Nearly all fantasy stories contain a hero’s journey in which a character must rise to the occasion and go on a journey to prove themselves, while also transforming who they are as they go. While in a way, every member of the fellowship in theLord of the Ringsendured a hero’s journey of their own, the level of success that each of them achieved on that journey varied from character to character.
Most people associate the word “hero” with the fantastical characters in the Marvel or DC universes, but, by definition, a hero is someone who is widelyadmired for their noble qualities. In other words, it is a character’s actions that measure their value as a hero, not the grandness of their abilities.
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One essential quality of a hero that makes them stand out against other admirable characters is the ability to put the needs of others before their own. A true hero does not aim to be in the spotlight, but only to work towards doing good to help others. While there are many instances in theLord of the RingswhereFrodo stepped up to helpwhen others would not or could not, there were also many times when he buckled under the pressure of the task and the influence of darkness.
Frodo, being the protagonist, is who most audience members would peg as the hero of the story, but he was actually more sort of coached by the hero. The one constant force in Frodo’s journey that pushed him and supported him until the very end was his best friend, Samwise Gamgee.
While anyLord of the Ringsfan appreciates Sam’s unending loyalty and commitment to helping his friend through his greatest trial, hisheroic traits span far beyondjust his friendship with Frodo. From his unmatched ability to commit to a promise, to his willingness to carry the burden for his pal, Sam displays on every occasion how a hero should respond.
Beyond his responses, his character arc even seems to better match the steps of a hero’s journey. In the beginning, he was an overlooked character treated as the sidekick to Frodo but by the end, he had proven himself through almost all the same trials as Frodo and obtained a happy ending as a reward.
The entire theme of Tolkien’s storiesis focused on power– what grants it and how characters respond to it. In this theme, Tolkien tends to shine a negative light on power, commonly demonstrating how power can corrupt practically anyone. Because Tolkien had such a negative view of power (partly due to his experiences with industrialism), he structured the stories and characters in a way that favored those characters that resisted the temptation of power. On the other hand, characters that lusted after power were usually consumed by their desires, either through their own decisions orby the hands of opposing powers. Even Frodo struggled with the temptation of power, though it also clearly frightened him at times, which is part of what prevents him from being the real hero.
Frodo often used the ring to his advantage, knowing that wearing it would make him more vulnerable to Sauron’s forces and pull. Sam did not struggle with these temptations the same way, though in the movie he does offer to carry the ring and in the book, he actually does and uses it for a short while. Nonetheless, what makesSam’s interactions with the ring, and thus the temptations of darkness, different from Frodo’s is that he didn’t interact with it out of desire. Sam didn’t use the ring out of hunger for power, but out of concern for his friend.
Certainly part of what made Frodo susceptible to the lure of the ring’s power was the weariness that the trial caused him. Fortunately, Sam never gave up, and he believed enough for both of them. He easily could have taken over the task when Frodo began to crumble, but he instead chose loyalty over glory andencouraged Frodo to finish what he’d started. Tolkien has even said himself that he views Samwise as the “chief hero” of the story because love– be it for Frodo or his future wife, Rosie– is the motivating factor for all of his actions.
While Frodo endured a tremendous amount and is certainly an admirable character, as are all the members of the fellowship in one way or another, it was Sam that was transformed for the better by the adventure. The other characters may have gotten happy endings, but the journey still wore on them in some way, whileSam’s love was unwaveringuntil the very end. EveryLord of the Ringsfan is sure to have their own opinion of which hero spoke to them most in the tales but, none can deny that Samwise is a hero that we can all admire, give credit to, and even learn something from.
