The Lucifer Effect in Middle-earth: How Power Corrupts Even the Purest Souls | LOTR LORE

[@fred20097]

I wonder if it was the palantir that corrupted Saruman? And to be fair, he was a Maia as well as Sauron. His voice was persuasive and there was a chance he could've used the palantir to control Sauron. Rather, maybe it was a risk he decided to take while still pure-hearted, but one which failed. He might've even known Sauron as Malion - they were both students of Aule. So would he have become evil if he hadn't used the palantir? Is Sauron solely to blame for his fall? Just a few conjectures. Also, I find it ironic that Tolkien emphasises the importance of compassion in his writing, but he shows none for orcs - who are corrupted through no fault of their own, yet have no chance of salvation - or Gollum, who ends up boiled alive in mt doom. Could not Tolkien have created one kind orc? Or couldn't he have saved Gollum, so that the ring went into the molten lava, but not Gollum? Both of these seem cruel to me. Another point, I'm not sure how a study from some US university is relevant to Tolkien's world. If it's the one I'm thinking about, it was unethical and it was poorly conducted. Lastly, Faramir also was another hero in that he resisted taking the ring and spared Gollum's life when Gollum sneaked his way into their secret headquarters, the pool. I don't understand why Peter Jackson had the soldiers beat up Gollum in the movie. The character of Faramir was meant to be good and noble.