Nathan Hartsburg
ENGL-4813-01
Dr. Agan
2 June 2010
Brotherhood in Battle
The bond of brotherhood in battle is a common thing for soldiers and warriors going to war. This paper discusses the bond forged between Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings, and how Sam specifically did everything he could to help his friend and master complete his task of destroying the Ring of Power.
The bond of brotherhood in battle is a very familiar story in books and movies about war, but the story of Samwise Gamgee from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings far exceeds them all, because it is a story that really shows the true nature of that bond in battle. Sam is first introduced as Frodo’s servant and gardener in the first book The Fellowship of the Ring. Sam ends up being chosen by Gandalf to accompany Frodo to Rivendell as a “punishment” for eavesdropping on their conversation about the One Ring. It is here that Sam first shows his true character by following his master into certain danger. As the story progresses, the bond of brotherhood much like two soldiers going to war together form between Sam and Frodo as they travel to this certain doom. The love and loyalty that Sam shows for Frodo and the transformation that Sam goes through from humble servant to hero is one of the most powerful themes of the story of The Lord of the Rings, because it reveals the true qualities that one must possess in order to make a good soldier and warrior.
Tolkien knew a lot about what it meant to be a soldier and a warrior. He spent six months in the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers during World War I. Much of what Tolkien wrote in the Lord of the Rings had to be influenced on his time spent in battle, and Sam was definitely one of those characters who were influenced by his time in war. He wrote about Sam saying, he was “a reflection of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognized as so far superior to myself” (Carpenter 91). According to Mark T. Hooker, much of the literature from World War I speaks very highly of the loyalty and devotion that these batmen had to their officers (1). The characteristics that these batmen showed on the field of battle surely had influence in Tolkien’s creation of Frodo’s batman, Sam. “He [Sam] did not think of himself as heroic or even brave, or in any way admirable-except in his service and loyalty to his master” (Letters 329).
The transformation of Sam from bumbling servant (almost to the point of comedy relief) to unlikely hero is an inspiring story. Even though Sam is chosen in volume I by Gandalf to join Frodo on his journey, it is obviously still his choice to go. Choices are what make warriors who they are, or in some people’s cases who they are not. Soldiers must choose to be brave and fight or to run away. Soldiers must choose to obey their masters or go on their own instincts. In The Warriors, Glen Gray says:
Numberless soldiers have died, more or less willingly, not for country or honor or religious faith or for any other abstract good, but because they realized that by fleeing their post and rescuing themselves, they would expose their companions to greater danger. Such loyalty to the group is the essence of fighting morale.
Sam always chose to follow Frodo, no matter the cost. He was ready to go to war with Frodo and die if that is what it came down to in the end. His loyalty was to his master and friend. He always chose Frodo above himself and showed the warrior ethos of selflessness as an important quality to have as a true soldier.
Sam’s loyalty and love for Frodo began to show almost immediately as the journey began: when talking about their packs, Frodo jokes about how heavy is pack is saying, “I am sure you have given me all the heaviest stuff.” And in response Sam “Stoutly and untruthfully” declares he could take on more and that his pack was too light (69). In this simple statement, a prophesy is unknowingly spoken of the role Sam will play as the story progresses on how much Sam will take on his shoulders as he helps his master fulfill the goal of taking the Ring to Mordor for destruction.
Another quality Sam shows in his journey is his protective nature for Frodo; this was always evident when it came to them meeting new people on their journey. He was very hesitant of Strider and kept an eye on him until he proved to be a loyal servant of good, and later on, in Chapter one of Book four, when Gollum joined the quest as their guide to the lands of Mordor, Sam always remained watchful and careful for his master. He sacrificed precious sleep at night to keep watch over Frodo and always did his best to cook the best meals he could for his master. The love, caring, and protection that Sam gives to Frodo is one that has come into question in today’s homophobic society. The immaturity of the people who take this position have obviously never experienced the kind of bond that two soldiers who go into battle together, forge as ‘battle buddies.’
Another specific quality Sam has on his journey that helps him fulfill his destiny as Frodo’s true partner in the battle against evil is his humbleness. While traveling by boat down the Great River Sam and Frodo discuss the very real possibility that Gollum was following them as they traveled. Sam decides that he would keep watch over the camp as the rest of the fellowship got their sleep, declaring himself as nothing more than “luggage in a boat” (374), again sacrificing much needed sleep to keep his master safe at night. Sam’s humble and simple life takes a spotlight in Lothlorien when he is tempted twice by the Lady Galadriel to turn around and go home to the Shire and forsake the mission. When she looked into his soul and offered him a chance to go back home and then again when he looked into the mirror and sees the things going on in the Shire he exclaims his desire to go home, but just as quickly as his temptation to go home came to the surface, it was quickly vanquished by his undying love to finish the mission and continue on with Frodo, even if it meant never returning to the Shire. A soldier in battle must be humble when it comes to dealing with his fellow comrades. The act of putting someone above oneself builds cohesion in a unit and will build the bond needed when times get very tough. Marion Zimmer Bradley explains in his essay entitled Men, Haflings, and Hero Worship that:
Sam’s emotional growth is spotlighted briefly the second time he watches the sleeping Frodo…He muses that he loves him ‘whether or no,’ though this is still shown in terms appropriate to the simplicity of his character, as when he coaxes-threatens Gollum to finding better food for Frodo, and then cooks it for him (118).
