Take Gollum With You
By Jason Carr
The Ring of Power
I remember watching The Lord of the Rings in theaters each December between 2001-2003, when they were first released. I hadn’t yet read the books, so I was going in blind. Immediately, I was impressed by the story and blown away by the cinematic scope. Yet there was one element that was absolutely crazy-making to me—Gollum.
Why does Frodo insist on keeping alive the ghoulish creature that clearly wants to murder them and steal the Ring?
In Tolkien’s work, the Ring represents the will to power and to make others subservient to one's own ambition. That is the Ring’s purpose as created by the dark lord, Sauron. Throughout the book (and the movies), we see almost all of the characters tempted by the Ring’s power, not just bad guys. In fact, Sauron may be the only truly “bad guy” right out of the gate. Still others are tempted by its power because it plays on each person’s ambition. For Boromir, the Ring represents the power to defend his home of Gondor. For Gandalf and Galadriel, it represents the power to rule wisely and righteously. For Gollum, it’s about sheer possession; as 1 John calls it, “the lust of the flesh” (1 John 2:16).
The Ring magnifies your latent desires; it works through the ambition of the one who wears it. That’s why the Ring’s corrupting effects work more slowly in hobbits—they have little or no ambition to rule. Hobbits desire a simple life with simple pleasures in the company of the people they love. Yet, as we will see in a moment, even Frodo is not immune to its effects.
The Merciful Shall Receive Mercy
The third book and movie culminate with Frodo and Sam arriving at Mount Doom after an arduous journey that took them through the very center of Mordor. All that is left is for Frodo to cast the ring into the fire… But he can’t. Frodo wavers and ultimately succumbs to the power of the Ring. All seems lost.
But in this moment of despair, Frodo’s mission and the very fate of Middle-Earth is saved by none other than Gollum. In addict-like desperation, Gollum attacks Frodo and steals the ring, but in doing so, loses his balance and falls into the fire of Mount Doom, along with the Ring. If Frodo had done what Sam (and I) desperately wanted him to do and had ended Gollum’s life, the ring would not have been destroyed.
Even though Frodo was the only suitable choice to bring the ring to Mount Doom, he still wasn’t strong enough to finish the job with willpower alone. Instead, it was Frodo’s choice to show empathy, kindness, and mercy to Gollum that ultimately saved the day.
Tolkien highlights this in a letter to a friend:
“Frodo had done what he could and spent himself completely (as an instrument of Providence) and had produced a situation in which the object of his quest could be achieved. His humility (with which he began) and his sufferings were justly rewarded by the highest honour; and his exercise of patience and mercy towards Gollum gained him Mercy: his failure was redressed.”
In Tolkien’s tale, it’s mercy shown that overcomes evil domination. It’s not in the seeking of our own will that we are saved, but in showing mercy.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7
Aspiring to Stay Small
You and I should not believe that our motives are pure enough to wield ultimate power; they aren’t. The means we use don’t justify the ends, no matter how noble. Tolkien made this point by arguing that Gandalf would have been “far worse than Sauron” with the Ring. Why? Because power is most dangerous when wielded by those convinced of their own righteousness. The Ring corrupts by convincing you that only you can fix things. You become self-righteous and spiritualize domination.
So how do we bring goodness into a world corrupted by power, without ourselves becoming corrupted? Using Frodo as our example: Stay small. Remember: you are no one’s savior.
“…and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you…” 1 Thessalonians 4:11
Show mercy and forgive one another. God gave us mercy when we deserved judgment. Now we’re to do the same.
“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22
There will be many times in your life when will-power fails you, but perhaps, and by God’s design, the mercy you’ve given will be returned to you just when you need it the most. So take Gollum with you; not as a strategy for managing others, but as a posture toward your own life.
There is always a Gollum near you or within you, something broken, dangerous, and difficult to love. Your instinct will be to eliminate it, control it, or justify harshness in the name of a better outcome. But the way of Jesus runs in the opposite direction. It calls you to mercy over domination, humility over control, and trust over self-reliance. You won’t overcome the Ring by trying harder or tightening your grip. You’ll overcome it by loosening your grip, by refusing to play the game of power, and by extending mercy when it feels least deserved. And when your strength finally gives out, as it inevitably will, you may find that the mercy you carried with you all along is the very thing God uses to carry you home.
