Does anyone else find it curious that Tolkien attributes the ring's enhanced
power to the proximity to Mount Doom? After all, Mount Doom is just the
place where it was made, but it is not the source of the ring's power.
Sauron is that source. The ring is filled by Sauron's essence, not the
essence of Mount Doom. The ring wants to be found by Sauron, not by Mount
Doom. The ring corrupts its wearers/bearers to be more like Sauron, not
more like Mount Doom. The orcs in the tower perceive Sam to be a great &
terrible lord (i.e., something like Sauron, not something like Mount Doom).
So why doesn't Tolkien attribute the ring's increased power to its proximity to
Sauron?
