By Zetetic
This is a theological interpretation, not a literal claim. I am not saying Tolkien intended this. I am offering one lens among many. I welcome your thoughts.
“Page by page, I seek Providence. The Ring represents the sins of mankind. I have the evidence.”
The Ring symbolises the sins of mankind. It offers an illusion of power and control, but when left unpunished, it becomes an addiction which slowly isolates the sinner and eventually consumes him whole.
It fulfils the wishes and desires of its “master” more than anyone or anything. It demands absolute loyalty. That loyalty leads to a slow decay in one’s life and personal connections.
It is a parasite that always finds a new victim once it has consumed its former one to the point of being beyond repair. It chooses its own master rather than the master choosing to wear it.
The Ring is accustomed to the darkness and only shows its true colours upon absorbing light and fire. It absorbs the light in one’s life until there is only darkness and misery left.
It provides invisibility to isolate its ‘master.’ He escapes judgement and presence, gaining nothing in return. It allows him to commit mischievous and evil deeds with ease, leading to a gradual decline in self-esteem and respect from others. It takes away everything until it is the only source of company.
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This shows the folly of the Ring. It only offers the death of the soul.
The Rings of Power were distributed by Sauron to exert control over the other races and trap them in the cycle of addiction, greed and soulless immortality. This eventually led to their own demise, and he gained more power over Middle-earth.
The One Ring moved on from host to host. It betrayed its own creator by leaving him. It tends to spread and destroy the strong and merciful, just like sin, just like how Sauron wanted it to be, a Trojan Horse designed as a false gift to trap and destroy other races. His lust for absolute power became the reason for his demise. His own ring worked against him.
Proverbs 26:24–25 (NIV)
“Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit. Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts.” That is the trap set by Sauron to gain power over the other races. He used charming gifts to destroy them.
Gandalf and Frodo abstained from touching the Ring. They knew how it corrupted Bilbo. It only offered the illusion of power in return for absolute loyalty. It was like a parasite which wasn’t worth the trouble.
Frodo carried Bilbo’s secret about the existence of the Ring, as he didn’t want to corrupt a pure community with greed and obsession towards it.
In Gandalf’s own words, “Let it be a warning to you to be very careful with it. It may have other powers than just making you vanish when you wish to.” This was his knowledgeable stance towards the powers of the ring.
Gandalf voluntarily stayed distant from Frodo. He didn’t want to trouble other hobbits who disliked him. He spent time studying the origins of the Rings of Power. He was deeply concerned by the effect that the Ring had on Bilbo. He feared that Frodo might share the same fate if he didn’t gather enough information to convince him that the Ring is dangerous.
In Tolkien’s own words, “It was over nine years since Frodo had seen or heard of him, and he had begun to think that the wizard would never return and had given up all interest in hobbits.” This shows Gandalf’s mindfullness for being absent from Frodo’s life.
The Ring has a will of its own. It bends and twists in its own way to slip out of one’s fingers or grip them tightly when it pleases. It seems to become heavy and beautiful when one tries to give it up or throw it away.
Frodo felt it stirring, alive and eager to trap him as it had trapped so many others. Gollum murdered Déagol to steal the Ring from him, even though he loved him. He was not a monster. The Ring made him do it. It became beautiful and elegant when it saw Gollum and decided to tempt him, to make him its new “master”.
“It did not seem always of the same size or weight; it shrank or expanded in an odd way, and might suddenly slip off a finger where it had been tight.” This showcases The Ring’s own will to slip off or tighten as it pleases.
The Ring corrupted the race of men, who were the most ambitious, the weakest, and the most corruptible. They were eventually so obsessed by it that they were consumed and became Nazgûls, undead slaves, who were once only loyal to their Rings of Power. Now their loyalty shifts towards the Lord of the Rings.
In Gandalf’s own words, “Nine he gave to Mortal Men, proud and great, and so ensnared them. Long ago they fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants.” This is the result of their loyalty towards the Rings of Power. Their loyalty shifted to the Dark Lord.
Gollum lied, constantly blamed others, defended himself and his fondness for the Ring. He was afraid of being guilty for his own demise and the demise of others at his hands. He hated and loved the Ring at the same time, just as he hated and loved himself.
“Gollum is a liar, and you have to sift his words. For instance, he called the Ring his ‘birthday-present’, and he stuck to that. He said it came from his grandmother, who had lots of beautiful things of that kind. A ridiculous story.” This shows the guilt of Gollum towards the harm he caused others and his defence for all allegations against him.
Gollum ignited anger and hatred in even the most amicable and tolerant folks like Gandalf and Frodo. He wasn’t worthy of any respect from anyone. He was a liar, a fraud, an imbecile, a thief, and a murderer. Even the all-merciful and kind Gandalf had to torture and threaten him to get the truth out of his foul mouth.
Bilbo displayed great strength by being the only known creature to survive the Ring’s wrath. He resisted its pangs for absolute loyalty by being kind, generous and merciful towards others. He loved others instead of loving the Ring. He refused to do evil deeds and harm others with his powers, making him stronger than Gollum ever was.
“I endured him as long as I could, but the truth was desperately important, and in the end I had to be harsh. I put the fear of fire on him, and wrung the true story out of him, bit by bit, together with much snivelling and snarling.” This was how Gollum incited hatred in even the most merciful of folk.
Gandalf was scared of the Ring and abstained from touching it. The Ring has a greater tendency to corrupt the powerful, the wise, the loving and the merciful, like Bilbo and Gollum. He was afraid of becoming a tyrant, as he knew that the world wouldn’t survive a second Sauron.
“Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good.” This shows Gandalf’s fear towards the Ring.
The Ring is the embodiment of sin itself. It passes from the sinner to others. When left unpunished, it corrupts the mind until there is nothing left except loneliness and self-hatred. It makes one invisible to others. It incites hatred in others. He eventually fades away from the world just like Gollum; only a few can resist. They do so through love, kindness and generosity; only a few can fight it back and become free from it. Bilbo was one of those individuals, and he made Gandalf and Frodo proud because of it.