In one of the most wrenching, heartbreaking, and tragic chapters in the book, Sam gives it his all to get Frodo to Mount Doom, while his master fails at the threshold of accomplishing his great task.
Subversive, as you say, and in its way much more cynical than your typical hero's journey.
Subversive, as you say, and in its way much more cynical than your typical hero's journey.