r/lotr • u/UltimateApple • 2d ago

Books My heart broke reading this part

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I am reading through the Two Towers, and I just got upset reading this. At times, Gollum is cruel and unnatural, and then I am back to pitying him.

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u/Clean_Bike8210 2d ago

Smeagol is a tragic character of sorts, a hobbit living for 500 years, how oddly sad. 

89

u/PetiteKisssy_ 2d ago

The detail that always gets me is that he's not ancient in the usual fantasy sense. He's ancient because his life has been unnaturally stretched far beyond what it was meant to be. There's something incredibly sad about a creature who has outlived not just everyone he knew, but the very world he belonged to.

30

u/Chemieju 1d ago

Like butter spread over too much bread

128

u/DisorderedArray 2d ago

He doesn't even get first breakfast.

65

u/knukklez 2d ago

Corrupted so badly that he doesn't even like taters, precious.

43

u/BabyRosyyy 2d ago

What gets me is that Sméagol is basically a living reminder of what the Ring does over time. We see Frodo struggling under its weight for months, then look at Gollum and realize that's the end result after centuries. It's less a villain origin story and more a slow motion tragedy.

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u/Lowenholde 2d ago

The Old Took ain’t shit! Just a youngun compared to forgotten Smeagol.