One idea about fairness I found quite intriguing was the interaction between Bilbo and Gollum in the Riddles in the Dark scene. Once Bilbo broke the rules and was unfair, of which Gollum calls him out for, Gollum no longer has any need to follow the rules, and doesn’t, planning to kill Bilbo despite having “technically” lost.
This is especially interesting in comparison with a text that might have inspired this scene, “Vafthrudnir’s Sayings,” in the Poetic Edda. In this battle of wits, the giant, Vafthrudnir, simply accepts his defeat, despite Odin clearly, shamelessly cheating. Additionally, no knowledge is gained, or sought to be gained, by either Vafthrudnir or Odin, whereas both Gollum and Bilbo have something they certainly wish to know. For Gollum, creepily, it’s if Hobbit tastes good, while for Bilbo, it’s the way out of the Goblin caves.
Another idea I found particularly interesting was how Sauron, in creating the One Ring, breaks all the rules of fairness and everything falls into utter and complete chaos. The pieces of the world then must be picked up and put back together by those who do follow the rules, despite the cost to themselves.
It’s fascinating, this idea Tolkien promotes through his books, that everything falls to pieces when the rules aren’t adhered to. I’m sure his time as a soldier, and the trauma he probably endured from that, had something to do with the world he created needing to have rules followed for there to be any sort of peace.
This question of fairness is definitely interesting. Especially the question of whether the other player cheating gives you a right to respond in kind or if you should stick to the rules even when others break them. I think this is an essential question that is still quite relevant today,.
ReplyDeleteOne quote that I quite like that sort of applies to this is, "An eye for an eye and the world goes blind." There's a couple variations of the quote, but most people believe it comes from Gandhi.
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