# Resisting the Power of the Ring



## Firawyn (Feb 11, 2009)

I just finished reading the Lord of the Rings, and it came to my attention that there was only one character that came in contact with the Ring of Power, and wasn't corrupted by it. 

Let's track the Ring:

Isildur - was corrupted. Would not cast it into the fire of Mount Doom.

Gollum - was corrupted. Murdered Deagol to get it and then spent a few hundred years turning into a creppy little guy who would later bite of Frodo's finger to get the Ring back.

Bilbo - was corrupted. Had a heck of a time letting go of it, and in the years to follow yearned for it back.

Frodo - was corrupted. Very nearly failed his mission in favor of keeping the Ring.

Sam - was NOT corrupted. Sam bore the Ring for a short time, because he thought Frodo was dead and had to carry on the Mission. BUT, when it came to the point that Frodo came back into the picture, he returned the Ring to Frodo without too much of a problem.


Why do you think that is?


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## Alcuin (Feb 12, 2009)

Possibly because Sam had several advantages. 


He always knew the One Ring was evil. Remember, there was a time, before Bilbo’s Birthday Party, when even Frodo thought it a harmless, useful item.
His loyalty was to his master, Frodo. His focus was not upon himself, but upon others.
He was accustomed to hard work and manual labor, and expected to do it. All the others you list, possibly even Sméagol/Gollum, were upper-class members of their societies. (Gandalf told Frodo in _FotR_, “Shadows of the Past”, “I have no doubt that Sméagol’s grandmother was a matriarch, a great person in her way.”) To one degree or another, they expected to be in command. Sam did not.
What he called “plain hobbit-sense” (_RotK_, “Tower of Cirith Ungol”): “He knew in … his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if [noparse][the visions of Samwise the Strong the Ring inspired][/noparse] were not a mere cheat to betray him.”
He only bore the Ring for perhaps a day or two at the most. It had not long enough to really effect him as it had the others, who all bore it for years.
He came about it not as a prize of war, nor as a murderously pilfered trinket, nor as a happenstance find through mere “luck”, nor by unlucky inheritance, but because his Quest – a Quest taken on in the service of the lives of others – demanded that he bear it, even though he had neither inclination nor desire to do so. We may be sure that, once or twice before his uncle bequeathed it to him, Frodo said to himself, “Wouldn’t be neat to have Uncle Bilbo’s Ring? I wonder what that would be like…”
Sam seems to have taken on the Ring at the urging of a Higher Power. He had an inner debate in which another speaker, as it were, told him _gently _what to do and why to do it when he took onto himself the full burden of the Quest, and removed the Ring from Frodo’s seemingly lifeless body.
 In regards to this last, in _Reader’s Companion_, 732 (II:341), Hammond and Scull observe that 


> Even if had realized that Frodo was not dead, there was nowhere safe [noparse][Sam][/noparse] could [noparse][take][/noparse] him while [noparse][Shelob’s poison][/noparse] wore off; if he had stayed…, both would have been captured and the Ring taken; and without the fight over Frodo’s mithril coat which destroyed the garrison of Cirith Ungol, it is unlikely they would have been able to pass the tower undetected.


And to buttress that last comment by Hammond and Scull, remember that Shagrat and his “lads” had seen Gollum in the pass the day before they captured Frodo. He referred to Gollum as Shelob’s Sneak, and said that he had “word from high Up” to let him pass, which he had done on several previous occasions.


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## Bucky (Feb 12, 2009)

Well, I think Alcuin hit it right on the head here:

He only bore the Ring for perhaps a day or two at the most. It had not long enough to really effect him as it had the others, who all bore it for years.

As far as anything else, the 'plain hobbit sense' Sam shows in rejecting the temptation to become 'Samwise the Stronger, the Hero of the Age' may not have proved strong enough to endure a prolonged exposure to the Ring.....

We need to understand that Sam held this Ring for about 24 hours, not years & years as each of the others mentioned did - even Isildur held it for 2 years.

