Tolkien Tuesday: Reading "The Lord of the Rings": The Choices of Master Samwise"
In one of the best chapters in "The Lord of the Rings," Samwise Gamgee shows again why he's the true hero of the saga.
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Welcome to Tolkien Tuesdays, where I talk about various things that I love about the lore and writings of Tolkien, whether in a chapter reading or a character study or an essay. I hope you enjoy reading these ruminations as much as I enjoy writing them and, if you have a moment, I’d love it if you’d subscribe to this newsletter. It’s free, but there are paid options, as well, if you’re of a mind to support a struggling writer. Either way, thank you for joining me!
Anyone who is even remotely plugged into the world of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings knows that it’s the consensus view that Samwise Gamgee is the best hero in the entire saga. There are many moments in the novel that provide ample evidence of his heroism and his homespun wisdom, and while he may not have all of the high knowledge and power of characters like Elrond and Galadriel (and even Frodo, in his way), that doesn’t mean that his actions aren’t still remarkable. In fact, given just how humble his origins are and how relatively powerless he remains throughout the saga, his actions come to be seen as even more extraordinary, a reminder of what kinds of change can be wrought by even the smallest person.
Perhaps no chapter illustrates Sam’s heroism better than “The Choices of Master Samwise.” After all, this chapter sees our beloved hobbit doing battle against a giant spider, taking up the burden of the one Ring, and then having to confront the ugly reality that, in fact, Frodo isn’t dead after all but has now fallen into the hands of the Orcs of Cirith Ungol. As always when we come to a concluding chapter, Tolkien manages to cram a lot of action into a surprisingly small number of pages, giving us a lot to chew on and engage with as we read, right up until the moment that the gates shut, leaving Sam outside and the narrative shuttles us back to events in the West.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Shelob is like something out of our deepest, darkest nightmares, as if arachnophobia itself has been put into the form of this one giant spider. Of course, she is but a pale shadow of Ungoliant, but even so, she’s monstrous in her abilities and her unslakeable malice, as both Frodo and Sam find to their regret. Who among us would be able to find the strength or the fortitude to face down a creature like this one, particularly given the fact that they are leagues away from anyone who could conceivably help them. As Sam shows, though, he might be small but he truly does have the heart of a lion, and it’s rousing to watch him take up Sting and the Phial of Galadriel, to feel along with him as the Elvish words come bursting out of him seemingly of their own accord. This entire sequence is one of those moments where you just want to stand up and shout and cheer Sam on as he shows this monster who’s boss. Just as her brood in Mirkwood had to contend with Sting in the hands of Bilbo, so now she has to contend with a brave little hobbit who won’t stop until he’s frightened off the creature that assaulted his master.
Of all of the things that Sam does, leaving Frodo behind to carry on with the Ring alone is both the bravest and the most difficult. This is a hobbit, after all, who has devoted everything to making sure that his master stays alive and now, just when they are on the very doorstep of Mordor, it all comes crashing down around them both. There’s a particularly bitter irony to the fact that Sam knows next to nothing about Shelob’s biology or predatory habits, and it’s not until he happens to overhear Shagrat and Gorbag conversing about her tendency to paralyze her future victims that he realizes his own folly.
Even before he realizes that Frodo is alive, however, Sam shows just what an extraordinary hobbit he is and has always been. Even though he knows that the Quest now depends on him, he still decides (and rightly so, I think) that his loyalty will always be to his master. It’s striking the extent to which he remains loyal even beyond the realm of death. There’s so much that I love about this particular passage. It’s another reminder, if any were needed, that there is a profound wisdom and bravery to Sam (and to hobbits more generally). It’s not the kind of heroism that shows itself in great deeds of valor and martial glory but instead in these far more intimate moments, far from any eyes or voices that might record what he’s done. Indeed, even Frodo probably doesn’t know just what went on there beneath Cirith Ungol, as Sam wrestled with his own conscience and his own belief that his beloved master had been killed. As so often in Tolkien, true heroism often shows itself in moments of dire extremity, when a person must proceed on their path despite not knowing how it will all end. And, as the chapter draws to its close, Sam once again charges forward, determined to save his master from the Orcs, even knowing that he is vastly outnumbered.
Obviously Sam is the focal point of this chapter, but it’s also worth dwelling for a few moments on the Orcs and their little conversation. Much ink has been spilled about the nature of Sauron’s most plentiful and notable servants, whether they’re truly evil or whether they’re simply brutalized into submission by Sauron’s overwhelming might. This chapter doesn’t necessarily give us any concrete answers to these questions, but it does at least show us the extent to which Orcs–at least those who are leaders–don’t really have much fondness for Saurons or his various lieutenants. In fact, like underlings everywhere they seem to have more contempt for them than anything else, and it’s not hard to see why. After all, these unfortunate creatures are essentially cannon-fodder for Mordor, good for nothing else than doing the dirty work of the Dark Lord.
This doesn’t take away from the fact that Shagrat and Gorbag are still Orcs, however, and it’s made abundantly clear to us that they have very little other than anger and resentment in their hearts, both for those who are their masters and for those who are unfortunate enough to fall into their clutches. Just like the Orcs who kidnapped Merry and Pippin, these two and their minions are more than happy to inflict pain on others, if for no other reason than that it seems to make them feel at least a little bit better about their own abject state of existence. We don’t really learn too much more about these vile creatures–and that’s a good thing, I think–but what we do get suggests that there is far more to Tolkien’s Orcs than people often assume.
Overall, I truly loved this chapter. It’s one of those in which Tolkien really excels at moving the plot forward, providing us with some fascinating insight into a character’s mind, and leaving us wanting for more. It ends on a cliff-hanger–we’ll have to wait through an entire half a novel to find out what happens–and therein lies its brilliance. Now that we’ve made our way through The Two Towers, it’s time to start The Return of the King, in which the War of the Ring begins in earnest.