Even though he longs for his Rosie, his Shire, something greater calls and he puts his shoulder to the task. Indeed, Samwise Gamgee truly displays such friendship when he takes the Ring from what he thinks is Frodo’s corpse with the intent to carry on the quest his friend had started. Such people are those who carry on without complaint, trudging steadily on the journey of life. Sam undoubtedly displays true friendship towards Frodo, but he shows even more the servant’s heart that is a touchstone of sacrificial love. Sam has already forgiven Frodo, knowing his friend has already repented (I perhaps read into the film a little, but such is the way of artistic license).īut such is the way of deep friendship it forgives and forgets easily even as it holds the other to greater things, helping them to destroy the Ring, even if that means carrying the weight of the other for a while. Upon his reunion with Frodo, there is no angry outburst at his master, no wailing about things missed. In particular, for Sam, this is heartbreaking as he only wants to follow his friend Frodo into Mordor. The exchange between the two hobbits in the film upon Sam’s dismissal is a moving one for it’s a seeming break between two friends. Yet, he comes upon the waybread and, having proof of Gollum’s treachery, returns back up the stairs. Upon the hobbits awaking, Gollum points a finger at Sam as having eaten the remainder of the waybread poor Sam, with the cards stacked against him, leaves at Frodo’s request and returns down the stairs weeping. While the hobbits are sleeping, Gollum takes the remainder of the precious lembas bread that is their only food and throws it away, sprinkling some crumbs on Sam. Halfway up, they rest and take a short rest. Led by Gollum, Frodo and Sam attempt the treacherous climb up the stairs to Cirith Ungol, where, unbeknownst to them, Shelob waits.
#Sam carrying frodo series#
Had Frodo not been accompanied by the valiant Sam, would he not have fallen long since into some crack in Mordor, or been waylaid by the malevolent Gollum? There’s a scene from Peter Jackson’s retelling of the series that bears noting here. It is Sam who fights off Shelob, Sam who guards Frodo from the perfidious Gollum, Sam who rescues Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, and Sam who carries Frodo up the final ascent of Mount Doom. Why should we observe and honor the Samwise Gamgees? Because in real life, as in the epic tale, the Samwise Gamgees not only serve the hero, but they also provide the turning point of the plot and the crucial assistance on the quest. “ In a world where celebrities loom large and success seems to be measured by superhuman standards, we do well to stop, observe, and treasure all the Samwise Gamgees in our world. Dwight Longnecker writes the following in a recent article on how we need the ordinary heroism of people like Samwise Gamgee: That is, the friend who will quietly walk through life with you, without complaints, and seemingly without any glory. Indeed, there’s something to be said for the heroism of ordinary friendship. Sam, for most of us, exemplifies the heroism found in the ordinary. Undoubtedly, we see this in Sam’s love for Frodo and his attitude towards service of his friend and master. True friendship, to draw from Aristotle, is virtuous friendship whereby two persons pursue the good together, willing what is truly good for the other. Because good fiction should point us to better understand a truth about life, and this is no exception. But for now, I’d simply like to pause with you as we consider this particular friendship. I’ve written before on friendship, and if you’re interested in more, read here.
Is Samwise Gamgee truly the most important character of the series? While this may be true, I think instead reflecting on Sam’s friendship and service of Frodo would be better suited here.
Sam’s friendship and service buoys and supports Frodo throughout their journey, even to the point of physically carrying him up the side of Mount Doom.
Without Sam, Frodo would most likely have perished after the breaking of the Fellowship, whether by the wiles of Gollum or the many dangers encountered among the way. Everyone loves Sam – his heroism and loyalty to Frodo undoubtedly create a foundation that carries the Fellowship there and back again. My brother and I were talking about Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings over break, as all good conversations go in particular, the characters of Frodo and Sam.
0 kommentar(er)
