themselves. Tolkien relays the message that things make decisions that decide whether they are good or evil, but they can make the changes necessary to revert back to good. While the very nature of the One ring or the limitless freedom the Soviet guards have is enchanting to the common eye, once wrapped up in evil, it becomes oppressive. The oppressive behavior of the Soviet soldiers is shown through their brutal beatings and random killing whenever they feel. The Soldiers become enslaved to the power they obtained and cannot escape the brutal cycle. Similar to Wormtongue, when he grows to despise his master. Even though he has more authority and power than most, Wormtongue begins to want to leave his master, but then comments how he can’t. In both cases, the evil is oppressive and those who desire the power do not realize it until it’s too late. The only thing that signifies a good being is resisting evil power for selfish needs. Tolkien demonstrates that ultimately good only needs to resist the power and temptation of evil and in the end evil will dismantle itself. The idea of evil destroying itself is demonstrated first hand by Gollum destroying the One ring. Another idea discussed in The Lord of the Rings is resisting evil ultimately destroys it, as well as the fluidity of good vs evil internally. The characters are attempting to destroy the One ring, but what they don’t realize is, it is their overall resistance to give into the evil desires for power that defeats the evil. Frodo and Sam fail to realize they do not need to conquer evil, but simply need to resist. If Frodo or Sam were to give into the ring and take the power for themselves or try and “save the people ” like Boromir suggested, their quest would have been unsuccessful. But, because they resisted and persevered even when all hope seemed lost, they stayed good and triumphed over evil. Frodo and Sam, who are seen as benvelot, trustworthy hobbits, too have evil inside of them. Even though these characters are classified as pure within the books, they still have moments of hesitation or insecurities. By demonstrating that even the most pure characters have evil thoughts, Tolkien makes the point that everyone has good and evil inside of them, it’s the resisting the evil presented to them that makes them good. Gollum for example was initially a good hobbit, but when given a glimpse of power, he gave into evil too easily. The struggles between evil Gollum and nice Smeagol depict the everyday struggles humans have in real life. Today, everyone struggles to make the right choices as well as if they end up making the wrong choice, typically they are given a chance at redemption. Through Gollum’s internal conflicts, Tolkien is illustrating a more intense version of what people go through everyday. With the power of the One ring in the picture, characters have a harder time resisting and making the right choice. This demonstrates how in the presence of power, making these good decisions is much harder due to the sleigh desires creeping in. Solzhenitsyn has a great quote that describes the duality of evil stating, “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were neces- sary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” (179) As previously described, all people have good and bad in them, it is the choices they make, in this case around power, that determine what kind of being they are.
Works Cited
The Letters of JRR Tolkien
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich. The Gulag Archipelago. Vintage, 2018.