Not being corrupted for 24 hours hardly rates as this great achievement of endurance you know and we can't draw any long term conclusions about Sam's 'purity' from that to be quite frank.


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## Mike (Feb 12, 2009)

If you ask Philip Pullman, China Mielville and Michael Moorcock, they would immediately harangue you how Sam's lower class status and complete acceptance of his place as a servant to Frodo make it impossible for him to actually bear the ring...an authorial device to show how the lower classes should keep in their place to remain "pure."

I highly disagree, but it does open up the discussion as to why Tolkien, beyond in-world, in-text logical reasons, would, _as an author, _have left Sam the only person to remain uncorrupted by the Ring...and also why, on later reflection, Tolkien saw Sam as the real hero of the story.


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## Illuin (Feb 12, 2009)

> Originally posted by Bucky
> 
> _We need to understand that Sam held this Ring for about 24 hours, not years & years as each of the others mentioned did - even Isildur held it for 2 years._
> 
> _Not being corrupted for 24 hours hardly rates as this great achievement of endurance you know and we can't draw any long term conclusions about Sam's 'purity' from that to be quite frank._


 
However, the Ring’s potency was increasing dramatically, and they were on the very borders of the Land of Shadow, so I have to give Sam a lot more credit than that (remember, he actually wore the Ring in close proximity to Sauron with no apparent negative affects). I would also have to disqualify Isildur (relatively speaking), simply because Sauron was at his weakest at that time. 

Here is an excerpt from one of Tolkien’s letters that may shed some light also:



> *Letter 246 - From a letter to Mrs Eileen Elgar*
> 
> *He [Sam] is a more representative hobbit than any others that we have to see much of; and he has consequently a stronger ingredient of that quality which even some hobbits found at times hard to bear; a vulgarity - by which I do not mean a mere ‘down-to-earthiness’ - a mental myopia which is proud of itself, a smugness (in varying degrees) and cocksureness, and a readiness to measure and sum up all things from a limited experience, largely enshrined in sententious traditional ‘wisdom’. We only meet exceptional hobbits in close companionship - those who had a grace of gift: a vision of beauty, and a reverence for things nobler than themselves, at war with their rustic self-satisfaction. *


 
It would seem from here that Sam was one of those "special hobbits" that was _at war_ with his inherent "selfish nature" and was trying to distance himself from an outlook that was focused on "pleasing/serving himself, and/or satisfying his instinctive (rustic) wants and desires. The Ring magnified those "self-satisfying" aspirations (desire for love, power, worship/hero worship), yet Sam was striving against the desires of "self"; moving in the opposite direction; which would give him a considerable advantage (especially time wise) when it came to resisting the Ring’s temptations.



> *Letter 246*
> 
> *Sam was cocksure, and deep down a little conceited; but his conceit had been transformed by his devotion to Frodo. He did not think of himself as heroic or even brave, or in any way admirable - except in his service and loyalty to his master*


Sam had already replaced his own conceit with another "obsession" so to speak, with his devotion to his master Frodo. Sam already served "_his precious_". As Alcuin mentioned; his focus was on Frodo.


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## Tyelkormo (Feb 12, 2009)

Illuin said:


> However, the Ring’s potency was increasing dramatically, and they were on the very borders of the Land of Shadow, so I have to give Sam a lot more credit than that (remember, he actually wore the Ring in close proximity to Sauron with no apparent negative affects). I would also have to disqualify Isildur (relatively speaking), simply because Sauron was at his weakest at that time.



Sauron may have been at his weakest, but the same holds true for Isildur. Having just witnessed your dad being killed is not a very good foundation for rational thought and action.


