Sidekick Showcase [51] - Creepy

Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well

Next week is Keeping it in the Family - Relative of the Hero(ine)

This week is Creepy

My choice is Gollum
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Gollum picture created by Jaclyn Canada

Is anyone else super excited about Desolation of Smaug, or is it just me? With The Hobbit on the brain, Gollum was the perfect fit for me for this week. Gollum was originally known as Smeagol and was actually a type of hobbit before being damaged by the ring and turning unrecognizable in appearance and personality. With all the other hobbits running around, one with pointed teeth that lives in caves and talks to his other half is exceptionally creepy when compared with oh say Bilbo or Frodo.

Gollum got the name from the cough he is often associated with and he wars with his other half Smeagol. Gollum apparently will kill anyone in the way of him obtaining The One Ring and Smeagol tries to do the right thing and help others from time to time so these warring personalities inside of himself cause him to come across as disturbing. Bilbo pitied Gollum and didn't kill him when he had the chance, and later Frodo pities him as well. Further, Frodo is the only one to show him kindness since he fears that he could in fact become like him. The thing is, all Gollum cares about is the ring...so...he's super creepy.

Quotes:

"We even forgot the sound of trees and the taste of bread."

---

“Bilbo almost stopped breathing, and went stiff himself. He was desperate. He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.”

---

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many - yours not least.”

---

“What have I got in my pocket?" he said aloud. He was talking to himself, but Gollum thought it was a riddle, and he was frightfully upset.
"Not fair! not fair!" he hissed. "It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in it's nassty little pocketsess?”

---

“So was I,” said Frodo, “and so I am. We’re going on a bit too fast. You and
I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point ‘Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read any more’.”

“Maybe,” said Sam, “but I wouldn’t be one to say that. Things done and
over and made into part of the great tales are different. Why, even Gollum might be good in a tale, better than he is to have by you, anyway. And he used to like tales himself once, by his own account. I wonder if he thinks he’s the hero or the villain?”
“Gollum!” he called. “Would you like to be the hero, now where’s he got to
again?”

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