Colleen Donnelly writes that Wormtongue and Gollum are both distorted characters, and both end up disloyal to their masters. Donnelly notes that they are both "eaten up by desire", but comments that where Wormtongue is irredeemably full of treason against his lord, King Théoden of Rohan, Gollum remains open to kindness and can still intend to do good and honest service.
ok but maybe someone should have offered Grima kindness how Frodo did for Gollum and maybe things might have been different?? Grima is the one character never truly given a hand of kindness until, literally, the very end and it is again offered by Frodo. Because Frodo is the best. We love and respect Frodo in this household.
But like. how have literary critics missed this very important distinction in the Gollum-Grima journey??
I agree so mutch. That man would melt at the slightest kindness, I just know it. Give him a hug and he'll faint. Poor thing's starved for affection.
He really is starved for any sort of gentleness and recognition. I think it's at its clearest in the Scouring of the Shire (which, tbf, Grima's just suffered ten+ months of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, if not outright torture, at the hands of Saruman so uhhhh he's not doing great and his bar is so low as to be six feet underground) Excerpt from the book (emphasis mine):
He [Saruman] walked away, and the hobbits made a lane for him to pass; but their knuckles whitened as they gripped on their weapons. Wormtongue hesitated, and then followed his master. 'Wormtongue!' called Frodo. 'You need not follow him. I know of no evil you have done to me. You can have rest and food here for a while, until you are stronger and can go your own ways.' Wormtongue halted and looked back at him, half prepared to stay. Saruman turned. 'No evil?' he cackled. 'Oh no! Even when he sneaks out at night it is only to look at the stars. But did I hear someone ask where poor Lotho is hiding? You know, don't you, Worm? Will you tell them?' Wormtongue cowered down and whimpered: 'No, no!' 'Then I will,' said Saruman. 'Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn't you, Worm? Stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately. No, Worm is not really nice. You had better leave him to me.' A look of wild hatred came into Wormtongue's red eyes. 'You told me to; you made me do it,' he hissed. Saruman laughed. 'You do what Sharkey says, always, don't you, Worm? Well, now he says: follow!' He kicked Wormtongue in the face as he grovelled, and turned and made off. But at that something snapped: suddenly Wormtongue rose up, drawing a hidden knife, and then with a snarl like a dog he sprang on Saruman's back, jerked his head back, cut his throat, and with a yell ran off down the lane. Before Frodo could recover or speak a word, three hobbit-bows twanged and Wormtongue fell dead.
Frodo: You can chill here until you get on your feet.
Grima: This has rewired my brain in two seconds.
Frodo: .. .. alright then. you're clearly doing great.
Obviously this was not the first time Saruman kicked Grima (in the face! how many broken noses did he get?), or made him crawl, or beg etc. But this is the time that Grima snaps and I always believe that Frodo's simple kind words are what gave Grima a glimmer of hope.
Then, of course, he saw it seemingly snatched away by Saruman and that broke him. (Granted, I believe Frodo still would have extended kindness to Grima even after learning about Lotho's death. But Grima doesn't know this. He just knows Saruman seemingly ruined the first real out he's been given from this situation.)
A single act of kindness - could have changed the entire trajectory of quite a few peoples' lives. It's just really something
(Also that man would be so obsessively loyal in the most fucked up co-dependent way but uh, that's a later problem for Grima to sort out.)
Yesssss
I love (and cry over) the scouring of the Shire Grima. I think the Mtg art captures him very well.
I know their from diffrent artists but he begins deteriorating even in orthanc
