Lord of the Rings Literary Analysis: Part Two

     Sam

    Samwise Gamgee was a hobbit who lived in the Shire during the Third Age, and worked as a gardener for Frodo Baggins. One night, Sam was eavesdropping on a conversation between Frodo and a Wizard, Gandalf. He overheard them talking about how Frodo had Sauron's ring that he will use to take over Middle Earth should he get his hands on it. When Gandalf noticed that Sam was listening, he forced him to go with Frodo to Bree, where Gandalf would await them. So Sam, Frodo, and two of their friends, Merry and Pippin set out to complete there quest. As they traveled, they noticed that they were being hunted by creatures covered in black robes and riding horses, which the hobbits named Black Riders. When they reached Bree, they discovered that Gandalf was not there, but rather sent a friend to help them, who was known as Strider. After the Black Riders trashed a hotel room in search of Frodo, the company left Bree and made for Rivendell. They came to Wheathertop, which Strider explained once held a great watchtower called Amun Sul, and stayed there for the night. As they were camped in the tower's ruined fortifications, they were ambushed by the Black Riders, whom Strider had called Ringwraiths. One of the Ringwraiths stabbed Frodo, and the tip of his knife broke off in Frodo's shoulder. After the Black Riders fled, Strider explain that the knife was a Morgul blade, and the piece of it in Frodo would slowly turn him into a ghoul like the Black Riders, unless he were to be healed by Elrond in Rivendell. They left with haste, and on the road met Glorfindel, an Elf lord. He lent Frodo his horse so that he may reach Rivendell quickly. But as he crossed the Fords of Bruinen, the Ringwraiths attacked again. Luckily, the river flooded, and the Riders were swept downstream. After Frodo regained his strength, he met Gandalf and a group of Men, Elves, and Dwarves at the Council of Elrond. There, they determined that the Ring could not be safeguarded or hidden for very long, so it needed to be destroyed. Unfortunately, the Ring could only be destroyed at where it was forged: the Mountain of Fire, called Orodruin, in the heart of the heavily guarded region known as Mordor. So they assembled a group of adventurers, called the Fellowship of the Ring, to escort Frodo on his quest. This group included Boromir, a man from the kingdom called Gondor, Strider, who revealed himself to be Aragorn, heir to Gondor's throne, Legolas, an Elf-prince from Mirkwood, Gimli, a Dwarf from Erebor, Gandalf, and the four hobbits: Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin. In order to reach Mordor, they had to cross the Misty Mountains. They decided that the best way to do this was to pass through Moria, an abandoned Dwarf-Kingdom. While they passed through the gigantic caves, they encountered a Balrog, a demon from the ancient world. At a bridge called Khazad-dum, Gandalf and the Balrog fell into the mines, so the Fellowship had to continue their journey without him. Once they left Moria, they rested in the forest called Lorien, which was inhabited by Elves. They Elves gave the Fellowship boats and supplies to continue their journey, which took them down the river Anduin. At Amon Hen, Sam and Frodo left to continue their journey alone. When they met Smeagol, otherwise known as Gollum, Sam deeply mistrusted him, even when he offered to help. Nonetheless, the trio crossed the Emyn Muil and the Brown Marshes. Their original plan was to pass through a valley called Morannon, but they found that orcs had built a fortress there, called the Black Gate. Gollum convinced them to take another passage further south, called Cirith Ungol. So they passed through northern Ithilien, meeting Boromir's brother Faramir. Faramir gave them additional supplies for their journey and sent them on their way. In Cirith Ungol, Gollum betrayed the hobbits and Shelob attacked Frodo. Sam then took up Frodo's sword, Sting, and stabbed Shelob. It is remarked in the books that no Elf, Man, or Dwarf had ever hurt her so. Sam, believing Frodo to be dead, took the Ring to finish the quest without his friend. But before he could depart, Orcs entered the tunnel and found Frodo. They kept guard near Shelob, so they knew that the poison was not lethal, and Sam overheard them. The Orcs took Frodo and locked him in a tower nearby. Sam took it upon himself to infiltrate the tower and rescue Frodo. Luckily, Sam only had to contend with two Orcs, for the rest had murdered each other over their differences. Sam returned the Ring to Frodo, and the two of them began the final leg of their journey. At Orodruin, Gollum tried once more to take the Ring for himself, but failed, falling into the volcano with the Ring. Sam and Frodo were half-dead after running out of food, so they laid down on the mountain's slopes to die. But they were rescued by Gandalf(now called the White) and three eagles, Gwaihir, Landroval, and Meneldor.

    Throughout the journey, Sam shows steadfast friendship, always putting Frodo's safety above his own. He also shows legendary bravery, standing up against forces so dark and terrible that most beings wouldn't even consider fighting them. Admittedly, Sam's alienation of Gollum blots out any hope of redemption, and more trust probably would've brought a happy ending for Smeagol.