To understand the answers to these questions, it is crucial to understand Gandalf and Sauron as characters and the influence of the One Ring. Gandalf is quite an intriguing character. As is mentioned above, he is a Maiar, sent to Middle Earth to combat the threat of Sauron.
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Gandalf is an old friend of Bilbo Baggins and went on an adventure with him during the events of The Hobbit. After going on this adventure with Bilbo, Gandalf becomes particularly interested in Hobbits and Bilbo’s family specifically. Although other wizards probably do not see the point in Gandalf’s interest in Hobbits, Gandalf doesn’t care; he admires the Hobbits for their bravery and humility. At the beginning of the events of Lord of the Rings, Gandalf becomes suspicious about Bilbo’s ring. He thinks it might be a Ring of Power but is unsure if it is the One Ring.
What really makes Gandalf suspicious is when Bilbo suddenly changes his mind about leaving his ring to Frodo. Bilbo starts acting with a ton of hostility towards Gandalf, which only makes the wizard more suspicious. Bilbo accuses Gandalf of wanting the Ring for himself and calls it “precious.” Gandalf is horrified by this turn of events and stands to his full height and projects his power, which scares Bilbo into eventually doing the right thing by leaving the Ring to Frodo. Gandalf warns Frodo not to use the Ring, keep it secret from everyone, and make sure it is safe.
Gandalf then needs to find out for sure if it is the One Ring that Frodo now owns. So he does some research in Minas Tirith and manages to figure out a way to determine if it is indeed the One Ring. After this research, Gandalf returns to the Shire and throws Frodo’s ring into the fire. It then reveals its inscription. Gandalf explains the story behind the Ring to Frodo and tells him to get ready to leave the Shire for Rivendell. Gandalf eventually becomes a member of the Fellowship of the Ring and assists Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring. He also leads the people of Middle Earth in many battles against Sauron and his forces, giving Frodo a chance to succeed. Gandalf is definitely wise and powerful. He does not allow any foolish or harmful behavior but has a ton of compassion. He can be blunt when he needs to be but is also affectionate in certain situations.
Sauron, like Gandalf, is a Maia. This would make their powers about equal. However, that is where the similarities between the two characters end. Sauron used to be a lieutenant of Morgoth, the Vala who became the first Dark Lord of Middle Earth. After his original master’s defeat, Sauron wanted to rule over Middle Earth. In order to do so, he assisted the Elves in creating the Rings of Power and then made the One Ring for himself. Luckily, the elves figured out what he did and took their Rings of Power off. Sauron then fought a war to gain them all but the Three Elven Rings. He then gave nine to Men and seven to Dwarves. Sauron and Gandalf are very far apart when it comes to personality as well.
While Gandalf is compassionate, Sauron would look at compassion as a negative thing. While Gandalf is affectionate, Sauron would not understand the point of affection. The One Ring, like Sauron, is a bad influence on people. Though someone could start out with good intentions, the Ring would eventually corrupt them. And that is why Gandalf can’t touch it. He is afraid that if he did, it would corrupt him and make him just as bad as Sauron since Sauron put so much of himself and his evil into the One Ring. Gandalf’s fears are definitely reasonable. Even though he and Sauron are equal, power-wise, Sauron is evil while Gandalf is firmly on the side of good. He would not want to take the chance that the Ring might corrupt him. If it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t, but Gandalf doesn’t want to risk it.
The One Ring is definitely a corrupting force. And if Gandalf were to be corrupted, the people of Middle Earth would have no chance against Sauron. And that would be a very tragic ending for the Lord of the Rings story.
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