Sam Gamgee and the Power of the Powerless

Surely the greatest pleasure in re-reading LOTR after a long absence is the pleasant and shocking encounter with an entirely new story. And the best of this new story this time through has been the epic heroism of Sam Gamgee. Indeed Tolkien was clear in his letters that Sam is the real hero in LOTR.

Sam, of course, is an every man who rises far beyond his circumstances. Leaving humble circumstances in a humble place he reluctantly sets out on an historical errand, not because he desires fame or fortune or is born to greatness but because he desires to serve his friend and master.

This of course is obvious to anyone who reads Tolkien. But what is perhaps not so clear is that Sam, more than any other character in LOTR, is utterly unconcerned with power, whether the power of birth or position or wealth or achievement, as with all of the other characters except perhaps the two young hobbits, Pippin and Merry. Nor is he drawn to the power of the Ring itself and all that it represents.

When Sam puts on the ring, in Shelob's Lair, he wears it longer than any other, except of course Gollum/Smeagol. But the ring has at most a transitory effect on him. Sam, it seems, is immune to the predations of power because even in the rare instances he wields it, it is for a transitory purpose, in this case saving his master from the foul and hated orcs.

So it is Sam's utter unconcern with power that makes him most able to safely wield it. And it is this, of course, that makes him singularly qualified as mayor of the Shire. And though Tolkien rejected the use of allegory, surely there is no better allegory for a political season.