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## Alcuin (Feb 12, 2009)

Does it matter that Sam, the “low-born” hobbit, later becomes Mayor of the Shire, served in that office longer than anyone else (7 terms), had the most beautiful daughter in all the Shire, Elanor, who is the foremother of the Wardens of Westmarch, the Fairbairns of the Towers. (Is that some echo of the Lords of Andúnië in Númenor whose foremother was Silmariën, daughter ad eldest child of Tar-Elendil, and the foremother of Elendil, Isildur, and Aragorn?) He had more children than the Old Took. He was bequeathed Bag End, where he had been but the gardener, and his profession became his honored surname. He found himself in his community esteemed even above Merry the Master of Buckland and Pippin the Thain, his beloved friends and hereditary noblemen of the Shire. And he is permitted to pass into the Uttermost West to see Frodo one last time and there end his own days among the Eldar.

My son tells me, “Unlike everyone else who inherited his position, Sam was chosen because of his merit.” I think he is right: “Sam is the guy you root for. Sam is _meek_ in the Biblical sense.”


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## Tyelkormo (Feb 12, 2009)

Alcuin said:


> He was bequeathed Bag End, where he had been but the gardener, and his profession became his honored surname.


 
Now the latter is not that remarkable, but historically quite common - that's how we got all the Smiths, Carpenters, Millers, Bakers etc. in the first place. What is, perhaps, remarkable, is which of his professions became his surname - but then, he probably was famous before he was mayor and needed to be distinguished from what other Sams might have been running around in the Shire.


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## Firawyn (Feb 12, 2009)

I disagree with this:


> He only bore the Ring for perhaps a day or two at the most. It had not long enough to really effect him as it had the others, who all bore it for years.



Smeagol saw the Ring and without so much as a second thought murdered his cousin to get it. I don't think time has a darn thing to do with anything.

Otherwise, good points, all of them.


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## Úlairi (Feb 15, 2009)

Illuin's excerpt from _Letter _#_246_ delineates Tolkien's convictions on why Sam did not succumb to the tempation of the Ring but there is much said further on in the actual Letter that is conducive to the topic of discussion. I would contend that this sums up my perspective on why Sam was able to overcome the lust of the Ring:

_The spirit's foe in man has not been simplicity, but sophistication._ - *George Santayana*

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Firawyn (Feb 15, 2009)

Come now Úlairi! Surely you can come up with your own hypothesis? I expect more from you!


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## Bucky (Feb 16, 2009)

Firawyn said:


> I disagree with this:
> 
> 
> Smeagol saw the Ring and without so much as a second thought murdered his cousin to get it. I don't think time has a darn thing to do with anything.


*Sure it does in some cases....

Frodo held the Rind for 17 years without suscumbing to it's evil......

And Bilbo 80 years.

Yet both fell to it's evil grasp in the end. (Bilbo to a degree).*


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## Úlairi (Feb 17, 2009)

Firawyn said:


> Come now Úlairi! Surely you can come up with your own hypothesis? I expect more from you!


 
Me too... me too...



Bucky said:


> *Sure it does in some cases....*
> 
> *Frodo held the Rind for 17 years without suscumbing to it's evil......*
> 
> ...


 
Agreed.

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Starflower (Mar 13, 2009)

> Originally Posted by Alcuin
> Does it matter that Sam, the “low-born” hobbit, later becomes Mayor of the Shire, served in that office longer than anyone else (7 terms), had the most beautiful daughter in all the Shire, Elanor, who is the foremother of the Wardens of Westmarch, the Fairbairns of the Towers.



I think it matters, or rather that Sam's later succes can be directly traced to his refusal to give in to the temptations offered by the Ring.


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## Firawyn (Mar 13, 2009)

I'd be interested to hear more of what you mean by that, Starflower.


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## Úlairi (Mar 14, 2009)

Starflower said:


> I think it matters, or rather that Sam's later succes can be directly traced to his refusal to give in to the temptations offered by the Ring.


 
Yes, he is referred to as the most heroic of all the characters in _The Lord of the Rings_ by Tolkien in _Letters_ *twice*. He reaped the reward of his conquering of the Ring; but it is important to understand why he did this - and to do so you must read _Letter_ #_246_.

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Firawyn (Mar 14, 2009)

Or you could quote Letter #246...because you're so good at quoting them.


