Matt DeForrest
Active Member
I have been thinking of Professor Olsen's & Gandalf's statement that Bilbo is the only person to willingly give up the Ring. While I quite enjoyed the humor inherent in seeing the possible exceptions come in (and Professor Olsen's good natured responses), I think that his original claim is the correct one.
Yes, we do see others hand the Ring over: Gandalf, Sam, and Tom Bombadil being the three mentioned during Tuesday's class. That admitted, these three never claimed the Ring. They held it for a moment. They never asserted ownership. The rest of this list (in order) did:
Sauron: Claimed it until it was cut from his hand
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them.”
Isildur: Claimed it until it betrayed him and came off his hand in the Gladden Fields
“This I will have as weregild for my father, and my brother,” he said; and therefore whether we would or no, he took it to treasure it.”
Déagol: Claimed it until strangled by his friend
“I don’t care,” said Déagol. “I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I’m going to keep it.”
Sméagol/Gollum: Claimed it until it betrayed him and came off his hand in Moria
“Because it’s my birthday, my love, and I wants it,” said Sméagol.”
Bilbo Baggins, who gave it up
“It is mine, I tell you. My own. My Precious. Yes, my Precious.”
Frodo Baggins: Claimed it until it was bitten/cut from his hand at Mount Doom
“I have come,’ he said. ‘But I do not choose now to do what I came to do. I will not do this deed. The Ring is mine!”
Gollum
“Precious, precious, precious!’ Gollum cried. ‘My Precious! O my Precious!”
Those who don't claim it/call it their Ring
Gandalf: “I was not sure of it myself when I was last here; but the time has come to speak. Give me the ring for a moment.”
Tom Bombadil: “Show me the precious Ring!’ he said suddenly in the midst of the story: and Frodo, to his own astonishment, drew out the chain from his pocket, and unfastening the Ring handed it at once to Tom.”
Sam Gamgee: “I wish I wasn’t the last,’ he groaned. ‘I wish old Gandalf was here, or somebody. Why am I left all alone to make up my mind? I’m sure to go wrong. And it’s not for me to go taking the Ring, putting myself forward.’
‘But you haven’t put yourself forward; you’ve been put forward. And as for not being the right and proper person, why, Mr. Frodo wasn’t, as you might say, nor Mr. Bilbo. They didn’t choose themselves.”
“Then let me carry it a bit for you, Master,’ he said. ‘You know I would, and gladly, as long as I have any strength.”
So, I would posit, these three never make a claim for the Ring. As such, they cannot give it up because it isn't theirs to give.
I keep stressing the word claim here because the book seems to posit a tension between the moment when one claims the Ring and when the Ring claims its bearer. Sam was tempted to claim the Ring for his own but he refused. Tom Bombadil is referred to as someone who the Ring has no power over. One, then, can claim the Ring for a time until it claims its bearer or betrays him.
Yes, we do see others hand the Ring over: Gandalf, Sam, and Tom Bombadil being the three mentioned during Tuesday's class. That admitted, these three never claimed the Ring. They held it for a moment. They never asserted ownership. The rest of this list (in order) did:
Sauron: Claimed it until it was cut from his hand
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them.”
Isildur: Claimed it until it betrayed him and came off his hand in the Gladden Fields
“This I will have as weregild for my father, and my brother,” he said; and therefore whether we would or no, he took it to treasure it.”
Déagol: Claimed it until strangled by his friend
“I don’t care,” said Déagol. “I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I’m going to keep it.”
Sméagol/Gollum: Claimed it until it betrayed him and came off his hand in Moria
“Because it’s my birthday, my love, and I wants it,” said Sméagol.”
Bilbo Baggins, who gave it up
“It is mine, I tell you. My own. My Precious. Yes, my Precious.”
Frodo Baggins: Claimed it until it was bitten/cut from his hand at Mount Doom
“I have come,’ he said. ‘But I do not choose now to do what I came to do. I will not do this deed. The Ring is mine!”
Gollum
“Precious, precious, precious!’ Gollum cried. ‘My Precious! O my Precious!”
Those who don't claim it/call it their Ring
Gandalf: “I was not sure of it myself when I was last here; but the time has come to speak. Give me the ring for a moment.”
Tom Bombadil: “Show me the precious Ring!’ he said suddenly in the midst of the story: and Frodo, to his own astonishment, drew out the chain from his pocket, and unfastening the Ring handed it at once to Tom.”
Sam Gamgee: “I wish I wasn’t the last,’ he groaned. ‘I wish old Gandalf was here, or somebody. Why am I left all alone to make up my mind? I’m sure to go wrong. And it’s not for me to go taking the Ring, putting myself forward.’
‘But you haven’t put yourself forward; you’ve been put forward. And as for not being the right and proper person, why, Mr. Frodo wasn’t, as you might say, nor Mr. Bilbo. They didn’t choose themselves.”
“Then let me carry it a bit for you, Master,’ he said. ‘You know I would, and gladly, as long as I have any strength.”
So, I would posit, these three never make a claim for the Ring. As such, they cannot give it up because it isn't theirs to give.
I keep stressing the word claim here because the book seems to posit a tension between the moment when one claims the Ring and when the Ring claims its bearer. Sam was tempted to claim the Ring for his own but he refused. Tom Bombadil is referred to as someone who the Ring has no power over. One, then, can claim the Ring for a time until it claims its bearer or betrays him.