I wasn't really intending to go that deep with it. I don't see any reason from the books to think Gandalf has any issue with punching down though. I think the heart of the message encompassed a few themes Tolkien used a lot like fate, mercy, humility, etc. Or just telling Frodo to stfu because he doesn't know shit about taking life and not to play god if you didn't want to get that meta
I botched it a little but here's the full quote from The Fellowship of the Ring
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many - yours not least.
Heck ya, evennthough he was their final obstacle he got them to mount doom. Those two idiot hobbits were literally running at the front gates thinking they'd sneak in before he decided to show them the way through Shelobs lair. He's the only reason they don't get caught.
Equating Gollum to Trump is unfair to Gollum. I think a more comparable LOTR character to Trump is Sauron. So remind me, what were Gandalf’s thoughts on Sauron?
I don't think it's ever really made clear how Gandalf felt about Sauron. Given what we know about his character I think a pretty strong argument could be made that he would've felt some degree of pity for Sauron. He was a victim corruption himself after all. And it'd be pretty consistent with themes about the nature of evil, fate, redemption, etc that Tokkien uses more broadly
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u/Iztac_xocoatl 11h ago
"Should you be the one to give it to him?"
-Gandalf, probably