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## Úlairi (Mar 14, 2009)

Ah, but I've been taught the error of my ways through the incessant nagging of others... 

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Prince of Cats (Mar 15, 2009)

Ulairi I would appreciate the quote if you could, please


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## Firawyn (Mar 15, 2009)

Prince, you're my hero! 

Yeah Úlairi, now that we're all used to your insatiable quotings, don't stop now!


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## Úlairi (Mar 15, 2009)

I don't need to please you... but I'm getting more complaisant as I get older... drat!

I guess Fir, all the comments about being a fierce challenge were full of hot air? 



> _The Letters of JRR Tolkien - _#_131: To Milton Waldman_
> 
> *I think the simple 'rustic' love of Sam and Rosie (nowhere elaborated) is absolutely essential to the study of his (the chief hero's) character, and to the theme of an ordinary life (breathing, eating, working, begetting) and quests, sacrifice, causes, and the 'longing for Elves', and sheer beauty.*


 


> _The Letters of JRR Tolkien - _#_184: To Sam Gamgee_
> 
> *I can only say, for your comfort I hope, that the 'Sam Gamgee' of my story is a most heroic character, now widely beloved by many readers, even though his origins are rustic.*


 
The quote from _Letter _#_246_ has been given by Illuin and elucidates the nature of Sam as to why the Ring, in my opinion, did not have enough time to work on Sam due to his service and love of Frodo. The vision that Sam has in Mordor when wearing the Ring is interesting also in the sense that (and I'm going from memory here) does not conceive the idea to use the Ring to save Frodo in his vision. If this had been the case, then I contend that the Quest would have ultimately failed.

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## Alcuin (Mar 16, 2009)

Sam was tempted to use the Ring at least three times. (_RotK_, “Tower of Cirith Ungol”)


When he returned to the topmost cleft of Cirith Ungol, just before he entered Mordor: he put on the Ring “without any clear purpose,” so I think we can say that he succumbed immediately. He ran over the top of the narrow pass and *wearing the Ring into Mordor*, where he took it off “moved … by some deep premonition of danger, though to himself he thought only that he wished to see more clearly.”
Upon getting his first sight of the Tower of Cirith Ungol, Sam experienced the vision of “Samwise the Strong”, which he resisted.
On the stairway inside the Tower when he met the Snaga the Orc, he succumbed immediately to the temptation to put on the Ring, but Snaga came upon him so suddenly that he only had time to clutch at the Ring. Snaga turned and ran before Sam could put it on.

Sam was focused on protecting Frodo: that was _his_ mission, just as Frodo’s Quest was to reach Mount Doom; and he was simpler in nature, and so perhaps less apt to the Ring’s malice. But he was tempted frequently and quickly, particularly after he used it the first time in desperation to escape Shagrat and his company of orcs coming over the pass from Mordor. 

I think Sam was vulnerable to the temptations of the Ring, but he was true of heart and bore it only a short while. As Gandalf told Frodo,


> sooner or later — later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last — sooner or later the dark power will devour him.


Because Sam was (morally) strong and well-meaning to begin with, and because it had not time to devour him as it did Frodo, the Ring was unable to gain control of him. It is notable that Gandalf told Frodo that Bilbo was the only person who had ever willingly given up a Ring of Power. (That statement must pertain only to Men and Hobbits: Thrór willingly and deliberately gave his Ring to Thráin his son before he went a-wandering; and both Celebrimbor and Círdan willingly parted with their Rings. Perhaps the Three Rings and Durin’s Ring were somehow different in inspiring possessiveness of each Ring itself?) Sam was only the second person to willingly give up the One Ring, demonstrating Gandalf’s observation that hobbits were a most remarkable race.

(As an interesting aside, Tolkien never says that Sam removed the Ring after evading Shagrat and the orcs of the Eye whom he followed through Shelob’s lair to the Undergate. Later, though, he put it on again. Christopher Tolkien noted the discrepancy: it seems to have been an oversight, possibly an omission in rewriting this part of the story.)


