Diagnosing Gollum/Sméagol

(Disclaimer: I am NOT a medical professional)

Up until the fourth book of Lord of the Rings, we have only heard Gollum/Sméagol’s voice and characteristics from the point of view of other characters. His personality and looks had only been constructed through the recapitulation of those such as Bilbo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and so on.

However, the first chapter of book four finally affords us a very special and close look at who Gollum/Sméagol really is.

‘Did you see them again, Mr. Frodo?’ asked Sam, as they sat, stiff and chilled, munching wafers of lembas, in the cold grey of early morning.

‘No,’ said Frodo. ‘I’ve heard nothing, and seen nothing, for two nights now.’

‘Nor me,’ said Sam. ‘Grrr! Those eyes did give me a turn! But perhaps we’ve shaken him off at last, the miserable slinker. Gollum!’

Page 604

Frodo and Sam have been traveling towards Mordor on their own when they finally come face to face with Gollum.

They had been followed by him for quite some time, but when Gollum comes close enough to be seen clearly, Tolkien’s description is horror-inducing.

“Down the face of a precipice, sheer and almost smooth it seemed in the pale moonlight, a small black shape was moving with its thin limbs splayed out. Maybe its soft clinging hands and toes were finding crevices and holds that no hobbit could ever have seen or used, but it looked as if it was just creeping down on sticky pads, like some large prowling thing of insect-kind. And it was coming down head first, as if it was smelling its way. Now and again it lifted its head slowly, turning it right back on its long skinny neck, and the hobbits caught a glimpse of two small pale gleaming lights, its eyes that blinked at the moon for a moment and then were quickly lidded again.”

Page 613

After a confrontation between Sam and Gollum, Frodo tames the strange hobbit-reminisce creature. Brandishing his sword Sting, Frodo is able to make Gollum release Sam, and Gollum pleads to Frodo, “Don’t hurt us! Don’t let them hurt us, precious! . . . We didn’t mean no harm,” (614).

“Us”? Who is the “we” that Gollum speaks of?

Previous insights from other characters explain that Gollum’s solitary lifestyle and possession of the Ring bore a toll on his mind, cleaving a split in his personality.

To me, it seems as though Gollum has some sort of dissociative identity disorder (DID), a depersonalization that has affected his mental state and birthed his dual reality as both Sméagol and Gollum.

As a hobbit, Sméagol’s life was typical with its community-based lifestyle. The origins of Sméagol’s possible DID can be found in this.

From a socio-cognitive perspective, Sméagol’s life, from the actions of those in his community to his own choices, are roots for his alter-identity as Gollum.

Having killed his cousin and best friend Déagol, Sméagol is expelled by his community. Traumatic in different ways but both intrinsically tied to a broken social schema, to protect his mental state, Sméagol is forced to create Gollum—a personality that functions as a new companion for himself through his forced solitude.

This personality understands his actions and wants for the Ring, as he does; it also works as a new, “stronger” version of himself, one that is more self-reliant while also wary of social groups or possibly coming into contact with other beings (literally a personified defense mechanism).

A very fascinating passage on page 632, where Sam eavesdrops on a conversation Gollum/Sméagol have with themselves, proves insightful to their relationship.

“Gollum was talking to himself. Sméagol was holding a debate with some other thought that used the same voice but made it squeak and hiss. A pale light and a green light alternated in his eyes as he spoke.” Page 632

Notice Tolkien’s description of the physiological change between the two personalities. Gollum and Sméagol are distinct even in features, the former’s eyes reflecting a more “green light” appearance while the latter possesses a “pale light” hue (632).

It is also interesting to notice the subtle differences in their personalities. Sméagol still contains some redeeming qualities, most notable of which is a reliable, even trustworthy personality.

‘Sméagol promised,’ said the first thought.

‘Yes, yes, my precious,’ came the answer, ‘we promised: to save our Precious, not to let Him have it – never. But it’s going to Him, yes, nearer every step. What’s the hobbit going to do with it, we wonders, yes we wonders.’

Page 632-633

It seems important that Sméagol is arguing to keep their promise to Frodo, and Gollum is the one trying to sway the personalities to betray that oath.

Another key nuance is the dynamic. In dissociative literature, there are conventions concerning more “dominant” personalities. It seems as though Gollum is the driver from the dialogue we have on page 633.

Moments where Gollum calls Sméagol “my precious” suggest an imbalance in power, with Sméagol being subservient to Gollum. Undermining Sméagol as an “owned” being with the possessive use of “my” intuits a specific dominant/submissive nature to their relationship.

Other mechanical and diction choices employed by Tolkien such as the focused usage of exclamations points versus periods when Sméagol and Gollum speak, respectively, as well as Sméagol’s “wailing” to Gollum while the latter speaks meditatively are telling of who is more in control (633).

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This was kind of dark. . . I feel bad for Sméagol. I think he is a little cute, honestly.

Let me know your thoughts, dear reader. Until the next ~