Interesting quote from Tolkien relating to capital punishment.

[white_wolf]

So, I'm taking a class on Tolkien and I just started rereading the Fellowship of the Ring, and I came across a quote that seems to be an interesting argument against using capital punishment as tool for revenge. Granted, Tolkien probably didn't intend to make a social commentary,but I found it interesting. Frodo is talking about Gollum.

"He deserves death. (this is Gandalf talking now) Deserves it! I dare say he does. Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement."

[The Second Stone]

1. A lot of good wisdom in those books

And I think he did mean it as a swipe at the death penalty.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Tolkien served in the trenches in World War One

and many of his school friends were killed (in a letter, he said "the Dead Marshes and the approaches to the Morannon owe something to Northern France after the Battle of the Somme"). For all that his stories include a lot of heroism in war, he knew the horror of death, and I think he may have intended a bit of social commentary in the part you quote.