Why didn't 🧙Gandalf just pretend to join Saruman?

[BalrogRingDestroyer]

Why did Gandalf have to outright tell Saruman that he wouldn't join him? Why didn't he play along, "agreeing" with Saruman so that he'd be free to leave Isengard, perhaps feigning to go fetch the Ring for Saruman, and then go find Frodo or warn someone of Saruman's treachery?

 

[d4rk3lf]

Funny, I was thinking the same thing the other day.
My guess that he was so much disgusted by Saruman betrayal, that he couldn't, and didn't wanted to pretend.... Gandalf from the books (unlike good old grandpa from the movies) is pretty explosive character....

The other thing might be, that Saruman was no fool, and Gandalf knew he couldn't trick him of joining him, without, at least, making Saruman suspicious. And Saruman could find the ways to test Gandalf loyalty (would you please burn this captured Ent Gandalf? ).

 

[Will Whitfoot]

Gandalf is a truthist. He can keep secrets, he can be subtle and even evasive, but he does not lie. For someone who is highly attuned to the currents of thought, lying is actually painful. For a being of his stature, even a simple a lie would be a single step down a very slippery slope that he knows all too well can end in evil. To lie to Saruman in this instance, as a cowardly way to protect himself, would be disastrous.

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

This is an intriguing question.

In my opinion, there are a few reasons why he may have been led to make the choice that he did.

Firstly, by his words, at least in the books, it can be gathered that in a relative way, he did have hope for changing Saruman's mind, or at least showing him how ridiculous what he was saying was. Gandalf seems very reluctant to let go of hope, so I would say, he may have been planning to try and get Saruman back on the right path. When he had left, if he was allowed to, he may have consulted with the rest of the Istari and tried to get Saruman back to fighting evil and not siding with Sauron.

Secondly, as has been listed above, I think Gandalf was better than that. He was a purer soul than would lie simply to escape a punishment on himself. He knew the dangers of evil, and how easily it could consume someone, with tiny chinks away at them until they forgot all that was good and came to love the darkness. Because of that, I don't think Gandalf would have told a lie, even for a good cause. He would know that it could cause more harm than good, and that there is no good in winning if you become the very evil that you are fighting against.

Of course, there are other conclusions, ie. it needed to be done, Frodo had to find Strider and he may not have if Gandalf showed up right away.

But all the same, these were some that I had come up with.

 

[herlig9]

Maybe if he lied he could give into Saurons powers and become treacherous probably. Dishonesty affects the heart would be my guess.
Now in real life i guess you could say lying would be better option and then warn the others. But interms of the theme of LOTR it makes sense of him voicing opposition to joining the dark lord

 

[Goldilocks Gamgee]

I think the way the conversation between Gandalf and Saruman went kind of didn't give Gandalf to think about lying his way into Saruman's plot. Basically, Gandalf arrives and says he comes for aid. Saruman scoffs at the idea that Gandalf the Grey could need help. They then proceed to discuss Radagast, and Saruman ridicules the Brown wizard:

'"Radagast the Brown!" laughed Saruman, and he no longer concealed his scorn. "Radagast the Bird-tamer! Radagast the Simple! Radagast the Fool! Yet he had just the wit to play the part that I set him. For you have come, and that was all the purpose of my message. And here you will stay, Gandalf the Grey, and rest from journeys. For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colors!"

I think that it's pretty much at this point that Gandalf starts to understand that something is off, and responds with a remark that I like to see as just a very flat response to his friend being ridiculed:

"I liked white better," I said.

Then they have this whole conversation, in which backing out suddendly would be very awkward:

'"White!" he sneered. "It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken."

'"In which case it is no longer white," said I. "And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom."

'"You need not speak to me as to one of the fools that you take for friends," said he. "I have not brought you hither to be instructed by you, but to give you a choice."

And only then does he invite Gandalf to join him. Now, after the preface to his little speech was such a scathing back-and-forth, it would be hard for Gandalf to pretend to be convinced by Saruman's reasoning. Like, you don't make fun of someone, and then promptly switch to their side. This would just be a pride issue at this point, if that makes any sense.

 

[Eljorahir]

Gandalf is a truthist.

I agree.

In the chapter, 'The Window on the West', another character takes a firm stand for truth:

"I would not snare even an orc with a falsehood."

In my opinion, Gandalf's moral stance with regard to truthfulness must be at least as strong as Faramir's.

 

[Vorondil]

Saruman isn't a moron, he would have figured it out.

 

[Jimbo Baggins]

Gandalf can’t faux. He isn’t a phony.

 

[Deimos]

I agree.

In the chapter, 'The Window on the West', another character takes a firm stand for truth:

"I would not snare even an orc with a falsehood."

In my opinion, Gandalf's moral stance with regard to truthfulness must be at least as strong as Faramir's.

Eljorahir has the answer (imo).
There are two facets of this....
1) the moral (or ethical) one, which Faramir articulates.
2) the practical one first stated by Aesop in "The Boy who cried Wolf"; that is, a liar is not believed even when he is telling the truth.
I saw the Aesop moral restated as: "Once a man gets a reputation as a liar, he might as well be struck dumb, for people do not listen to the wind."