One of the reasons thatThe Hobbitand theLord of the Ringsare still so well-loved today is because they have so many inspirational yet relatable messages that can still be implemented in modern-day life. They carry timeless themes like adventures and friendships, and the idea most important things in life can’t be read about in books but have to be lived for oneself. Tolkein’s stories explore the idea that no one knows what life has in store or why. All that one can do is to make the most of life, take note of the things that bring joy, and stand up for the things that are important along the way. Those philosophies still ring true to today’s audiences.
Possibly one of the most profound lessons in any of Tolkien’s works is:“True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but to spare one.”Middle Earth is on the verge of destruction at the hands ofthe Dark Lord, full of suffering people who fear the growing evil all around them, and also full of people who can manipulate and change and betray at the slightest sign. In such a world, this is a really difficult lesson, one highlights those who have a good heart, and those who do not. It is a lesson that both Bilbo and Frodo learn and use over and over again on their respective quests, despite the fate of the world depending on their actions, their choices, and who lives or dies. Both of the hobbits spare Gollum a grisly fate, which ultimately results, after many long years and lots of struggles, in Gollum destroying the ring, which saves the world.
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Even so, there are some characters that are more difficult to spare than others, because of the sheer evil that they commit and the fact that they don’t feel any remorse, even when they are given the chance to rectify their mistakes. These characters include people like Denethor, who is shown over and over again to be cruel and proud, selfish and belittling. Even when he is offered help by Gandalf and the fellowship, even when heloses his son Boromir, it still doesn’t stop him from nearly getting Faramir killed too. But probably the best example of this character who is beyond salvation, and therefore very difficult to be considered worth sparing, in Saruman the white.
Being the highest of the order of wizards, Saruman’s betrayal of Middle Earth is one of the most terrible in history. His whole purpose in the world is to guide, to teach, andto protect, just like Gandalf. The fact that he chooses his own greed and lust for power over his mission and his friends, is the ultimate treachery. He, too, is given chances over and over again to turn back to the path of goodness, to rejoin the white council and to help to fix the damage he has caused, rather than to keep destroying.
However, instead of choosing to take the hand that is offered to him, Saruman journeys to The Shire, determined to destroy thepeacefully idyllic homethat the hobbits have fought so hard to protect. He is bitter and selfish, and his sole motivation is revenge. He cuts down trees, annihilates homes and locks anyone who tries to resist inthe Mathom house. So, after all that, why does Frodo spare him?
There comes a moment in the last few chapters of the book in which the hobbits have the white wizard captured, and they are justifiably angry. Those who have weapons are baying for Saruman’s blood, and are ready to strike, but Frodo prevents them, pleading with them not to kill the wizard. He tells them:
“He is fallen, and his cure is beyond us, but I would still spare him, in the hopes that he may find it.”
Despite all the wrong that Saruman has done, both against the world as a whole and against Frodo personally, the hobbit still intends to let him go. Part of the reason for this is that he has taken those wise words of Gandalf’s to heart. He has learned that kindness and mercy are the only way to make a better world, rather than more violence and death. The other part has more to do with Frodo himself and his own experiences, rather than any judgment that Saruman is worthy of being spared, or could possibly be saved.
For Frodo, it boils down to the simple fact that he has seen enough of war and death to last him many lifetimes. In his long journey to destroy theRing of Power, he has lost people that he cared for deeply, seen terrible battles and the cruelest tortures, and done more than his fair share of killing. And so, at the end of it all, he would rather choose hope and life, and trust in where that may lead him, even if it means sparing a great foe.
