How did you feel? (Spoilers!)

[olsonm]

How did you feel when Frodo was overcome at the Cracks and claimed the Ring for his own? I just didn't see it coming. In hindsight it was a logical development (and a brillant twist!), but when I first read it I was shocked and dismayed.

[Khadrane]

It was a great twist. Sadly, however, I already knew it happened, (I can't remember how, though) so I don't know what my initial action would have been.:(

[Renille]

I was shocked. (Frodo, corrupted? How could it be??? He was so good!) But every good character has their bad side...Frodo was showing a hobbitish form of human nature.

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

I was surprised, yet at the same time it seemed to make sense, since you see throughout the books the way the Ring affects people. Also, I knew there would be some twist, because it would be far to easy for them to get to Mt. Doom and just toss the Ring in. It wasn't what I expected, and I was indeed surprised, but I knew it wouldn't be simple. I was also expecting Gollum to come in somewhere, since my friend, when I expressed my extreme dislike of Gollum, (Shelob's Lair) reminded me of Gandalf's words: "I feel he may yet have some part to play, for good or ill." (Something like that. I said that from memory. . .)

[Earenya]

I was surprised but I really loved it. It made his heroism so much more realistic, because in the end he was as "human" as we are (haha, a hobbit is "human" :)) - he had his faults, he was not a superpower, but one admires him just the same.

[Elvet]

I remember being disappointed when I first read the book. That was many moons ago, when I was a teenager. At that time I didn't like to read about fallen heros. Now I appreciate the books at a different level, and find the ending a much fitter account of the ring's destruction.

[Elf Girl]

I would have been shocked if Frodo hadn't been corrupted to that extent. He had had the ring for years after Bilbo's disapearance.

[sun-star]

I wasn't surprised, but I was still a bit disappointed. By that point I was so keyed up that I just wanted to find out what happened without even thinking about it.

[Ërendil]

I knew that something would go wrong- it would be too "fake" if the destruction of the ring went to smoothly. I enjoyed reading it though and i thought that gollum would be the problem- not Frodo.

[Elbereth Gilthoniel]

when I read this part on the first time I thought something like it can't happend but I was too busy to read the book as fast that I can and to know how it ends.

[Menelvagor]

I was expecting something to happen, Gollum nearly getting the ring back or something, but I don't think it ever crossed my mind that Frodo might claim the ring. Kind of silly in retrospect not to think that, now it just seems amazing that he held out as long as he did. I think i was too caught up it the reading of it to think about it at the time, though.

[aldesign]

to be honest, i knew about the Gollum bit.

But i didnt know that Frodo would be corrupted....

HOWEVER.. i wasnt at all surprised; as the old quote goes "i saw it coming a mile off"

andy

[samwise of the shire]

I was kind of suprised and sobered. I mean MORE sobered then I had been when I read aobut their trip UP the mountain. I was kind of shocked that Frodo was claiming the Ring and then when Sauron sent the Ringwraiths over to the mountain I thought "Ok great you've done it now". But I'm glad Gollum died because if he hadn't then it would have been Sam as had to jump in WITH the Ring as Frodo wouldn't have been able to let it go on his own. Sad and yet bittersweet.
Sam

[olsonm]

Yeah SoTS, Gollum's death=bittersweet:(

[Aragorns Dimple]

We do get to see how the Ring has affected Frodo, as soon as he and Sam cross into Mordor. The power of the Ring was increasing the closer it came to it's Master, and Frodo's reaction to Sam when he came to save him at Cirith Ungol is almost a forewarning of what was to come, as Frodo was extremely upset that Sam had taken the Ring from him, even for so short a time and because it was wise to hide it. (I can just imagine Frodo's face morphing like Bilbo's did when he sees the Ring again....!!!)

So it didn't really come as a surprise to me, personally, when Frodo could not bring himself to cast away the Ring, it had taken over him completely by that point. I doubt that Sam would have fought with his Master for the Ring, either, so thank goodness Gollum came along!

[Earniel]

I remember reading that part at night in bed, my eyes glued to the pages. I totally didn't see it coming and when he claimed it fot his own, I remember shouting 'oh No!!' and then clasping my hand before my mouths because my parents where sleeping next door and if they knew I was reading that late (on a schoolnight) there'd be trouble. I then took my flashlight and read further under my blanket... It was great.

[XRogue]

I figured that Frodo would be overcome by the Ring, and that Gollum would have something to do with the Ring being destroyed. So I wasn't shocked, but thought it was an excellent portrayal of the situation. Cried all the way thru that scene while reading it the first time, too.

