Yes, he wasn't redeemed. He died a villain, died in absolute lust for the Ring.vison wrote:Gollum was not "redeemed". Gollum was killed by his lust for the Ring. Or the Ring killed him, whichever way you look at it.
But he could've have been redeemed. That's a tragedy here for all involved: Sam, Frodo *and* Gollum, in the scene on the Stairs. Because at that moment Gollum still had a hope of repentance, but it was gone, because of Sam's disgust with him.
Tolkien didn't say Gollum was redeemed. He meant that Gollum was *redeemable*. There's a difference, and that's what I was saying there.
Yovargas, the main difference in anti-Gollum vs. anti-Orc hostility in the book was in the role Gollum served in the story. Orcs personify evil, badness which exist in everyone of us. They are unreedemable, and could only be killed. They are pure evil.
Gollum represents a different thing. He doesn't represent a punishable pure evil. He represents a fallen soul, fallen to a great temptation and who is as much a victim as a monster. He epithomizes "not throwing a first stone" wisdom, because everyone of us can fall like him, if pushed or tempted beyond the limit. Even Frodo falls in the end. And Boromir falls. We are not meant to hate them for that, or want to just punish them.
Same with Gollum. He is not in the book to be hated. While the readers can certainly feel nothing more for him, it's their prerogative - but it's not the author's intent.
Gollum is conflicted, and his conflict is pivotal to the book. Orcs are not conflicted. While torture of the Gollum's soul makes him one of the main heroes, and a fascinating character on whom actors can really flex their acting muscles. Gollum is a make or break of any production, because he's so important and complex.
And Tolkien did consider the possibility of Gollum repenting and taking a hit for Frodo, if he weren't pushed away on the Stairs. I.e. Gollum would have died the same - he wouldn't be able to live without the Ring, would jump in the volcano with/after it anyway. But he would've died a hero and not a villain in that case, with a hope for his soul.
Impenitence, I agree Sam has a huge heart and he's a softie, and wouldn't hurt a living thing without a need. With a need - he was going to kill Gollum if he could after Shelob's Lair, only the thought of Frodo in danger made him switch gears, from revenge to saving his Master.
While Frodo was ready to kill Gollum only if he presented direct threat to Sam, in Taming of Sméagol. He would only kill GOllum to stop him killing Sam, and that's what he meant.
And Frodo also had that dark undercurrent dynamic going on with Gollum, which was about the Ring and domination. But it's hard to blame him for that as that was the Ring's influence.
But if Frodo woke up on the Stairs - the things would've been very different.
Yes, Sam would be averse to hurting Gollum without need. But he wasn't averse to despising Gollum with that undercurrent of conceit which Frodo also had in the beginning, in his talk with Gandalf in Shadow of the Past.
And that conceit was gone after Choices. And that allowed Sam to show mercy on Mt.Doom - because he wasn't afraid or too disgusted to understand Gollum then.