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## Starflower (Mar 16, 2009)

> His thought turned to the Ring, but there was no comfort there, only dread and danger [...]As Sam stood there, even though the Ring was not on him but hanging by its chain about his neck, he felt himself enlarged, as if he were robed in a huge distorted shadow of himself, a vast and ominous threat halted upon the walls of Mordor [...]Already the Ring tempted him, gnawing at his will and reason. Wild fantasies arose in his mind; and he saw Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age, striding with a flaming sword across the darkened land, and armies flocking to his call as he marched to the overthrow of Barad-dûr. And then all the clouds rolled away, and the white sun shone, and at his command the vale of Gorgoroth became a garden of flowers and trees and brought forth fruit. He had only to put on the Ring and claim it for his own, and all this could be.
> _*In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: *_he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.



This I believe is the passage Úlairi was referring to. I also believe that if Sam had been tempted with visions involving his beloved Master, he would have all too likely succumbed and ultimately, the Quest would have failed.


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## Úlairi (Mar 16, 2009)

Starflower said:


> This I believe is the passage Úlairi was referring to. I also believe that if Sam had been tempted with visions involving his beloved Master, he would have all too likely succumbed and ultimately, the Quest would have failed.


 
Yeah, I could go into a further explanation... but I'm busy!  Nice to find some support on that theory Starflower.

*Cheers,*

*Úlairi.*


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## YayGollum (Mar 17, 2009)

You people are all crazy. The only one who held it and wasn't corrupted by it in some way was Sauron. The evil sam was corrupted by it, at least a bit and obviously. Or are we using corrupt in a black and white sort of way? You're thinking that Isildur, poor Smeagol, the evil thief Bilbo Baggins, and the superly boring Frodo were entirely corrupted and fashioned into large gobs of pure evil? Doesn't look like it. So, they were all corrupted to varying degrees, the evil sam among them. I don't see why this wouldn't be admitted. 

I shall go a step further by proving that the evil sam was, in actuality, more corruptible ---> Firstly, I gots to point out all of the bias against poor Smeagol. That bit about poor Smeagol killing something calling itself Deagol? Why is it that everyone trusts poor Smeagol only while he's condemning himself? "What? Trust Gollum? You crazy! We should gut him! Hm? Oh, he's saying that he killed his own family? I trust that with zero evidence, of course! I never contradict myself, and I always make sense!" Craziness. I wouldn't trust what Gollum has to say about poor Smeagol while being tortured by some crazy wizard. I wouldn't have trusted the wizard, either, of course. 

Another obvious point ---> The entire story is biased, being written by nasssty hobbitses. 

More importantly, though, check out what the One Ring thing does to them. Isildur: "No, I won't destroy it!" That's standard stuff, and we don't have much else to go on, with this guy.

The evil thief Bilbo Baggins: "Whee! Invisibility! I can finally be useful for this quest! Whee! Invisibility! I can totally mess with people! No, I won't give it up!" Evil and thievish, but standard.

The superly boring Frodo: "Don't use it? Got it. It's evil, messes with my brain, and emits magical alarms as well as neon target lighting to any nearby forces of evil? Well, I'd better put it on, anyway, every now as well as then, just to make sure that it's still working." *several wounds later* "Yeah, this thing is awesome! Why destroy something so awesome?" He was the first to know how evil it was, he had a decent amount of willpower, but it mostly corrupted him along the very reliable motion tracking sorts of lines.

The evil sam: He only had it on for two seconds, during which he imagined himself as some kind of superly cool as well as heroic type. Crazy fantasies along the lines of evil control over people and things. Quite drastic, and, as a matter of course, it was a bit hard for him to hand the thing over.

