Return of the King

The Ring serves as a symbol of the corrupting influence of evil and all-encompassing power. While it is an inanimate object, Tolkien makes clear that the Ring has a will of its own and often attempts to manipulate those who bear it. In The Return of the King, the Ring demonstrates its corrupting influence by altering the perception of Frodo and Sam, tempting them and trying to inspire feelings of greed, arrogance, and paranoia. When Sam briefly carries the Ring, he understands for the first time how it can distort the perception of its bearer. As he looks out in disgust at the land of Mordor, the Ring shows him a vision meant to inspire him to seize its power: “And then all the clouds rolled away, and the white sun shone, and at his command the vale of Gorgoroth became a garden of flowers and trees and brought forth fruit. He had only to put on the Ring and claim it for his own, and all this could be” (881). While Sam’s desire to restore the landscape is not innately evil, the Ring uses Sam’s good impulses against him, trying to force him to claim its power for himself.