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This week is another double portion. We read "Farewell to Lorien" and "The Great River." The Fellowship leaves (Loth)lorien behind and continues their Quest. The elves give the Fellowship boats on which they can float down the Anduin river, which runs toward Mordor. The first chapter concerns these, as well as other gifts the Fellowship receives from the elves. The second chapter follows the Fellowship as they journey down the river.
Throughout these chapters, and those leading up to them, there are hints of a creature stalking them. Though none catch a direct glimpse at him, the evidence is stacking up. Sam thinks he sees something hiding behind a log on the river. Frodo recalls that Haldir thought he saw an unusual creature following them Lothlorien, and Aragorn says he believes it's been following them since. Gollum has found the Fellowship. Soon after Sam's (possible) encounter, the Fellowship is attacked by orcs. It's left unclear whether Gollum actually had a hand in summoning them or not, but the Fellowship suspects it is no coincidence.
Of course, Gollum's part in the story of the Ring is no small one. He possessed the Ring for a long time. He is the one who told Sauron it was a Baggins who had the Ring, leading to the Black Riders being sent to the Shire. And he has much more to do before our text is done. Like that bug that pinched me, Gollum is everpresent, even when he is hidden.
While I'm hesitant to say I was traumatized by that bug, it has certainly stayed in my mind long long after that experience. It took me a long time before I could be comfortable with anything besides an ant or a fly. I would vacate entire fields because I saw one bee, and I would simply leave rooms whenever I caught glimpse of a spider. I once had a mosquito hawk get into my kitchen. In response, I got a pot cover and spatula and dueled the damned thing for about half an hour before it finally flew into a vent. I've gotten a little better, but only because I don't let my fear control me. I still have the fear.
People with trauma talk about reliving the experience. It stays with them. You may only be mugged at gunpoint once but you will flinch at sudden movements from strangers for months or years afterwards. It guides your life against your will.
Most people with trauma, who do not treat it successfully, either engage with it fully or they refuse to even approach it. Almost drowned at sea? They never go near the ocean again, or they commit their life to the Coast Guard. Abused by a parent growing up? They never raise their voice against their child (and have a hard time forgiving themselves if they ever slip), or they decide their kids should have the same upbringing they did "Since I turned out ok."
In this way, Gollum represents unresolved trauma. Not always seen, but just around the corner - maybe calling orcs to attack. He has unnatural eyes. He walks on his hands and feet in a strange hunch (This is what Haldir says). He is mysterious and frightening and powerful.
But we also know the truth. Gollum, once we meet him, is clearly pathetic. He can't actually hurt anyone in a fair fight. His power is in fear, ambush, and allies (like orcs or Shelob). If you're traumatized by driving because you survived a car accident you will lose a lot of time by insisting on walking everywhere. A car won't hurt you again, but you the trauma is obviously still affecting your life. You may think you are avoiding the trauma, but in reality that level of avoidance is a form of control.
Previously we had talked about finding the root cause of social and personal problems. This is similar, but more about the impact of not approaching those causes head-on. It can seem easy to avoid trauma, but that has a cost. Only therapy, requiring one to confront trauma in a guided way, allows one freedom from it.
In psychoanalytical terms this is called "reconciliation with the father." The basic idea is one has a conflict with a parent growing up and the memory of that conflict drives much of your adult life: You can strive to avoid all such conflicts or you can constantly engage in such conflicts. But the most healthy response is to learn how to face it, thus allowing you to follow a path of your own choosing. That's why Luke's refusal to fight at the end of the Return of the Jedi is so powerful. Killing his father is obviously a bad choice. But killing the emperor also feeds into the cycle of violence that got them both there. Instead he sets up an opportunity for he and his father to fight on the same side. It is risky, but so is all forgiveness.
Obviously the world is wider than Freud. We don't always have a parent to reconcile with - sometimes it is something else. But we all carry something from our past, some experience that unconsciously guides us. We all, though it be different shapes and sizes and sources, have a Gollum in our life. It is the human condition. We use the past to predict the future. But reconciliation requires one to let go of the past and have faith in the future. It's difficult to do. One of the first steps is to notice it and its effects, as Sam and Aragorn and Haldir did, no matter how much it tries to hide.
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