Poor Smeagol, on top of another hand, merely used it for the standard stuff. Being invisible and having fun, then being invisible and hiding from everyone. When the thing failed so horribly at making him useful, it made him want to go where more malleable things were likely to be hiding out. Poor Smeagol went close to plenty of goblins, but he was always paying attention to his security blanket. He went cold turkey on it, was quite peacefully eating fish for a long time, and it primarily got away because he wasn't as attached to it. The evil thief Bilbo Baggins got him scared and obsessed again. That cave would have been an awesome place for the One Ring thing to stay for forever, while everyone else would just kill poor Sauron whenever he'd manage to coalesce again. Sure, there was that one time when he gave himself titles, but those were all fitting titles. Made lots more sense than what the evil sam was thinking about himself. 

Poor Smeagol was easily the least corrupt. You humans are all typing about how that Tolkien dude thought of the evil sam as the most heroic? I wouldn't mind debating things with the author about that, but he also makes a large deal about how awesome poor Smeagol was, about how he had a crazy amount of courage and endurance. How would things have turned out if he was in the superly boring Frodo's place? He would have throttled the evil sam for being so annoying, then saved the day with no problems.


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## Firawyn (Mar 17, 2009)

Welcome back Yay! And very good points. 

I never even though of Sauron...though wasn't it his corruption that he poured into the Ring that corrupted everyone one else?


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## ltnjmy (Mar 17, 2009)

YayGollum said:


> You people are all crazy.
> 
> Another obvious point ---> The entire story is biased, being written by nasssty hobbitses.


 
This is quite a cool posting !!


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## Firawyn (Mar 17, 2009)

Have you not had the pleasure of meeting Yay as of yet?  ALL his posts are like that.  And that's why we like him so much!


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## Daranavo (Mar 20, 2009)

Tom Bombadil held it, don't forget.


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## Firawyn (Mar 20, 2009)

Good point Daranavo,

But - We can all agree the Tom is unique. Tolkien noted that Tom was not affected by the Ring (for whatever reason?). 

Well here's a question - what qualities did both Tom and Sam share? Perhaps some of what helped Sam resist was a quality that he picked up from Tom, earlier in the story. Because in the Barrow Downs Sam fell into that mess the same as all the rest, so perhaps Tom/the experience taught him something that helped him later, with the Ring?


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## Daranavo (Mar 30, 2009)

It could be suggested that Sam's will came from a very different place then Frodos. Sam's mentality was more of the sort that if an evil view is in front of you, avert your eyes. Frodo and Bilbo were of a more adventurous lot. The Ring undoubtedly had more sway among such hearts as theirs. There was also a point floating about which I can not find nor remember exactly that perhaps Hobbits as a race had a few different strains. One strain being the more adventurous/knowing type that was not as inherently resistent as others that were far more down to earth. Something that ole Tom was the epitome.


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## Firawyn (Apr 1, 2009)

> ...if an evil view is in front of you, avert your eyes.



 If I didn't know any better I'd say my mother posted that. Yikes!


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## camlost (Jan 2, 2011)

It seems to me that the important factor is whether or not you have or _believe_ you have some claim on the ring not time of possession (as both Isildur and Smeagol were quickly ensnared by it and Boromir indeed never possessed it). 

Isildur saw it as weregild for the deaths of his father and brother;
Smeagol, probably greedy and spoiled, would feel that anything of beauty found on his birthday (apparently at that time and place they received instead of gave on their birthdays) should be his;
Bilbo found it so he felt it was his (the mentality of a burglar it seems) -- this is also supported by the revisionist tale he tells initially to Gandalf and the dwarves;
Frodo received it as part of the estate of Bilbo, so by law it was his;
Boromir felt that he earned it by his deeds and the deeds of his kin for the protection of Gondor and the lands to the west.

Now, Sam, contrarily, never felt it was his but took it on the behalf of his master and the fulfillment of his quest.


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## Alcuin (Jan 3, 2011)

There is another character who resisted the power of the One Ring: Tom Bombadil. Bombadil even put it on. He did not turn invisible, and he pushed the Ring into the shadow-world (from which it then re-emerged) in an act of dismissing it. Gandalf said that the Ring had no power over him: he had no desire for power.


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