How evil was Lotho?

[dreamflower]

Anyone who has read very many of my fics *knows* I have a very strong antipathy to Lotho Pimple, self-styled "Chief" of the Shire. The last couple of weeks though, I've been having a very interesting debate wtih a gentleman on the rec.arts.books.tolkien/alt.fan.tolkien newsgroups on the subject.

He seems to think Lotho was simply doing what he thought of as "good business", and that as soon as the ruffians arrived, they took over and were responsible for all the wickedness that took place afterward.

We've just about argued to a standstill.

He's pretty entrenched in his position, as am I. But I'm wondering if anyone else sees this as a likely scenario? Was Lotho just a victim, like the other hobbits?

(Not bloody likely. But anyway...)

Comments

Killing time at school

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bit of both. He took the initiative and started it all, but then the Men showed up and later Sharkey and completely took over from him. I've often wondered if he wasn't seduced by Saruman in some way. There had to be some sort of interaction between the two at some point, prior to Saruman's arrival in the Shire after the War, or at least, I have always thought so. Just what that interaction is or how it came about, I have no idea, but I've been noodling over it for awhile now. I might eventually come up with something for a story, but that will require research and far more time than I have right now.

Tolkein never writes any of his characters (with the exception of Melkor, Sauron and the Ring) as completely good or completely evil, they have mixtures of both. It's the same with Lotho. I think it's just the jealousy factor coming into play, plus his parents and the way he was raised by them. We all know those kinds of parents and they don't generally raise well adjusted children.

So, to put it simply, I agree with your friend. Lotho played his part, like everyone else, and he paid the ultimate price for it.

Re: Killing time at school

[dreamflower]

Killing time is always good.

The thread is on the LOTR CotW, Book 6, Chapter 8,"The Scouring of the Shire". You are saying basically what I mean, that Lotho *is* evil, but not pure evil, like Saruman and Denethor, he has fallen. He did lose control over the Men and to Sharkey, *but* he *had* control in the first place, and he didn't mean the Shire any good by bringing the Men in.

This person is saying that Lotho never meant any harm, that all of it was the Men, and that the part about Lotho claiming to be Chief, etc, was all lies by the Men. He even says that Lotho had been dead for a long time, refusing to believe what Farmer Cotton said about his being seen "two weeks or so ago." He says that is "hearsay".

According to Unfinished Tales, Saruman had been having business dealings among the Bracegirdles in the South Farthing for a very long time. Certainly he did what he could to corrupt hobbits. But that means Lotho *was* in fact, corrupt, and not an innocent victim.

I'm wondering now about the Bracegirdles, and what must have been promised to Lobelia...