On Wednesday, we ended class discussing pre-destination vs. free will in Middle Earth. We compared characters and talked about how the idea of a "pair" is prevalent throughout these works, ie: Frodo/Sam, Merry/Pippin, Gimli/Legolas, etc. In doing this we came across characters whose pairing made for a stark contrast that reflected more than mutual companionship or brotherhood, ie: Faramir/Boromir, Gandalf/Saruman. With these latter examples, both Gandalf and Faramir are depictions of what the other individual in the relationship could have or should have been--Saruman the White, Boromir being the older brother. Of all the pairings of Middle Earth that we came up, it seems odd to me that Sauron is left out of this common trend. Who could he be paired with? He is this seemingly intangible being (so he's an eye, but that's not the point here) of evil who has no one to answer to, no conflicting power. I feel like his presence in the novel would warrant some type of opposing force equally as powerful, great, and intangible. And if Sauron did have an anti-thesis to his character, maybe this being, entity, idea, or whatever would be just as powerful and capable as Sauron, but still subject to the free will that (seemingly) governs the rest of Middle Earth. But then maybe not? Just a thought.
ps My friend dressed up as the Eye of Sauron for halloween.
6 comments:
I think Sauron's antagonist is the whole of the fellowship. They are this embodiment of good in Middle Earth. By banding together they eventually overthrow a power that they couldn't possibly conquer as individuals.
If there is a "good" deity then he's passive. And by allowing evil to happen wouldn't that make him evil as well?
Not necessarily. If you take into account 'free will,' the evil that goes on is not his doing. But I can see what you mean about the Fellowship.
I always thought Galadriel was the compliment to Sauron because she is equally as powerful and scary but she doesn't ahve the desire to rule more than her people. She has the ability to be terrbile as we can see in the book when Frodo offered her the ring but she, unlike sauron doesn't want that power. She only wants the world to be as it should be.
Just a thought…but if Mordor is evil and the elves are fleeing to a western haven or goodly place, then the anti-Sauron may dwell there. Maybe the goodly races champion or god has decided not to fight and that is why he or she is left unnamed. Ha…Maybe it is an analogy to god forsaking men. Let men deal with their mistakes. There was a chance to destroy the ring, but man’s lust for power partook from this apple and doomed the realm to an age of darkness. Now, it is up to the Middle Earth to correct its folly. I dunno..just a thought.
I agree with the original post that sauron doesn't have an equal, there are people more powerful and less powerful than him, but nobody that you can pair him up with, he is simply unique.
If i had to choose someone though it would probably be gandalf,
to zack, Sauron is more powerful than Galadriel.
I have some different ideas for who could be Sauron's opposite. The first would be those who hold the elven rings. This includes Elrond, Galadriel, and as we later find out, Gandalf. These three show how to be responsible with the power that comes from possessing a ring of power. They are good as Sauron could have been.
I also think that Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam could fill this spot, too. They all decide not to use the Ring to set themselves up as a tyrant of Middle Earth. Frodo and Sam seek to destroy it, not weild it as Sauron would.
Another possible Sauron opposite could be Aragorn. Sauron is trying to hold dominion over Middle Earth, but Aragorn is the rightful king, a leader of united forces of men. I always picture that final battle in "Return of the King" as being between the armies of Aragorn and Sauron, thus also being between these two beings. While Aragorn is also Isildur as he should have been, he is also the opponent Sauron has been waiting to come forth, for it was Aragorn's ancestor that took the Ring from him in the first place.
However, I think that the best possible choice would be the three possessors of the three elven rings as a group, for after Sauron is diminished, then their time is done, and they pass into the West.
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