[Estella Brandybuck]

Hmm... I find it difficult to choose a single character when there exists such a vast amount of players in the tale, but for the most part, I agree with you about Sam. To me, he's the embodiment of the innocence and good-naturedness (is that even a word?) of the Shire, and the inspiration that kept Frodo going. He was with Frodo throughout the journey, from the Shire to Mordor and back again, and the only time his loyalty wavered was when he believed Frodo dead, in which case his mind turned to the task at hand (the destruction of the Ring). And I like what you said in your essay about him being a "representative of nature." I think of him as the type of person we should all strive to be like - loyal, brave when he needs to be, and a great cook. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] I think it's safe to say that without Sam, Frodo would not have lasted as long as he did.

But I also think that Gandalf was very close to being the hero - he's the architect of the entire Quest, he was the one Istari who stayed true to the cause they were assigned, and he fought just as hard as any in the actual war.

So it's a tough decision... I think everyone working together was really what made the Quest a sucess. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]