LOTR: Frodo never had a chance to destroy the One Ring. He is shown from the very start he cannot do it

Cafe Society
1

I was watching the recent YouTube video, “Why didn’t Elrond push Isildur into the Cracks of Doom?” by In Deep Geek. While the video is not about the question of this post there is this bit in the video which prompted me to write this post (a little after @3:30 in the video):

‘[This] is the One, and [the Enemy] is exerting all his power to find it or draw it to himself.’…

‘But why not destroy it, as you say should have been done long ago?’ cried Frodo… ‘If you had warned me, or even sent me a message, I would have done away with it.’

‘Would you? How…? Have you ever tried?’

‘No. But I suppose one could hammer it or melt it.’

‘Try!’ said Gandalf. ‘Try now!’

Frodo drew the Ring out of his pocket again and looked at it. It now appeared plain and smooth… The gold looked very fair and pure, and Frodo thought how rich and beautiful was its colour, how perfect was its roundness. It was an admirable thing and altogether precious. When he took it out he had intended to fling it… into the very hottest part of the fire. But he found now that he could not do so, not without a great struggle. He weighed the Ring in his hand, hesitating, and forcing himself to remember all that Gandalf had told him; and then with an effort of will he made a movement, as if to cast it away — but he found that he had put it back in his pocket.

Gandalf laughed grimly. 'You see? Already you too, Frodo, cannot easily let it go, nor will to damage it. And I could not “make” you — except by force, which would break your mind. But as for breaking the Ring, force is useless. Even if you took it and struck it with a heavy sledge-hammer, it would make no dint in it. It cannot be unmade by your hands, or by mine. - SOURCE

So, we see that from the very start Frodo could not manage to destroy the Ring no matter how much he wished to do so (never-mind that the attempt would fail…Frodo thought it would work). Over time, the Ring would only exert more power over Frodo and, I think we are told, the Ring’s influence increases the closer it gets to Mt. Doom and its creator.

So, was the whole thing a fool’s errand from the get-go? An impossible task that Gandalf had to know was impossible?

2

It’s suggestive; but I’m not sure it’s conclusive, arguing from “he could not do so, not without a great struggle” to “cannot easily let it go”. There’s wiggle room built into each of those.

3

It didn’t matter, it was too late by then. Frodo had the Ring, and they had to be rid of it. So he had to carry it.

4

Gandalf had planned to come with Frodo. As for his plans, he doesn’t seem to have a solid and well tough one. The Company is made in Rivendell with an Elf, a Dwarf and a Man (and three Hobbits) that weren’t included in the start. The journey begins headed to Isengard (that Gandalf knew was in the hands of Saruman, stronger than him and corrupted) wich is a fortress intended to block the pass…
He would have gone to Rohan and Gondor, before trying to sneak into Mordor.
That’s clearly a desperate move. He knew that the Free People had not the strengh to resist Sauron, even without the Ring. That’s why he didn’t gave it to Bombadil, nor threw it into the sea. The only hope of victory is to destroy the Ring and the only place is Mount Doom.
So bring the bearer to the mountain, hope he can threw the Ring into lava…or made a little Hobbit throwing himself…

5

Did he?

Frodo tried to give it away (Galadriel). She refused it but Frodo seemed to be ok if she took it.

6

Didn’t he also hand it to Bombadil?

7

Yeah…Frodo did. Bombadil checked it out and it was shown the Ring apparently had no effect on him then Bombadil gave the Ring back to Frodo.

But I would say there is a difference between passing on the Ring and trying to destroy it.

Golum clearly was unable to part with the Ring but I do not know that everyone would be so infatuated with only a brief exposure as long as the Ring was headed in the direction of Sauron in one way or another.

8

Perhaps giving it away is easy if there’s no chance of the other person actually accepting it.

9

IIRC I think there was a chance Galadriel might have accepted it. Her refusal was seen as passing a test of character. If she decided to keep it there would be no chance Frodo could get it back from her. She was one of the most powerful entities in Middle-Earth.

I don’t think the Ring had a way of “knowing” which way that would go.

10

You speak of the chapter “The Shadow of the Past.” Gandalf knew and trusted the purity of the hobbits and especially Frodo. The only chance to destroy the ring, Gandalf imagined, was the ignorance and purity of Frodo, as Gandalf did not even trust himself. No other race was capable of the task due to the corruption of the ring. Gandalf was the one to fling it into the fire, not sure why the video surmises Frodo intended to fling the ring into the fire when he was not commanded to do so by Gandalf and did not ideal to do so himself. Frodo handed the ring willingly, but slowly, to Gandalf, an indication that the ring had a subtle control over Frodo, but not absolute, which was possible with other stout men. The passages you quote seem like paraphrasing, not direct quotations from the book. The ring would exert power over Frodo, as we see in the books, but less slowly and with less power than anyone else. Hobbits were Gandalf’s best chance.

11

He offered it to Tom Bombadil, but Bombadil refused, and even Frodo recognized the danger of giving it to such a character who would not take proper care of it.

12

Yup, it was impossible, and all of the Wise knew it. And yet, it worked. It’s our part to try our hardest, and let Providence take it from there.

13

I’ve heard it said in the past that this is exactly why Sauron didn’t even consider the possibility of the Ring being destroyed; as its designer he knew that nobody could make themselves destroy it, so didn’t even think about it as an issue. And he was right; Frodo never threw it in.

Also, it’s why the old argument of “just have the Eagles drop the Ring in Mount Doom” is baseless; all that gets you is either Sauron reclaiming the Ring or a flying Dark Lord.

14

Ideally, Gandalf would accompany Frodo, but Gandalf also allowed that Frodo should set out without him with friends he could trust. Not a great way to begin the quest to destroy the ring, but Gandalf had many tasks and knew he may not be available when the time came to set out, Saramun not withstanding.

15

What if you have an eagle grab Frodo with the ring and drop Frodo in? :wink:

16

Right, but Frodo got it closer than perhaps anyone else ever could. He got it into a position where it could be thrown in. Who else could have done that?

17

Sam?

(that is another thread probably…Sam somehow seems the real hero)

18

Well, yeah, in the sense that Bombadil held it up to his eye, and put it on his finger for a while, and then handed it back.

19

Yeah, I can subscribe to that. Sam was a huge catalyst, from insisting to go to mistrusting Gollum, to protecting Frodo at every chance. Always his decisions were what was best for his “master” than himself, not ever understanding the importance or reason for the mission.

20

Didn’t he? Sam carries the Ring when he thinks Frodo is dead. I assumed Sam understood the Ring was the thing.