# What was the point of Saruman in LotR?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-saruman-in-lotr/1026418>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** middle-earth\
**Created:** [January 7, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-saruman-in-lotr/1026418 "2026-01-07T01:17:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 14

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**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-saruman-in-lotr/1026418/14 "2026-01-07T19:03:28Z")

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> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> I don’t think Saruman was corrupted by the Ring.

He wasn’t. He never encountered the Ring, at least not since Bilbo recovered it. He was corrupted by using a palantir to try to monitor Sauron’s actions.

> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> He illustrates that abject depravity doesn’t require a magical corrupting force; some people are just assholes who are waiting to exploit certain situations and opportunities.

The text is pretty explicit in saying this isn’t true of Saruman. He was a respected and honored leader of the Istari for centuries, before he turned.

> [@Frodo](#):
>
> who cares?

I care. I like thinking about how the different parts of a work of art function together to create a larger whole. Which sometimes involves identifying which parts don’t actually add to that function.

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