(avg. read time: 52–105 mins.)
The Courage of Samwise the Servant
With Book VI, we return to the storyline of the main Quest. Frodo has been captured and taken to the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Sam has been left behind without any apparent means of reclaiming Frodo. The Quest is now in his hands. We saw last time that Sam would not make a good Ring-bearer precisely because of his devotion to Frodo. But that is also what made him a good and faithful servant and what inspired his heroic courage. Unlike his persistent doubt about taking the Ring and going on with the Quest, we are told here, “He no longer had any doubt about his duty: he must rescue his master or perish in the attempt” (VI/1).
He has no apparent hope of accomplishing the former. He has no idea how many Orcs occupy the fortress, nor does he have any idea of how to get in with minimal risk. In fact, he can only think to go in through the front door. And he is not lacking for fear, but he approaches nonetheless. Because of such a courageous decision, he finds hope, at first only hearing a faint echo of it in the distance. For reasons beyond his control, the treacherous character of the Orcs had broken their fragile homeostasis, and the entire fortress was consumed with infighting that had begun between the leaders. The timing was providential, as was the fact that the divine gift of courage had brought him to the possible realization of his hope to rescue Frodo. His faithfulness (both in terms of his fidelity to Frodo and his exercise of estel here) is thus rewarded, and he has a chance to rescue his master.
The Problem of the Ring
Even so, Sam has to take a leap of faith here. He does not know how the fighting goes within. He does not know if any eyes from the tower are still watching so as to detect him. One might think he could use the Ring for stealth. He had done so recently, after all. But for as briefly as he had borne the Ring, he noticed a change as he drew closer to the Tower and was able to survey the Land of Mordor, including Mount Doom in the distance. As the narrator tells us, “As it drew near the great furnaces where, in the deeps of time, it had been shaped and forged, the Ring’s power grew, and it became more fell, untameable save by some mighty will.” (VI/1)
This foreshadows the problem that the Ring will pose as the plot reaches its climax. And the way it expresses its power now is through ever-stronger temptation to the point of delusion. For as simple a Hobbit as Samwise Gamgee is, and as simple as his wishes for his life are, the Ring can play upon his will as to give him delusions of grandeur if he would but use the Ring. It gives him grand visions of how he could be the savior Middle-earth needs, even exploiting his love of story, as his vision now goes beyond that of what Frodo had said of Samwise the Brave, as he now envisions “Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age” (VI/1). He could overthrow Sauron and his forces with this power, and then he could use it to make even this desolate land of Mordor into a garden paradise.
Ultimately, Sam is able to resist this temptation because:
In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command. (VI/1)
We have seen before how this devotion upwards is part and parcel of how Sam provides the purest manifestation of that northern spirit of courage seen otherwise in characters like Wiglaf and the retinue of Beohrtnoth. That devotion simplifies his will and the scope thereof so as to help him see clearly through the deception of the Ring. If he thought his role to be otherwise in the story he finds himself in, the Ring could well have exploited that to lead him to ruin, but he was content to be the good and faithful servant who acts courageously for the sake of his master, and not for his own sake.
In this way, Sam anticipates the type of servant that Jesus will praise in his teachings about vigilance in conduct. The good and faithful servant is not one who “watches for signs” of the master’s coming, but one who faithfully discharges the master’s will in the time of waiting (Matt 24:42–51; Mark 13:33–37; Luke 12:35–48; 21:34–36). This is shown even more clearly in the parables of the talents and the minas in Matt 25:14–30 and Luke 19:11–30. Sam and these exemplary servants simplify their lives by attending to the will and purposes of their master, rather than seeking after their own ambitions (or, worse, the will of other masters).
Moreover, Sam is like what we saw from Bilbo in our study of The Hobbit in that he embodies the virtue of simplicity. In this he echoes several statements from Ecclesiastes. The author, known as Qoheleth, speaks of how it is good to be joyful, do good, eat, drink, and take pleasure in toil in the days God has given one (3:12–13; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–9), which are fundamentally related to “remembering your Creator” (12:1). This is part and parcel of what it means to be faithful against the temptation of the Ring in this pre-Christian age. The Ring tempts one to exceed creaturely limitations, while accepting creaturely limitations is an expression of estel in the Creator who set those limitations.
Likewise, Jesus teaches against both storing up treasure on earth as opposed to in heaven and worrying about clothing, food, and drink, for the Father knows what those who listen to him need, and he will provide, but their focus is to remain on pursuing the kingdom (Matt 6:19–33). As Paul was one who followed this teaching faithfully, he could speak of being content with whatever he had, for he had known both need and plenty (Phil 4:11–13). Thus, he also speaks of the gain that comes when one combines godliness with contentment with what God has given (1 Tim 6:6–10; cf. Heb 13:5–6).
By such virtues, Sam can overcome the temptation of the Ring. But one should remember that he does not overcome it in such a way that the Ring has no power over him. He still realizes that the temptation is dangerous. He is not like the mysterious Tom Bombadil who can put on the Ring without it overcoming him. He simply has the insight to see that he cannot use the Ring anymore. To do so would invite disaster.
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