Sharky's End

With only one pleasure left in life - creating distress and disturbance for those he hates - Saruman has set about the destruction of the Shire.

One ill turn deserves another.
SARUMAN

The wizard's spite, founded on vengeance for his own fall from dignity and authority - from favourite of Aule in Valinor to homeless exile - and on jealousy of the hobbits who have risen so high, is mirrored by that felt for him by Wormtongue, who pays back his long suffering with the murder of his master.

Grima is then himself shot, despite Frodo's desperate protests to avoid bloodshed.

It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing.
FRODO

The contrast between the Big People (the oafish thuggery of the ruffians, the bitter retribution of Saruman and Wormtongue etc.) and Hobbits (including the generous mercy of Frodo, and the simple sense of the Gaffer) shows where wisdom assuredly lies, and how out of place murder and meanness are in the Shire.

It's an ill wind as blows nobody no good.
GAFFER

All's well as ends Better!
GAFFER

Comments

[Roger R.]

Thanks for a great series Dave... now turn it into a book!

[MisterDavid]

Still more to come yet!

[Tom]

I'm inclined to say there's a bell curve, with wisdom belonging to the outlying earthy or lofty individuals, and folly belonging to the teeming middle. Without both the Hobbits and the White Council working toward the same goal nothing could have been accomplished.