Concepts of Evil
Sarah McNutt
Shippey towards the beginning of the chapter discusses changes made to the Hobbit. In order to better suit the Lord of the Rings that followed the Hobbit needed changes, especially in areas that contradicted Tolkien’s later work. Thinking back to 4th grade when I read the hobbit I began to question which farewell from Gollum I had read, “no we dursn’t, gollum” or “we hates it for ever”. Obviously this is not small edit, Tolkien makes a turn around with Gollum so as to not disrupt the flow between the two books. This is especially interesting to me because I had anticipated a problem like this in my paper addressing Jackson’s translation of the third film. But to think Tolkien would be confined in such a way did not occur to me. Tolkien obviously knew what he had written in the Hobbit, yet he was willing to develop Gollum in a way that would force his hand in the matter.
I really appreciate the section of the chapter dedicated to the ring wraiths, in the tale itself not much is really explained about the creatures except for a sentence here and there. Now Shippey makes a comment about how much farther along Gollum is to being a Ring wraith then Bilbo and Frodo, he does not directly mention Sam who has had the ring much briefer than the later two. The ability to become a wraith is greatly sped up by possessing the ring but Sam seems to carry no symptom, I find this fact peculiar seeing as he did have it solely for a time.
Shippey compares two different schools of thought “Boethian” and “Manichaean” with a few thoughts of his own concerning the Ring. The contrasting points bring up many thought provoking ideas. First Sauron though he created the ring seems not to have any conscious control over the rings will and only a vague awareness of it. Whether or not the Ring has some sort of consciousness is up for debate as well. It could be acting according to the single minded purpose of returning to Sauron, or just be the embodiment of the ID of the possessor. Unaware ,Bilbo, after attaining it in his travels is left unchaperoned with the ring for many many years, as a result when Gandalf asks it of him Bilbo reacts in a manner that is unbecoming for a hobbit. Bilbo himself remains blissfully unaware of the truth about the ring but the malicious connection between himself and the ring is something to study.
On a last note, Tolkien after surviving Both of the World Wars unlike many others Is said to be writing literature not entirely appropriate for his “class and time”. Oddly enough I don’t seem to be able to see how it is inappropriate, what better statement to make after such destruction then a epic tale of good and evil?
