On Frodo and Depression

Alternately: Why the Ring-Bearer Had to Be Frodo

Dear Reader,

I’d like to preface all of this by saying that today I’m going to talk about depression (and generally discuss suicide in two paragraphs), so please don’t read this if that could be harmful to you. And if you feel any symptoms of depression, please talk to your doctor.

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Of all Hobbits, why Frodo? The Ring is able to tempt him with its Innate Evilness™ in that it makes Frodo want to wear it and protect it, but it isn’t able to show him any visions of his deepest dreams, which makes Frodo significantly more immune to the Ring’s effects. So why was the Ring unable to tempt him with visions of his deepest dreams? I think he begins his journey already in a state of depression (or something like it; I’m not diagnosing him with anything, if only because I can’t send a bill to Valinor).

It’s interesting that Bilbo and Frodo are painted as two odd peas in a pod, because Bilbo is odd as a result of leaving the Shire on his journey and feeling the effects of the Ring—“thin, sort of stretched…like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.” Without Frodo’s feeling the effects of the Ring (or having left the Shire on a perilous journey), I think the best explanation for his being Bilbo’s mirror image would be the effects of his childhood trauma.