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The Nature Of Power In Beowulf

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To further prove that Gandalf and Saruman and Tom are in fact different in power, the extent to which they are affected by the Ring and the nature of power to corrupt can be analyzed. Power in these novels is not only about raw strength, but also about the strength of one’s morals and will. Saruman is the first example as he is the only one of the three to fall under Ring’s and power’s influence. He wants the ring to become more powerful so that he may defeat the true evil that is Sauron. His intentions were just but by desiring the Ring, which is the epitome of evil, it took control of him and pushed its own will on him. Saruman did not have direct contact with the Ring, but he did communicate with Sauron through the orb, dooming himself. …show more content…
Here, Gandalf is stronger than Saruman in the battle of will, but he is still not the strongest. No such battle of wills occurs for Tom Bombadil. Tom goes as far as even putting on the Ring and “there was of sign of Tom disappearing” (130). Instead of Tom vanishing, Tom makes the Ring vanish and can even see Frodo when he put on the Ring, saying “he’s not as blind as that of yet” (131). Tom’s encounter with the Ring shows how powerful he is in the magical sense and in the face of evil. Tom is holding the embodiment of evil in his hand but, to him, it is a mere trinket. This may be explained through Gandalf's theory that “the Ring has no power over [Tom]” (259) rather than Tom having power over the Ring. Tom is disconnected from the world and is also his own master. Objects and people that affect the outer world don’t always affect him. The fact that the Ring had no affect on Tom is also acknowledged in the Council of Elrond when they consider sending the Ring back to Tom, but they decide not to as it would only slow the evil in Middle Earth but not stop

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