It is here that the interplay between memory, will, and reason dictate the decision that Sam makes and it is because the freedom of choice is not removed that Sam remains unaffected by the Ring. Sam’s memory recalls the corruption of Gollum and Boromir, as well as the steady decay of Frodo. His reason informs his memory that all who possess the ring become a thrall of Sauron himself. In this instance, it is Sam’s will that prevents his corruption, at the core of it is his “good plain hobbit sense” and a strong desire to help Frodo. His pure intentions prevent the One Ring from being able to completely corrupt him because the he only possessed the Ring out of love for his master, not the desire for power.
The language surrounding the Ring …show more content…
The Ring is exerting a physical force onto Sam’s willpower, thus indicating that evil is a present force. Sam feels himself robed in a distorted shadow of himself, which indicates that the Ring is attempting to corrupt him but also that the Ring is causing him to fall away from his former self. Like Gandalf said, all who possess the Ring will become shadows of themselves, and the will in time fade (1, 2, 46). In this passage it seems like the Ring is a present force of evil, and therefore there is an interesting dichotomy between the two reigning theories of evil. In the Boethian perspective, evil is the absence of good and is a matter of choice. In the Manichaeanism perspective, evil and good are dualistic, and evil is a present force exerting power on the world. The Ring itself is a physical and present force on the …show more content…
Sam’s pure intentions to help his master, his memory of the effects of the Ring, and is knowledge of the Ring prevent the Ring from tempting him, and allow him to continually express his freedom of choice. For Sam, the desire to have a small garden greatly supersedes his desire to control an entire realm. Boromir had sound reasoning in that he wanted desperately to help Gondor and use this Ring of Power to destroy evil once and for all, but his will overpowered his memory and reason and made him unreceptive to what others in the fellowship were saying. The Ring played upon his desperation and thus removed his freedom to choose his fate in the fellowship. Tolkien’s view of evil throughout The Lord of the Rings is often ambiguous and ever changing. In the beginning of The Fellowship we see evil as dualistic: Sauron is evil, and Gandalf and Frodo are good. As the novel progresses, it becomes evident that personal intentions play a large role in the Council and Fellowship, thus further complicating our perception of evil. Temptation adds yet another distorting layer in that it acts upon intentions, yet can be counteracted by memory and reason. In his novel, Tolkien shows that a concept as complicated as evil cannot be explained in a single word, theory, or type of person. Evil is not simply dualist, or merely an
The language surrounding the Ring …show more content…
The Ring is exerting a physical force onto Sam’s willpower, thus indicating that evil is a present force. Sam feels himself robed in a distorted shadow of himself, which indicates that the Ring is attempting to corrupt him but also that the Ring is causing him to fall away from his former self. Like Gandalf said, all who possess the Ring will become shadows of themselves, and the will in time fade (1, 2, 46). In this passage it seems like the Ring is a present force of evil, and therefore there is an interesting dichotomy between the two reigning theories of evil. In the Boethian perspective, evil is the absence of good and is a matter of choice. In the Manichaeanism perspective, evil and good are dualistic, and evil is a present force exerting power on the world. The Ring itself is a physical and present force on the …show more content…
Sam’s pure intentions to help his master, his memory of the effects of the Ring, and is knowledge of the Ring prevent the Ring from tempting him, and allow him to continually express his freedom of choice. For Sam, the desire to have a small garden greatly supersedes his desire to control an entire realm. Boromir had sound reasoning in that he wanted desperately to help Gondor and use this Ring of Power to destroy evil once and for all, but his will overpowered his memory and reason and made him unreceptive to what others in the fellowship were saying. The Ring played upon his desperation and thus removed his freedom to choose his fate in the fellowship. Tolkien’s view of evil throughout The Lord of the Rings is often ambiguous and ever changing. In the beginning of The Fellowship we see evil as dualistic: Sauron is evil, and Gandalf and Frodo are good. As the novel progresses, it becomes evident that personal intentions play a large role in the Council and Fellowship, thus further complicating our perception of evil. Temptation adds yet another distorting layer in that it acts upon intentions, yet can be counteracted by memory and reason. In his novel, Tolkien shows that a concept as complicated as evil cannot be explained in a single word, theory, or type of person. Evil is not simply dualist, or merely an