So one thing I don’t get… Hobbits are supposed to be like a nice race, not easily corruptible, all they want is food and peace. A hobbit would be the best race to trust with the one ring. Bilbo had it for like 80+ years and gave it away, Frodo threw it away and ignored it for like 18 years, Sam didn’t give a shit about it… So why did it corrupt Sméagol so? He was a hobbit too.
Yeah, I get that. They were all influenced in some way. I thought hobbits were supposed to be perfect for the job as they were considered lesser in power than the other races, so the ring wouldn’t really empower them as much, thus less chance of corruption. The same reason they couldnt just fly to Mt Doom on the eagles as they were a powerful race, more susceptible to corruption. Golem wanted the ring more than life itself and killed for it very quickly so I find its just that aspect I find hard to believe.
I have interpreted it less as “the hobbits are less powerful”, and more as “what would a powerful hobbit even want?”.
If a hobbit had all the power in Middle Earth, they would have an amazingly cozy hobbit hole with the best food and their parties and garden would be the envy of every hobbit and probably some elves and men. Hobbits don’t really have much interest in conquest, and their definition of dominance includes being well-liked or admired by those they dominate.
Smeagol had the ring for nearly 500 years and never completely succumbed to its power like the ring-wraiths did. While he was corrupted, he still had a spark of himself under all those centuries of madness. I believe Gandalf specifically points this out somewhere. Something about the nature of hobbits enabled them to resist the ring better than any other race, even the high elves that had lived on Valinor–heck, even Gandalf, a Maia, feared to take up the ring. The only person who seemed able to bear it with no corruption was Tom Bombadil in the books.
PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 2 days ago
So one thing I don’t get… Hobbits are supposed to be like a nice race, not easily corruptible, all they want is food and peace. A hobbit would be the best race to trust with the one ring. Bilbo had it for like 80+ years and gave it away, Frodo threw it away and ignored it for like 18 years, Sam didn’t give a shit about it… So why did it corrupt Sméagol so? He was a hobbit too.
Tattorack@lemmy.world 2 days ago
That’s the thing, though. It did corrupt them.
Almost everyone who touched the ring immediately got curropted by it, with the exception of Frodo, but in the end it did work on him anyway.
Bilbo tried keeping the ring a secret as soon as he found it.
Sam had difficulties giving the ring back to Frodo, and he only had it for a day or two.
And if I remember correctly, I think the situation with Sméagol was accelerated for the movie scene.
PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Yeah, I get that. They were all influenced in some way. I thought hobbits were supposed to be perfect for the job as they were considered lesser in power than the other races, so the ring wouldn’t really empower them as much, thus less chance of corruption. The same reason they couldnt just fly to Mt Doom on the eagles as they were a powerful race, more susceptible to corruption. Golem wanted the ring more than life itself and killed for it very quickly so I find its just that aspect I find hard to believe.
medgremlin@midwest.social 1 day ago
I have interpreted it less as “the hobbits are less powerful”, and more as “what would a powerful hobbit even want?”.
If a hobbit had all the power in Middle Earth, they would have an amazingly cozy hobbit hole with the best food and their parties and garden would be the envy of every hobbit and probably some elves and men. Hobbits don’t really have much interest in conquest, and their definition of dominance includes being well-liked or admired by those they dominate.
slingstone@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Smeagol had the ring for nearly 500 years and never completely succumbed to its power like the ring-wraiths did. While he was corrupted, he still had a spark of himself under all those centuries of madness. I believe Gandalf specifically points this out somewhere. Something about the nature of hobbits enabled them to resist the ring better than any other race, even the high elves that had lived on Valinor–heck, even Gandalf, a Maia, feared to take up the ring. The only person who seemed able to bear it with no corruption was Tom Bombadil in the books.
Danquebec@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Sméagol is from a race that was closely related to hobbita, but not exactly hobbits.