The
topic of Sam's heroism, and its sources, inspired vibrant discussion
in class on Wednesday, and in subsequent blog posts, focusing on
(among other things) his role as a gardener and healer of the Shire,
as one who chooses to go on a perilous quest rather than having it
thrust upon him, as a protector and friend of Frodo, and as Frodo's
surpassingly dogged and loyal servant. Though this last role is
problematic as a basis for Sam's heroic status, I find that one
particular aspect of it manages to transcend classist undertones and
emerge as an unambiguous marker of Sam's heroism: his role as a
supportive carrier of
people, things, and ideas, to the quest's end, and back again. This
trait appears in quite innocuous form in earlier parts of the story,
when Sam's companions scold him for trying to carry more than his
share of the fellowship's supplies, but by the end of the tale, it
has assumed truly heroic proportions, first allowing Sam to
essentially complete the quest of the Ring (barring Gollum's crucial
interference), by carrying Frodo up the last slopes of Mount Doom,
and then enabling him, after the quest's completion, to carry its
grand memory back to people who did not participate in it, both
physically, through the piece of Lothlórien he brings to the Shire
in Galadriel's gift box, and mentally, through the manuscript he
takes possession of when Frodo leaves across the sea.
Sam's
proficiency as a supportive carrier emerges as a heroic trait in the
final stretch of the journey to Mount Doom, in a passage that
emphasizes the ability of such a trait to lighten seemingly
unbearable loads. When Frodo collapses from exhaustion, partway up
the mountain, Sam takes it upon himself to finish the quest of the
Ring, without actually seizing the Ring for himself, an action that
would probably have broken Frodo. He says, “I can't carry it for
you, but I can carry you and it as well,” a statement that rings
with heroism due to its seeming impossibility (The Lord of
the Rings, 940). Sam in fact
recognizes this impossibility, as the following paragraph attests,
when it states that “He had feared that he would have barely
strength to lift his master alone, and beyond that he had expected to
share in the dreadful dragging weight of the accursed Ring. But it
was not so. Whether because Frodo was so worn...or because some gift
of final strength was given to him, Sam lifted Frodo with no more
difficulty than if he were carrying a hobbit-child pig-a-back in some
romp on the lawns or hayfields of the Shire” (The Lord of
the Rings, 941).
Somehow—miraculously, heroically—carrying Frodo with the Ring
turns out to easier for Sam than carrying the Ring by itself, and the
value of having a ring-bearer and a supportive carrier for the last
leg of the quest, instead of two competing ring-bearers, becomes
clear. This passage, with its mention of “some romp on the lawns or
hayfields of the Shire,” also hints at the continuing usefulness of
supportive carrying, and likewise Sam's continuing heroism, in the
world beyond the quest.
Sam's
gift from Galadriel—a box with a mallorn seed, “earth from my
orchard, and such blessing as Galadriel has still to
bestow”—symbolizes the enduring power of Sam's style of heroism,
post-quest, by allowing him to carry a physical reminder of one of
the quest's more beautiful moments back to people who never had the
chance to experience it firsthand. As Galadriel says in presenting
it, “It will not keep you on your road, nor defend you against any
peril; but if you keep it and see your home again at last, then
perhaps it may reward you. Though you should find all barren and laid
waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like
your garden, if you sprinkle this earth there. Then you may remember
Galadriel, and catch a glimpse far off of Lórien, that you have seen
only in our winter. For our Spring and our Summer are gone by, and
they will never be seen on earth again save in memory” (The
Lord of the Rings, 375). While
the quest continues, Galadriel's gift is just another thing for Sam
to carry safely through danger, but if Sam makes it through the quest
and returns home with the box intact, then the gift will blossom in
two significant ways. Firstly, since “there will be few gardens in
Middle-earth that will bloom like your garden,” it will establish
the garden of the Shire, and Sam by association, with a kind of
heroic renown. Secondly, and more importantly, it will provide “a
glimpse far off of Lórien,” whose “Spring and...Summer...will
never be seen on earth again save in memory,” preserving a piece of
the vanishing wonder of the quest long into the future, for Sam, the
members of his community, and any who choose to visit it.
Sam
also acts as a supportive carrier of the quest's memory in a less
physical way, through his stewardship of Frodo's book recounting its
events. When Frodo gifts this “big book with plain red leather
covers” to him, Sam says “Why, you have nearly finished it, Mr.
Frodo,” to which Frodo replies “I have quite finished, Sam...The
last pages are for you” (The Lord of the Rings,
1026-7). Implicit in this request for Sam to write “the last pages”
of the book is another, related request, which fits quite well with
Sam's established heroic prowess: a request to preserve the book as a
whole, carrying Frodo's account of the story into the future, after
he has left over the sea, and lost the ability to tend to it himself.
In a way, the role Sam takes with respect to the book parallels the
role he takes with respect to the quest itself; rather than creating
a competing narrative, or none at all, he supports his friend's,
seeing it through to completion, and beyond.
-James
Brooks
3 comments:
I really enjoyed your blog post! I think that Sam is often overlooked and kind of just thought of as Frodo’s assistant, but he really is a hero. The fact that he does all of these things without really hoping for any recognition makes him even more of a hero in my eyes. I don’t really agree that Sam’s role as Frodo’s servant is problematic for him being a hero. As you said, he always takes on even more responsibilities than he is actually required to. And there was the time when he could have just abandoned the quest (when he believed Frodo to be dead) or could have just stayed with Frodo, been loyal, and given up on the quest, but he didn’t do that. He tried to continue. I think your observation about how it was easier for Sam to carry Frodo holding the ring was easier than actually carrying the ring. This really solidifies Sam’s role as a “supportive carrier.” I had a little trouble understanding how exactly carrying the soil back to the Shire is heroic. I get how this is related to him being a carrier, but I didn’t exactly see how it fit in your argument. But I did really like how you mention that Sam is a symbolic carrier in that he carries the story and legacy of the quest!
ECB
Thanks, James, for the post. You very well underline aspects of Sam’s heroism. Your discussion suggests to me one dimension of heroism we didn't discuss much in class in which Sam excels (and perhaps excels everyone else): selflessness. Sam is unselfish to the point of self-sacrifice—he's willing to go on with the and die for the sake of the apparently-late Frodo’s quest (and for the Shire, though like most soldiers talk about fighting for their buddies, the Cause doesn't come up much in the thick of things). He forgoes food and water, he literally carries Frodo at his own expense, etc. I think especially in a Christian story—and the Lord of the Rings is, in subtext, pretty Christian, as we’ve seen—self-sacrificing heroism (short of being a Christ figure, obviously) nevertheless must be ranked alongside epic martial deeds, Arthurian renewal, etc. (Interestingly, Sam and Éowyn probably have the fullest heroic portfolios…) Thanks again.
Your post really captures the strength that Sam brings to the “dynamic duo” of he and Frodo. The subtle ways in which these attributes of the supportive carrier come through in the beginning of the story are especially interesting.
You mention the iconic quote, “I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well”. In conjunction with your characterization of Sam, I find myself asking if Sam could carry the Ring. Does he, the supportive carrier, have the strength to be the protagonist? Frodo certainly couldn’t bear to let Sam take on his burden, but if their roles had been initially reversed, would their journey have ever been successful? I don’t think it would have been. Not necessarily for lack of strength on Sam’s part, but also due to inability of Frodo to provide enough support to Sam. It is an interesting hypothetical to consider. Either way, it is clear that Sam provides a very unique form of heroism and fills a very specific role.
-KM
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