Frodo, Gollum, and Your Gatekeeper: Why the Broken Part Must Not Be Destroyed

 Frodo, Gollum, and the Gatekeeper

A Reflection on Mercy Toward the Corrupted Self

Elias: If you've read Chapter 4 of the Chambers story, you've watched the Seeker meet his Gatekeeper face-to-face. And if you're anything like most readers, you've probably wondered:

"Why doesn't he just destroy him? Why all this mercy and dialogue? The Gatekeeper has stolen fifty years - why not eliminate him and be done with it?"

There's an answer in a story you already know.

A story about a hobbit, a ring, and a creature named Gollum.

The Setup: Everyone Wants Gollum Dead

In The Lord of the Rings, nearly everyone who meets Gollum wants him destroyed:

Sam: "He's evil, treacherous, he'll betray us. Kill him and be done with it."

Aragorn: "He's dangerous. He'll lead us to ruin."

Faramir: "My men could kill him. Say the word."

Everyone sees Gollum as irredeemable. Corrupted beyond saving. A threat that should be eliminated.

Everyone except Frodo.

Frodo's Mercy: Not Naivety, But Wisdom

Early in the story, Frodo learns why Gollum still lives:

Frodo: "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance."

Gandalf: "Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before this is over."

And later, when Sam wants Gollum killed, Frodo says:

"He's wretched because the Ring has enslaved him. We have to remember - he's been carrying it far longer than Bilbo did. It twisted him, possessed him. But somewhere deep inside, there's still Sméagol. I have to believe that. Because if I can't believe that even the most corrupted can be reached... what hope is there for any of us?"

The Parallel: The Seeker and the Gatekeeper

Now, hold that next to Chapter 4:

The Seeker meets his Gatekeeper - the internal voice that's kept him small for fifty years. A voice that sounds like it stole his life, imprisoned his potential, prevented all growth.

Everyone's first instinct?

"Destroy him. Cast him out. Eliminate the voice. He's the enemy."

But the Seeker - like Frodo - sees something others don't:

The Gatekeeper wasn't born evil. He was born in protective love - a twelve-year-old boy's desperate attempt to never be hurt that way again.

Trauma corrupted him. Fear twisted his methods. But underneath? He was trying to save a life.

Just like Sméagol was corrupted into Gollum.

The Deeper Recognition: "There But For Grace Go I"

Here's what Frodo understands that Sam doesn't yet grasp:

Gollum isn't "other."

Gollum is what Frodo could become if he fails. The Ring corrupted Sméagol into Gollum. The Ring is corrupting Frodo right now.

If Gollum is irredeemable, so is Frodo.

That's why mercy matters. Not because Gollum "deserves" it, but because Frodo needs to believe redemption is possible - for Gollum's sake and for his own.

The Seeker's recognition mirrors this:

The Gatekeeper isn't "other." He IS the Seeker - just the wounded, traumatized part.

The Seeker created the Gatekeeper in a moment of desperation. If the Gatekeeper can't be redeemed, neither can the Seeker.

If the broken parts are irredeemable, there's no hope for wholeness.

That's why integration requires mercy.

The Internal War: Sméagol vs. Gollum

There's a scene in The Two Towers that perfectly captures the Gatekeeper's split:

Sam overhears Gollum talking to himself - literally at war with himself:

Sméagol: "Master is our friend! Master is good to us!"

Gollum: "Master betrayed us! Wicked, tricksy, false! We must kill them!"

Sméagol: "No! Not kill nice master! We be good, we be good!"

Gollum: "Kill them both! Take the precious!"

Sméagol fighting Gollum. The uncorrupted self trying to break through. The corrupted self trying to maintain control.

The Gatekeeper's internal war is identical:

The Hope-Presence (Sméagol): "You're supposed to be here! You can try! Healing is possible!"

The Corrupted Protector (Gollum): "Stay small! Don't risk! They'll destroy you!"

Fifty years of that battle - the same person, split in two, fighting for control.

Integration isn't destroying one and keeping the other. It's reuniting the split.

The "Part to Play" Prophecy

Gandalf says: "My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet."

He doesn't know what. He can't see the end. But he trusts there's a reason Gollum is still alive.

And what happens at Mount Doom?

When Frodo fails - when he puts on the Ring and refuses to destroy it - it's Gollum who saves Middle Earth.

Not through nobility. Not through redemption. Through his obsessive, twisted love for "his precious."

He bites off Frodo's finger, claims the Ring, and falls into Mount Doom - destroying the Ring that Frodo couldn't.

The corrupted one completes what the noble one couldn't.

In the Chambers story:

The Gatekeeper has "some part to play" too.

The hope-presence - the uncorrupted part that never stopped whispering truth - is what kept the Seeker alive for fifty years.

The same mechanism that imprisoned him also preserved the hope that eventually led him to the Chamber.

Without the Gatekeeper - both corrupted and hoping - the Seeker never makes it to integration.

The wounded protector, in his twisted way, kept the Seeker alive long enough to heal.

The Sam Warning: Mercy Requires Wisdom

But let's not romanticize this. Sam wasn't wrong to be suspicious.

