XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis, rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: danhenry@inreach.com   
      
   On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 12:19:13 -0400, Stan Brown   
    wrote:   
      
   >On Sun, 9 Oct 2005 21:47:02 -0400 in rec.arts.books.tolkien, Joseph   
   >favored us with...   
   >> "Stan Brown"  wrote in message   
   >> news:MPG.1db388b5bbead0b6989966@news.individual.net...   
   >> > For Gandalf to torture Gollum to obtain information is orc work.   
   >>   
   >> For crying out loud, who said anything about torture?   
   >   
   >Gandalf did, actually. "I put the fear of fire on him, and wrung the   
   >true story out of him, bit by bit."   
   >   
   >Note that it was the _threat_ of torture, rather than actual torture.   
   >But still Gollum suffered: "... together with much snivelling and   
   >snarling. He thought he was misunderstood and ill-used."   
   >   
   >Was Gandalf too harsh, given the circumstances? I guess not. But the   
   >big question is what Gandalf would have done if the "fear of fire"   
   >had not been enough to loosen Gollum's tongue. Would he actually have   
   >burned him? I hope not.   
      
   He'd have called up Celeborn and ordered some rope. That would have got   
   Smeagol talking.   
      
   --   
   R. Dan Henry   
   danhenry@inreach.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)