[Tanoliel]

Hmm...I cried off and on though the entire last half of ROTK! I was surprised but somehow not, at the same time. I mean, I read it and thought, "Whoa, wait a sec, WHAT is he doing?!?!" and then instantly knew that it made sense. I am glad that Gollum came along, though! Of course...then poor smeagol had to die...*sniff* ( I KNOW you hate him, Eruviel, be he was cool.)
btw, that's an interesting question--WOULD Sam have fought Frodo to save him if Gollum hadn't come along? I think he probably would have...but I'm not really sure.
-tano

[Radagast The Brown]

I think Sam wouldn't fight Frodo. I don't know why. I think Sam will tried to get the ring somehow (I know he can't see Frodo).

I thought something will happen-it was too easy. I didn't thought that Gollum will try to get the ring and I didn't expect that Gollum will fall down into the mountain.

[Elbereth Gilthoniel]

I didn't think sam would be able to fight his Master I didn't thought a lot when I read it in the first time. :)

[RosieCotton]

Wow, what a good question! The first time I read this part I was coming home from a family vacation in the car. I started squealing "Oh my God....Oh my God....Oh my God...." My parents gave me weird looks. (Then they made fun of me when I cried later on during the car rides at the Grey Havens part). But, back to the topic, I was completely caught off guard. I never really expected it to happen, though it made perfect sense. What a great climax! I never expected it, but it wrapped it up perfectly showing that Frodo wasn't perfect and the awesome and terrifying power of the Ring can corrupt even the best people.

As for Sam, I think, hard though it might be for him, could have fought Frodo. If you think about it, if he didn't do anything, that wouldn't help Frodo much. He would have had one chance to save him, and he would have fought him to try to save the un-corrupted part of Frodo. He's tough, he could do it! :)

Here's another question. Could anyone have thrown the Ring into the Cracks of Doom? If you think of someone, let me know. (Tom Bombadil and Treebeard don't count!)

~Rosie~
PS: Sorry that was sorta long.

[Wayfarer]

Spectacular.

[Laurelyn]

Yeah . . . surprised me, but it does make perfect sense. What were they supposed to do, just trot happly up the mountain humming merrily and toss the ring away without a second glance? :D

[maelyn]

i was devastated! i couldn't believe it when he started getting all gollum-like with sam about the ring...i was certain that frodo was the only one that could resist the desire for power. i don't know why i thought that:confused:

[RosieCotton]

Originally posted by maelyn
i was devastated! i couldn't believe it when he started getting all gollum-like with sam about the ring...i was certain that frodo was the only one that could resist the desire for power. i don't know why i thought that:confused:


Here's a question:

Could anyone have resisted the Ring (besides Bombadil and the Ents?)
~Rosie~

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

I think what it really comes down too, Rosie Cotton, is that nobody except the aforementioned people could resist it. So, IMO, no. Nobody could. That's why Gollum came, because very few would have been able to directly toss it in. I think.

[Renille]

But I wonder...what would have happened if one of the Valar had come to Middle Earth and found the Ring? Would THEY be able to resist it.

(For those who care, I'm now an elven lord..FINALLY!)

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

I dunno, I think maybe the Valar would be able to resist it. At least far longer and better than, say, humans and elves and Maia. Considering it was a Maia who made it. . .but I dunno, maybe I should rethink that once I have read The Silmarillion.

Oh! I'm an elf lord now! And I notice this 6 posts later. . .

[maelyn]

What I thought was: it must be the most unassuming of beings that would have the capability of tossing the ring...so Frodo made sense to me...but it makes the story all the greater that the ring could only be destroyed through the alignment of everyone's fate.

[barrelrider110]

I was shocked too, although looking back on the story I thought I shouldn't have been.

Someone posted in Entomoot that his servants, Sam and Gollum, were reflections of Frodo's inner conflict-- on one hand the duty to finish the Quest, on the other to possess the ring. As the ring became stronger, the latter won out.

How perfectly ironic that it was Gollum who finished the job, and Gollum was spared by Bilbo, Gandalf, and Frodo out of pity. The victory belonged to kindness. Is it any wonder why this story is so captivating?!

To answer your question RosieCotton, I don't think anyone could have destroyed the ring. As the saying goes-- power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.

As for Bombadil, didn't Gandalf say that Tom would forget it or lose it or something, it meant nothiing to him. He wouldn't have left the Old Forest anyway.

[Elbereth Gilthoniel]

about the question if valar wuold have the ring I think they can rsist it Sauron is a strong Mayar but Valar are stronger then him.

[BeardofPants]

Well, I remember sort of expecting something like that to happen. So, it wasn't like I was shocked or anything - there had been indicators earlier in the story, that Frodo was succumbing to the Ring. I think for me personally, the eventual ending, when Frodo goes to the Grey Havens, surprised me more. That is so SAD!!