The Humanity of Sam Gamgee

Volume 5 Number 1 Article 3 5-15-1978 The Humanity of Sam Gamgee Jerome Rosenberg Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Rosenberg, Jerome (1978) "The Humanity of Sam Gamgee," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 5 : No. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol5/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract A brief analysis of Sam’s character and its realistic, human qualities. Argues that he provides the necessary “key to a commonplace reality which allows the reader to relate to the otherwise alien environment [...] and to identify with it.” Additional Keywords Tolkien, J.R.R.—Characters—Sam Gamgee; Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings, Bonnie GoodKnight This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol5/iss1/3 I was talking about — the warrant that Williams gold-creamed flesh: is there a single one of them had for pursuing the tale beyond the withdrawal that is not in our laps right now, so to speak? of vision, out into the light of our plain life Is there one of them that is otiose? One of them in history. Williams avoided three traps which that beckons us away from the life we find in our he might easily have fallen into at the end. He offices and kitchens and along the freeways of might have left it at mere vision and the with California? If Logres is not to decide our atti drawal thereof, which would have been sentim ental; tude in a traffic jam, then of course Gomorrah or he might have had the whole thing fall apart in w ill, and we w ill join the angry, honking imbro merely sordid disintegration, which would have glio. If the Grail does not nourish us, then the been modern; or he might have wrapped it all up bitter drink of P'o-l'u w ill, and we w ill find tidily and reflected on it, which would have been ourselves cutting into ticket lines and grabbing m oralistic. seats on subways and generally demanding our But he did none of these, because none of rights with a shrill and testy voice. these is true. Williams always has plain human The final piquance about W illiam s's Arthur life for his touchstone. How d o e s life work? iad is, of course, that he would, with a wry How s h a l l we speak truly about our existence? tw ist at the corner of his mouth and a merry If there is a worthy syllable in the whole of the glint in his eye, tell us that the whole work is Arthuriad, then we shall find that this final pic superfluous. The divine largesse didn't h a v e to ture of Logres as being offered, as it were, to have Williams to te ll us this story, any more whomever w ill care to be one of the company, is than Arthur had to have Taliessin to command that very much of the essence. It is of the essence charge at Mount Badon. Another would have of plain life, and of W illiams's handling of the served. But what a lovely thing it is that, in m aterials, since all the images, splendid or the plentitude of that largesse, Williams w a s, sm all, rise to that point among the summer stars in fact, chosen to sing us these songs. We w ill which so far from being romote from us, is , alas, miss that largesse wholly if we suppose that the point where we must find ourselves or else these songs are anything more than songs about choose Gomorrah. These images — Bors, Percivale, Something Other and even more splendid than them and Galahad; Camelot, Caerleon, and Carbonek; s e l v e s . Arthur, Lancelot, and Merlin; hazel, roses, and THE HUMANITY OF SAM GAMGEE by Jerome Rosenberg In most successful works of fantasy there his humanity evolves from the fact that he is a remains a key to commonplace reality which allows rather well-developed and developing character. the reader to relate to the otherwise alien en The depth of his personality is hinted at early vironment created by the w riter and to identify in part I of the trilogy where he is depicted in with it. The recognition of such a key is vital a conversation with some fellow hobbits who, to to the teaching of works containing such a sec be sure, are as convincingly human in their gos ondary universe remote from life as we know it. sipy treatm ent of ideas as is Sam. Sam, however, In J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, we r e is shown to be a cut above them in intellectual late to those themes which reveal and evaluate fibre. Having been told by his more skeptical broad assumptions about the human condition — fellows that the tales of strange creatures cross man's sense of self-preservation, his patriotism ing the land are untrue, "Sam sat silent and said and heroism, his innocence and provincialism , his no more. He had a good deal to think about. For intelligence and vision, his aggressiveness and one thing, there was a lot to do up in the Bag apathy, his love of others, his goodness, and his End garden, and he would have a busy day tomorrow, capacity for evil. Tolkien's success in his tril if the weather cleared. The grass was growing ogy, however, rests largely on his ability, not fast. But Sam had more on his mind than garden only to present, but to capture these human ing. After a while he sighed, and got up and drives and transfer them emotionally to the av w e n t o u t .... He walked home under the early erage reader. Such a reader may be concerned stars through Hobbitcn and up the H ill, whistling less with the depth of the author's mythical in softly and thoughtfully" (I, 74-75). Though sight and the scope of his grandiose panorama literally down-to-earth (it is he who, at the end than with the intensity of human feeling por of the War of the Rings, replants the defoliated trayed by those characters faced with life in Shire), Sam yet possesses the intellect that adds Middle Earth's chaotic world. For such a reader, human complexity to his stature. Samwise Gamgee provides a guiding light in an These two sides of Sam, his enthusiasm and otherwise dark and foreboding adventure. his thoughtfulness, merge after he, Frodo, and the Sam's reactions, really, are of the most rest of their party leave Hobbiton and, early in mundane type. It is he who, on being made aware their journey, spend the night with the Elves. of Frodo's charge, says in effect, "Let's split!" Sam's blind enthusiasm for the Elves has cooled Yet it is also he who, like most humans, puts down somewhat, but what he has learned from them down his own strongest feelings of self-preserva has increased his faithfulness to Frodo and his tion and marches headlong into the fray. Typical desire to see things through, whatever the conse of Sam's reactions is his early comment upon quences. Now, knowing the danger he might be being informed by the Wizard Gandalf that he may placing himself in, he still wishes to continue go with Frodo when the Ring-bearer .leaves Bag the journey. Frodo has just asked Sam what he End. Despite his eavesdropping, which clearly thinks of the Elves: reveals the perilousness of Frodo's journey, Sam's in itial reaction to his "good" fortune is, "'Me, "They seem a bit above my likes and dislikes, so to speak," Sir! . Me go and see Elves and all! Hooray!'" answered Sam slowly. "It don't seem to matter what I think (I, 98, Ballantine edition.)! His is a typical human response to the prospect of adventure, how about them. They are quite different from what I expected - ever burdensome the reality of that adventure may so old and young, and so gay and sad, as it were." prove to be. Frodo looked at Sam rather startled, half expecting to Sam's early enthusiasm should not be taken see some outward sign of the odd change that seemed to have as shallowness on his part. Indeed, a portion of come over him. It did not sound like the voice of the old Sam 10 Gamgee that he thought he knew.

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