Sam's position:

• Gollum IS dangerous
• Gollum DOES betray them (leading them to Shelob)
• Gollum WILL cause harm if given opportunity
• Mercy without wisdom is naivety

Sam is right about all of that.

The integration parallel:

Your Gatekeeper IS still dangerous if left unchecked. He WILL sabotage you if you're not vigilant. He WILL lead you into traps disguised as safety.

Mercy toward your Gatekeeper doesn't mean:

• Obeying him without question
• Trusting his every warning
• Letting him run your life again
• Dismissing the damage he's done

It means:

• Understanding his protective intent while refusing his methods
• Having compassion for his origin while updating his programming
• Keeping him close enough to dialogue with but not close enough to control
• Seeing him clearly - neither romanticizing nor demonizing

Frodo's wisdom: "We need Gollum. He knows the way. But I'm watching him."

Integration wisdom: "I need my Gatekeeper. He has protective instincts. But I'm conscious of him now. He doesn't run the show anymore."

Where Frodo's Mercy Goes Too Far

There's a moment when Frodo's compassion crosses into foolishness:

Sam catches Gollum seemingly betraying them. Sam confronts him, beats him. And Frodo defends Gollum against Sam - his most loyal, trustworthy friend.

That's the danger: Protecting the wounded part at the expense of the healthy part.

Choosing compassion for the corrupted voice over trust in the voices of truth.

In integration:

Don't defend your Gatekeeper against the voices calling for growth:

• Lydia calling out your excuses
• Simeon offering eternal perspective
• Elias inviting you toward wholeness

Have compassion for your Gatekeeper. Understand him. Work with him.

But don't let compassion become permission to keep operating the old way.

Why Frodo's Approach Ultimately Works

Frodo's mercy toward Gollum works because:

1. He sees clearly - neither romanticizing nor demonizing
2. He maintains boundaries - trust but verify
3. He believes redemption is possible - but doesn't demand it
4. He lets purpose unfold - without forcing outcomes
5. He stays conscious - watching, questioning, aware

The same principles work in integration:

See your Gatekeeper clearly. Understand his origin, his methods, his corruption.

Maintain boundaries. Don't obey him unconsciously. Stay aware.

Believe transformation is possible. Not because he "deserves" it, but because you need wholeness.

Let his purpose evolve. From prevention to resilience. From prison guard to actual protector.

Stay conscious. Watch him. Dialogue with him. Never go back to unconscious obedience.

The Archetypal Pattern

Both stories follow the same ancient pattern:

The corrupted part must not be destroyed but transformed.

Why?

Because the corrupted part:

• Knows the way (Gollum knows the path to Mordor / the Gatekeeper knows your wounds)
• Has a purpose to fulfill (destroying the Ring / preserving hope until integration)
• Is still part of the whole (Sméagol beneath Gollum / hope-presence beneath corruption)
• Teaches mercy to the one showing it (Frodo learns compassion / the Seeker learns self-integration)

Destroying the corrupted part means:

• Losing what they know
• Preventing their purpose from unfolding
• Remaining fragmented instead of whole
• Choosing judgment over mercy

Integrating the corrupted part means:

• Learning from their twisted wisdom
• Allowing them to serve in transformed ways
• Becoming whole instead of warring within yourself
• Choosing mercy that transforms both parties

What This Means For You

If you're in the middle of your own integration work - meeting your own Gatekeeper, wrestling with whether to destroy or dialogue - remember Frodo and Gollum:

Your Gatekeeper is Gollum:

• Corrupted by trauma (the Ring)
• Speaking in twisted voices
• Leading you toward danger while believing he's helping
• Still carrying something of your original self (Sméagol/hope-presence)

You are Frodo:

• Tempted to destroy the corrupted part
• Learning that mercy is wiser than judgment
• Discovering that the broken part has a role to play
• Realizing that if the Gatekeeper is irredeemable, so are you

The journey requires:

• Compassion without naivety
• Boundaries without destruction
• Dialogue without unconscious obedience
• Trust that the wounded part has purpose you can't see yet

The Final Truth: The Wound Serves the Healing

At Mount Doom, Gollum's obsession - his greatest weakness - becomes Middle Earth's salvation.

In the Chambers, the Gatekeeper's protective instinct - once his greatest limitation - becomes the foundation of true protection.

The wound and the healing are connected.

The corrupted part has a role to play.

Mercy isn't weakness - it's wisdom that sees the whole story.

Elias (final words):

When you read Chapter 4 and wonder why the Seeker doesn't just destroy the Gatekeeper - think of Frodo.

When you meet your own Gatekeeper and feel the urge to eliminate him - remember Gollum.

When integration feels too slow, too compassionate, too willing to work with the wounded part - recall that Gollum saved Middle Earth, and no one saw it coming.

Your Gatekeeper has a part to play too.

Not through nobility. Not through perfection. But through the transformation that happens when mercy meets the corrupted self and refuses to look away.

That's the wisdom of both stories.

That's the path of integration.

That's how wholeness happens - not by destroying the broken parts, but by bringing them home.

"Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill."

— Gandalf

And so does your Gatekeeper.