This is where I hesitate to agree with your argument: change does prove that this monster is not naturally evil, yet it also proves that the choice can be made to abandon goodness. In fact, like many other monsters we encountered in discussion the other day, such as Grendel and Glaurung, Gollum began his life as a human being, or more closely related to hobbits, and over time while in possession of the Ring, he transformed into a monster. Gollum/Sméagol has internalized this parallel because he is both the “slimy creature” you cite from The Hobbit and the humanoid being that maintains his vague memories of life before evil. He does seem to reflect the parallel we discussed in class that heroes and monsters must exist in a relationship, that we cannot have one without the other. Your discussion of Gollum/Sméagol’s status in Tolkien’s legendarium, as monster or hero, is very interesting. Hence, the wars waged against them are freeįrom moral quandary and, as a result, we are free to view those who fought To conclude, I would like to alsoĪrgue that villains become monstrous after they are given a chance to reformĪre both offered and both refuse this opportunity. Ways that villains are not, they confer this certainty onto the hero that theyĪre in conflict with, making the hero who fights monsters an unambiguous forceįor good. Because monsters are unambiguously evil in Present a black-and-white contrast between good and evil. The glory of heroism fades if we are left withĪ niggling doubt as to whether the hero might not have taken a different route, Heroes, by their very definitions, need to beĪny room for moral ambiguity. Is clear why monsters are crucial to hero-tales. Of elves and trolls a mockery of Ents, Gollum is a mockery of a Hobbit. Like the dragons, he is a clever,īut like the spiders, he is ruled by his hunger. Of the three types of monsters packed into one small, physically unassuming Instead, in Gollum we find all the characteristics To his humanoid shape, yet no fiend would engage in a contest of riddles. Yet what type of monster is Gollum? It might be tempting to call him a fiend due Nervous, and his strong desire to eat Bilbo (which is of course anotherĨ2). Small slimy creature,” who is “something unpleasant” that makes goblins In The Hobbit, he is presented as a monster. Who could arguably fill the roles of both a monster and a hero, and, as a result, is in the unique position to shed Gollum is an interesting anomaly, for he is one of the few characters As a result, I began thinking about how one In the Dark,” yet we did not have enough time to discuss Gollum in class. Spiders and fiends are slightly kinder to the heroes in death. In his death throes, Smaug destroys Esgaroth. Even in death, Glaurung still manages toĪncalagon’s death contributed to the destruction of Beleriand, and likewise, However it might be more accurate to say, theĭragons always win. Sources Tolkien drew from, the monsters always win. Despite this, we noted that, in many of the In some strange way, they define each other. Interdependence between heroes and the monsters they kill. Ungoliant, and fiends are either slow and stupid by nature or made so by virtueįurthermore, there is undeniably some sort of fundamental Possess traits found in humans (or elves, dwarves, or hobbits), yet singularlyĬleverer than us spiders are driven by an overwhelming hunger that echoes To come to was that monsters are fundamentally not us. One of the few conclusions that we were able Made the distinction between three types of monsters: dragons, spiders, andįiends, with orcs and trolls falling into the last category. First, I wish to review some of the basic What is a monster? This question was at the heart of ourĭiscussion, and yet the answer seemed to elude us.
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