The Power of Addiction and Corruption
As Edward Abbey once said, “Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” The corruption that comes from power can be seen in many characters, from no corruption in Tom Bombadil, to some in Frodo, Boromir, and even more in Gollum. Those with more power to begin with are more likely to be corrupted, and Saruman is a great example of this. In Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien, power causes addiction and corruption in many of the characters, regardless of their intentions, showing the danger that power possesses.
To start off, Tom Bombadil was a very content character. His acceptance of what he had allowed power to not be able to corrupt him. Because of this, he had no need …show more content…
Tolkien uses Frodo to show how even if you don’t wish for power, the access to it in itself can grab at you until you fall under its command. Frodo constantly struggled with whether or not to put on the Ring, and the pull of its power was hard for him to resist: “Frodo leaned back against the wall and took off the Ring. How it came to be on his finger he could not tell” (182). Not only was he physically resisting it, but his mind unwillingly put it on, controlled by Sauron’s Evil. Frodo was a hobbit with much internal strength, but even that couldn’t overcome temptation at times. When Frodo first got the Ring from Bilbo, he didn’t understand what it could do. But when he slowly became aware of the danger it held, he didn’t want it. But by then he had already become attached to the Ring. When Gandalf threw it into the fire to reveal the writing, Frodo realized that he wanted to protect it, and couldn’t get himself to let it go. Later in the book when Frodo was about to leave for Mordor, you can see that there is no question about who it belongs to: “Slowly he drew out the Ring and put it on once more” (452). This wasn’t a hard choice in his mind, he wasn’t anymore fighting with the urge to put on the Ring. He just casually used the power, for his own benefit. Slowly he had become increasingly addicted, and this made him even more dependant on its power. The constant access to power causes …show more content…
Boromir is an example of this; he was kind, loving, but his desire was able to control him. He believed that the Ring could be of good use to him in order to protect his home; the city of Minas Tirith. This want for power, even to use for good, controlled his actions. At first Boromir didn’t understand why the Ring was so important, but subconsciously he wanted to use it himself. In order to get it though, he needed to convince Frodo to give it up: “I need your ring: that you know now... Lend me the Ring!... and suddenly he sprang over the stone and leaped at Frodo” (449). The heated discussion between Frodo and Boromir turned to fighting when Boromir lunged, and Frodo used the Ring to disappear. The want for that power corrupted the man, and even in a moment of weakness caused him to attack his own friend. He quickly realized his mistake, but by then Frodo had already gone: “Come back! A madness took me, but it has passed. Come back!” (449). Little did he know, Frodo was already far away, and even his momentary mistake changed everything. Even if you have never had a lot of power, at times when you think you need it evil can control you. The want for power can be very corruptive and this was seen through Boromir’s dangerous actions. He was a strong warrior, but he believed he needed more to protect his home, and this though controlled
As Edward Abbey once said, “Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” The corruption that comes from power can be seen in many characters, from no corruption in Tom Bombadil, to some in Frodo, Boromir, and even more in Gollum. Those with more power to begin with are more likely to be corrupted, and Saruman is a great example of this. In Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien, power causes addiction and corruption in many of the characters, regardless of their intentions, showing the danger that power possesses.
To start off, Tom Bombadil was a very content character. His acceptance of what he had allowed power to not be able to corrupt him. Because of this, he had no need …show more content…
Tolkien uses Frodo to show how even if you don’t wish for power, the access to it in itself can grab at you until you fall under its command. Frodo constantly struggled with whether or not to put on the Ring, and the pull of its power was hard for him to resist: “Frodo leaned back against the wall and took off the Ring. How it came to be on his finger he could not tell” (182). Not only was he physically resisting it, but his mind unwillingly put it on, controlled by Sauron’s Evil. Frodo was a hobbit with much internal strength, but even that couldn’t overcome temptation at times. When Frodo first got the Ring from Bilbo, he didn’t understand what it could do. But when he slowly became aware of the danger it held, he didn’t want it. But by then he had already become attached to the Ring. When Gandalf threw it into the fire to reveal the writing, Frodo realized that he wanted to protect it, and couldn’t get himself to let it go. Later in the book when Frodo was about to leave for Mordor, you can see that there is no question about who it belongs to: “Slowly he drew out the Ring and put it on once more” (452). This wasn’t a hard choice in his mind, he wasn’t anymore fighting with the urge to put on the Ring. He just casually used the power, for his own benefit. Slowly he had become increasingly addicted, and this made him even more dependant on its power. The constant access to power causes …show more content…
Boromir is an example of this; he was kind, loving, but his desire was able to control him. He believed that the Ring could be of good use to him in order to protect his home; the city of Minas Tirith. This want for power, even to use for good, controlled his actions. At first Boromir didn’t understand why the Ring was so important, but subconsciously he wanted to use it himself. In order to get it though, he needed to convince Frodo to give it up: “I need your ring: that you know now... Lend me the Ring!... and suddenly he sprang over the stone and leaped at Frodo” (449). The heated discussion between Frodo and Boromir turned to fighting when Boromir lunged, and Frodo used the Ring to disappear. The want for that power corrupted the man, and even in a moment of weakness caused him to attack his own friend. He quickly realized his mistake, but by then Frodo had already gone: “Come back! A madness took me, but it has passed. Come back!” (449). Little did he know, Frodo was already far away, and even his momentary mistake changed everything. Even if you have never had a lot of power, at times when you think you need it evil can control you. The want for power can be very corruptive and this was seen through Boromir’s dangerous actions. He was a strong warrior, but he believed he needed more to protect his home, and this though controlled