Sam’s servant attitude and loyalty to Frodo is a powerful theme throughout the entire book. Sam’s humbleness is one clear distinction between himself and most of the other characters in the story who are often times thinking of just themselves, like Boramir in the Fellowship of the Ring.
Another quality Sam shows on his quest to help Frodo is determination. Sam’s determination to follow Frodo came to a focal point when Frodo decided he would try and forsake the rest of the fellowship for their safety and take a boat and travel by himself. Sam realizing his master’s decision ran as hard as he could back to the bank of the river and caught Frodo just in time; and even though most Hobbits feared water and did not know how to swim, Sam launched himself at Frodo’s boat, even if it meant drowning in the process. Frodo saved him from drowning and then attempted to go on his way, but Sam would not allow it, saying it would be the death of him if Frodo left without him. Even when Frodo exclaimed that death was likely to be the end in Mordor, Sam made his stance and would not budge on his decision to help Frodo on his mission. Sam’s determination to stick by Frodo is a clear case for the bond that they shared as brothers in battle.
Sam’s transformation to all-out warrior comes when their journey almost comes to a climatic end when the two are led into Cirith Ungol by Gollum. The weight of the Ring had become a serious burden on Frodo and as he and Sam made their way through the cave that belonged to Shelob, the great spider, the last decedent of Ungoliant. Gollum had betrayed their trust and led them directly into her clutches hoping to retrieve the Ring from Frodo’s remains. Shelob attacked Frodo while Gollum jumped on Sam. Sam fought off Gollum, but was too late in helping his master. Shelob had stung Frodo and wrapped him up in her web: “Sam did not wonder what was to be done, or whether he was brave, or loyal, or filled with rage. He sprang forward with a yell, and seized his master’s sword in his left hand. Then he charged” (711). Sam killed the last child of Ungoliant in the darkness of the Cirith Ungol; and so was born, Sam as a warrior.
Sam’s love for his brother comes to a significant point when he believes Frodo to be dead, “in essence the Quest from this moment is Sam’s” (Bradley 120). Because of this belief he took the Phial of Galadriel, his sword, Sting, and the Ring from Frodo’s body and became the last Ring bearer. With bravery and complete loyalty to Frodo, even when he believed him to be dead, Sam decided to finish the mission and destroy the Ring for Frodo. Just as Sam is about to finally leave and finish the Quest, he sees some Orcs take his master’s body away, and remaining faithful to Frodo he follows them, and learns that Frodo is still barely alive. Volume II of The Lord of the Rings ends with Sam as Ring bearer, attempting to save Frodo from the clutches of the Orcs. Sam goes after Frodo with everything that embodies what a warrior should be in today’s Ranger Warrior Creed: “I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the Enemy.”
In Volume III, Sam finally makes the final transformation from “tag-along” of Volume I and the protector of Volume II, to finally the “Great Elf Warrior” of Volume III (882). Sam uses the Ring to make his way through Mordor unsuspected and saves the life of his friend and master. Sam risked his own life and his own soul by using the Ring to rescue Frodo from the clutches of the evil Orcs. This allegorical display of love makes one remember Jesus’ words: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15: 13).
Another quality Sam continues to show during their journey is love. After Sam saved Frodo’s life and tells him how he kept the ring safe from the Orcs, Frodo demands the Ring back from Sam, and after only a second of hesitation, Sam immediately hands the Ring back to Frodo. Even the hesitation shows how much Sam loved Frodo, for it was not for any kind of lust for power that made Sam hesitate, but the fact that “Sam felt reluctant to give up the Ring and burden his master with it again” (890). Frodo snatched the Ring from Sam’s hand and called him a thief, at which point Sam did not argue or fight for the Ring like so many other people, would have done. Sam just knelt to his master, “his face wrung with pain, as if he had been stabbed in the heart; tears welled from his eyes” (891). Sam did what only two other people were able to do in the story; only he, Bilbo, and Tom Bombadil were able to freely give up the Ring by their own accord (Bilbo only with the help of Gandalf). This fact in itself shows the kind of character that Sam possessed. He is a simple being, who is not as easily tempted by grand dreams of power like most people in the story. He holds dear things like love, friendship, and good gardening, not power.
