9/16 Open Prompt Edit

1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

               In The Lord of the Rings, there are many characters who could be considered villains, all of whom have different motivations for doing what they do. The most interesting, however, is the character of Gollum. Gollum is not a typical “I want power, let’s kill everyone!” kind of villain. He is sneaky but timid, and is willing to sacrifice all for a singular object that has consumed his mind. He is not inherently “bad”, so to speak, but he will do bad things to achieve his goals. His brand of villainy adds meaning to the work by showing Frodo the repercussions of pity and selfishness.

               Gollum was originally a simple minded creature. One day, he was on a fishing trip with a close friend, when they happened to find the One Ring of Power onthe sea floor. Almost immediately falling under its spell, he demanded it, because it was his birthday.  In a fit of anger  he strangled his friend. After discovering the invisibility powers of the ring, he used it for thievery and mischief, and was soon ostracized from his villiage. He fled to the Misty Mountains, where the ring took over his body and mind. His brain had been twisted so much, that all he could think about was the ring. When Bilbo Baggins eventually took the ring from him and spared his life, he immediatley devoted the rest of that same life to chasing down Bilbo and getting his "precious" back.
              Throughout the story, Gollum first follows, and then guides Frodo, for the sole reason that Frodo possesses his “precious”, or the One Ring. He is willing to betray Frodo and Sam at any chance to get the ring, and at the very ending, when Frodo seems all-consumed by the ring and puts it on, Gollum bites off his finger, clutching wildly at his prize, when he drops off into the lava, destroying himself and the ring, once and for all.

               Gollum’s so villainy symbolizes a warning to Frodo. Gollum started out as a creature not unlike Frodo, and ended up so corrupted, so pitiful, yet doesn’t even realize it-in the same way that Frodo doesn’t realize that the ring is doing the same thing to him. Gollum also symbolizes the ring itself- the way it follows its target, corrupts it against those it once knew (Frodo starts trusting Gollum more than the ever-faithful Sam), and slowly poisons their mind. As Frodo learns that Bilbo  did not kill Gollum out of pity, he realizes the fact that each decision, no matter how right it may seem at the moment, may cause tremendous pain for everyone, even if, at the end, it ends up okay; the same way the whole quest for the ring starts off with them trying to make the right decision, enormous pain as the journey goes on, and a final ending where things end up okay.
               Gollum's villainy does not stem from a desire to inflict pain, to kill, or to rule the world. He has one prized possesion, one thing that he loves, and he does everything in his power to get it back, not caring about the way he achieves his goal, or who he has to hurt. This makes him a corrupted, twisted creature, but not a villain in the traditional sense, and his corruption acts as an allegory for the story itself.