He is the only character to ever yield up the One Ring willingly. Sam was incorruptible; he had no lust for power. He was simply the loyal servant, the stumbling, often obtuse friend who would always be there.
Sam is what our Lord would have us be. Dullards. Lunkheads. Bunglers. But as trusting in our hearts as children. Content to take whatever He deals us with grace, humility, and even gratitude. And selfless in our service.
Is LOTR a Christian allegory? You tell me ...
“Sam is what our Lord would have us be. Dullards. Lunkheads. Bunglers. But as trusting in our hearts as children. Content to take whatever He deals us with grace, humility, and even gratitude. And selfless in our service.”
Yes, well said.
It's definitely Christian, but much deeper and better than mere allegory. "Narnia" is allegory.
Sam is definitely my favorite character.
I don’t believe there are many real atheists in the world. I think a lot of people claiming to be are either mad at God because they couldn’t have something they asked for (like losing a loved one), or they want be the total ruler of their lives without having to adhere to standards or answer to anyone for their actions.
I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Sam was totally without the kind of prideful ego that was the downfall of Man. He was unselfish, considerate, steadfast, good company in dark times, loyal, and probably the bravest character in the series. To go through all they had gone through and to still have the strength and courage to take on Shelob alone to save his friend.
Who doesn’t pray to be that brave when your test comes.
Excellent analysis.
Agree. Samwise is the only one not corrupted by The Ring.
I think everyone considers Sam the most noble and heroic character in LOTR. I don’t believe that is an accident.
Each character is great in his own way and each was equiped along the way to handle the burdens assigned to them by providence.
IMO, Frodo was the greatest character because his journey and task was greater. In the book all the characters recieve accolades for their heroism except Frodo which Tolkien explained was because the other Hobbits didn't really understand what he had done.
At the Council of Elrond, Frodo tried, strongly, to give the one Ring to Aragorn.
I respectfully disagree, on two points:
1) He is not the most unsung hero, in the book or in the film.
In the book, The Field of Cormallen is devoted to him as much as to Frodo, and to no others (including Meriadoc, Peregrin and Aragorn). He becomes the mayor and the most celebrated person in the Shire after the war, while Frodo is virtually forgotten. He alone, along with Frodo and Bilbo, is allowed to go to The Undying Lands among mortals (with the special exception of Gimli).
In the film, Peter Jackson went out of his way to aggrandize Samwise, who was portrayed as selfless and heroic, and to diminish Frodo, who was portrayed as fragile and even petty; both portrayals were more exaggerated and less nuanced compared to their characters in the books.
2) Samwise possessed the ring for a very, very short time, and did so in full awareness of his danger.
Bilbo and Frodo both possessed the ring for literally years, and each held it for most of that time without knowing its great inherent danger.
I appreciate Sam as a character very much, and I would agree that, in many ways, he is an exemplar of the ordinary Christian, but he is not the most apt Type of Christ in the trilogy.
I argue there are three:
Gandalf, who died to save others, and was resurrected in glory.
Frodo, who literally carried the burden of the world on his shoulders, and suffered indescribably for doing so.
Aragorn, who lived the life of a humble exile only to become the long-promised returning King after fulfilling his prophetic mission.
Since this is not an allegory, none of these is a perfect type; that was not Tolkien’s intent.
However, he acknowledged that his Christianity informed his writing, and certain aspects of the Messiah are reflected in each of these characters.
(For what it is worth, I have read the entire Lord of the Rings, cover to cover, over two dozen times, and I have been studying the Bible from age five.)
Agreed! Sam is my favorite character because he had great character.