As Frodo and Sam came ever closer to Mount Doom and their destiny, Sam took watch again at night and allowed his friend to sleep as the Ring became heavier and harder to endure. “Sam struggled with his own weariness, and he took Frodo’s hand; and there he sat silent till deep night fell” (901). As he sat there through the night he dealt with his own fear about his fate and what was surely to come to him and Frodo, and accepted it and it “ceased to trouble him” (901). “Fear is the emotion that comes naturally in combat” (Van Der Dennen 84). Every soldier faces fear; both fear of dying and fear of his friends dying, but every soldier must dig deep into themselves and find that spark of hope and determination to overcome that fear and keep driving on. This is what Sam faced as he dealt with his emotions on the side of Mount Doom. Even as they climbed Mount Doom and the weight of the Ring overtook Frodo and it seemed that all hope died in Sam, “it turned to a new strength” and he spurred his comrade on towards the goal with a fierceness that had not been seen in many Hobbits before him. He encouraged his brother to go on, and so they did.
As the last part of their journey up the path to the Cracks of Doom, Frodo came to a point where he could no longer move, and it is at this point where Sam becomes the true hero of the story. “Sam looked at him and wept in his heart, but no tears came to his dry stinging eyes. ‘I said I’d carry him, if it broke my back,’ he muttered, ‘and I will! Come, Mr. Frodo!’ he cried. ‘I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well’” (920). Sam literally carried Frodo up the side of the mountain, displaying the greatest love and loyalty he could have shown. In the end, Gollum returns and through his own fate helps Frodo and Sam fulfill their destiny by falling with the Ring to destruction.
In the end after the journey was finally completed, when death was the only thing left, Sam’s attitude was still love for his friend and master, for “he felt only joy, great joy. The burden was gone. His master had been saved; he was himself again, he was free” (926). Even when it seemed all hope was lost, Sam urged Frodo to move out of the Crack of Doom and fixed his eyes to the north, “north into the eye of the wind, to where the sky far off was clear, as the cold blast, rising to a gale, drove back the darkness and the ruin of the clouds” (930). In the end his hope proved true when Gwaihir and the Eagles lifted them up from danger and took them to safety.
When in the end Frodo and Sam stood before King Aragorn, the King did not direct his first thoughts to Frodo, but to Sam instead, “It is a long way, is it not, from Bree, where you did not like the look of me? A long way for us all, but yours has been the darkest road” (933). Sam, the Hobbit, who referred to himself as “just luggage in a boat” had the darkest and toughest road as he put aside all selfish thoughts and did everything for his friend and master, so that he could accomplish the task set before him. He agonized the entire journey seeing the pain of Frodo and doing his best to keep his master moving to finish the task. The King of Gondor and all his subjects bowed to the two Hobbits equally as the saviors of all that was good.
No man can go to battle by himself with any hope of overcoming alone. Frodo praised Sam for his actions claiming he could not have accomplished their Quest without his help, and indeed he was right. Johan M.G. Van Der Dennen in a paper about soldier’s motivation in battle explains, “The [Primary group] theory posits that comradeship stimulated by shared deprivation, stress, the need for psychological comfort, and constant personal interaction and communication, allows the soldier to endure combat” (82). Sam and Frodo could not have completed their task without each other to lean on when times got tough. All warriors need that “battle buddy” to help them up when they are down and carry them when the burden is too heavy. Sam in his love and everlasting loyalty to Frodo voluntarily chose to follow his friend to the bitter end, even if it meant torment and death. Sam embodies the true warrior spirit to never leave a comrade behind, to forge on toward the goal, and sacrifice himself for his friends, no matter the cost. Sam is the true unlikely hero of the story of The Lord of the Rings, and should always be honored right alongside all the other men, hobbits, elves, and women who are worshipped as heroes of the day.
Works Cited
Bradley, Marion. “Men, Haflings, and Hero Worship.” Tolkien and the Critics. Ed. Neil Isaacs and Rose Zimbardo. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1968. 109-127. Print.
Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1977. Print.
Department of the Army. Ranger Handbook. Fort Benning, GA: 2006. Print.
Gray, Glenn. The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle. New York: Harper and Row, 1970.
Hooker, Mark T. “Frodo’s Batman.” Tolkien Studies. West Virginia University Press, 2004. 125-136. Web. 9 June 2010.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Print.
---. The Two Towers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Print.
---. The Return of the King. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Print.
---The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Ed. Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981. Print
Van der Dennen, Johan. "Combat Motivation." Peace Review 17.1 (2005): 81-89. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 June 2010.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Ed. Kenneth L. Barker. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. Print.
