27-01-2003, 23:01
Même si je ne comprends pas bien ta question, tu as tout à fait raison Meneldur lorsque tu dis que "c'était pour la majeure partie de la faute de Sam si Gollum avait repris son mauvais côté". Tolkien, dans ses Lettres, parle plusieurs fois de cette 'faute' de Sam, de cette incapacité qu'il a eu à éprouver de la compassion pour Gollum, l'empêchant ainsi de se repentir, de se sauver l'âme en paix; ainsi (et surtout) :
[citation=L246, p.329]Sam was cocksure, and deep down a little conceited; but his conceit had been transformed by his devotion to Frodo. He did not think of himself as heroic or even brave, or in any way admirable – except in his service and loyalty to his master. That had an ingredient (probably inevitable) of pride and possessiveness: it is difficult to exclude it from the devotion of those who perform such service. In any case it prevented him from fully understanding the master that he loved, and from following him in his gradual education to the nobility of service to the unlovable and of perception of damaged good in the corrupt. He plainly did not fully understand Frodo's motives or his distress in the incident of the Forbidden Pool. If he had understood better what was going on between Frodo and Gollum, things might have turned out differently in the end. For me perhaps the most tragic moment in the Tale comes in II 323 ff [*]. when Sam fails to note the complete change in Gollum's tone and aspect. 'Nothing, nothing', said Gollum softly. 'Nice master!'. His repentance is blighted and all Frodo's pity is (in a sense) wasted. Shelob's lair became inevitable.[/citation]
[*] Voilà le texte en question :
[citation=IV.8.699{767}]Gollum looked at them. A strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired. A spasm of pain seemed to twist him, and he turned away, peering back up towards the pass, shaking his head, as if engaged in some interior debate. Then he came back, and slowly putting out a trembling hand, very cautiously he touched Frodo's knee – but almost the touch was a caress. For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.
But at that touch Frodo stirred and cried out softly in his sleep, and immediately Sam was wide awake. The first thing he saw was Gollum – `pawing at master,' as he thought.
`Hey you!' he said roughly. `What are you up to?'
'Nothing, nothing,' said Gollum softly. `Nice Master!'
`I daresay,' said Sam. 'But where have you been to – sneaking off and sneaking back, you old villain?'
- Hé, vous là ! dit-il rudement. Qu'est-ce que vous fabriquez ?
- Rien, rien, répondit doucement Gollum. Gentil Maître !
- Sans doute, dit Sam. Mais où avez-vous été - vous éclipsant et revenant ainsi furtivement, vieux sournois ?
Gollum withdrew himself, and a green glint flickered under his heavy lids. Almost spider-like he looked now, crouched back on his bent limbs, with his protruding eyes. The fleeting moment had passed, beyond recall. `Sneaking, sneaking!' he hissed. 'Hobbits always so polite, yes. O nice hobbits! Sméagol brings them up secret ways that nobody else could find. Tired he is, thirsty he is, yes thirsty; and he guides them and he searches for paths, and they say sneak, sneak. Very nice friends, O yes my precious, very nice.'[/citation]
Ce n'est que ce soir, en lisant le passage de cette lettre, que je découvre que non seulement "Shelob's lair became inevitable" mais que le chapitre IV.9 L'Antre d'Arachné est annoncé immédiatement dans la description du changement irrévocable d'attitude de Gollum : "il avait presque l'air d'une araignée"... Oh Sam, ne te rends-tu pas compte combien les mots peuvent tuer, et que n'as-tu compris que les apparences peuvent être trompeuses !
Sosryko
[citation=L246, p.329]Sam was cocksure, and deep down a little conceited; but his conceit had been transformed by his devotion to Frodo. He did not think of himself as heroic or even brave, or in any way admirable – except in his service and loyalty to his master. That had an ingredient (probably inevitable) of pride and possessiveness: it is difficult to exclude it from the devotion of those who perform such service. In any case it prevented him from fully understanding the master that he loved, and from following him in his gradual education to the nobility of service to the unlovable and of perception of damaged good in the corrupt. He plainly did not fully understand Frodo's motives or his distress in the incident of the Forbidden Pool. If he had understood better what was going on between Frodo and Gollum, things might have turned out differently in the end. For me perhaps the most tragic moment in the Tale comes in II 323 ff [*]. when Sam fails to note the complete change in Gollum's tone and aspect. 'Nothing, nothing', said Gollum softly. 'Nice master!'. His repentance is blighted and all Frodo's pity is (in a sense) wasted. Shelob's lair became inevitable.[/citation]
[*] Voilà le texte en question :
[citation=IV.8.699{767}]Gollum looked at them. A strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired. A spasm of pain seemed to twist him, and he turned away, peering back up towards the pass, shaking his head, as if engaged in some interior debate. Then he came back, and slowly putting out a trembling hand, very cautiously he touched Frodo's knee – but almost the touch was a caress. For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.
But at that touch Frodo stirred and cried out softly in his sleep, and immediately Sam was wide awake. The first thing he saw was Gollum – `pawing at master,' as he thought.
`Hey you!' he said roughly. `What are you up to?'
'Nothing, nothing,' said Gollum softly. `Nice Master!'
`I daresay,' said Sam. 'But where have you been to – sneaking off and sneaking back, you old villain?'
- Hé, vous là ! dit-il rudement. Qu'est-ce que vous fabriquez ?
- Rien, rien, répondit doucement Gollum. Gentil Maître !
- Sans doute, dit Sam. Mais où avez-vous été - vous éclipsant et revenant ainsi furtivement, vieux sournois ?
Gollum withdrew himself, and a green glint flickered under his heavy lids. Almost spider-like he looked now, crouched back on his bent limbs, with his protruding eyes. The fleeting moment had passed, beyond recall. `Sneaking, sneaking!' he hissed. 'Hobbits always so polite, yes. O nice hobbits! Sméagol brings them up secret ways that nobody else could find. Tired he is, thirsty he is, yes thirsty; and he guides them and he searches for paths, and they say sneak, sneak. Very nice friends, O yes my precious, very nice.'[/citation]
Ce n'est que ce soir, en lisant le passage de cette lettre, que je découvre que non seulement "Shelob's lair became inevitable" mais que le chapitre IV.9 L'Antre d'Arachné est annoncé immédiatement dans la description du changement irrévocable d'attitude de Gollum : "il avait presque l'air d'une araignée"... Oh Sam, ne te rends-tu pas compte combien les mots peuvent tuer, et que n'as-tu compris que les apparences peuvent être trompeuses !
Sosryko