The Sad Story of Gollum Sheds Light on the Fundamentals of Addiction

Once known by the name Smeagol, Gollum is an infamous and troubled trickster seen throughout the fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Featuring a sort of Jekyll and Hyde personality split, Gollum became who he is as a result of the corruption of the One Ring.

The ownership, and more so the use, of the Ring is a most severe temptation.
Not only was the cursed object purchased with blood, but Gollum deifies it, raising the Ring to the utmost level of importance in his life. He loves it as he loves himself, fondly referring to it as his precious.

In writing Gollum’s character the way he has, J.R.R. Tolkien supplies the reader with a sturdy archetype to a specific dimension of sin: addiction. The Ring is certainly a temptation, just as the forbidden fruit was in the primeval garden, pleasing to the eye and comforting to the touch. But after its initial use, it has taken hold of Gollum’s will power, progressively weakening it into a degenerate state. His judgment is warped.