"The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Background
In the land of Middle-Earth, a great war looms between the armies of Mordor and the armies of men and elves. The dark lord of Mordor, Sauron, is defeated when the Ring of Power is cut from his hand by the human Isildur, but Isildur gives in to human weakness and refuses to destroy such a powerful weapon. Soon Isildur is killed and the ring falls into the hands of a “Halfling” named Smeagol, who gradually becomes consumed by its power. A societal outcast, Smeagol hides in the Misty Mountains and devolves into a skulking creature known as Gollum, after the coughing noises he makes frequently. The Ring prolongs his life, allowing him to exist until Sauron regains enough power to make a second stand.
At this point another Halfling named Bilbo Baggins finds himself trapped with Gollum inside the Misty Mountains and escapes with the Ring. Apoplectic, the addicted Gollum leaves the Mountains and seeks for the Ring. He has become dependent on its power, but when he finds it in the care of Bilbo's nephew Frodo he is quickly defeated and forced to guide Frodo and his friend Sam to Mordor, where the Ring can be destroyed. Frodo's humane treatment of Gollum causes the part of him that was once Smeagol to resurface, and Gollum develops a split personality. Ultimately the dark side wins out, however, and he betrays the hobbits to a giant spider. When this fails he seizes the Ring from Frodo at the moment of truth, but tumbles into the Cracks of Doom, destroying himself along with the Ring.
Analysis
Gollum symbolizes the classic struggle of good versus evil. He has a lot in common with Darth Vader from the Star Wars series. Just as Vader was consumed by darkness, Gollum cannot escape the hold of the Ring. However, Frodo, playing the role of Luke Skywalker, still sees goodness in Gollum and attempts to redeem him. Unlike Vader, however, Gollum never returns to the light, and instead sells out the hobbits to reclaim the ring. When he finally reclaims it, however, he is immediately destroyed, suggesting that once we succumb to temptation the end is never far away.