[Child of the 7th Age]

We really don't know what would have happened if Sam had managed to wrestle with Frodo and grab the Ring from him. You have to remember that the Ring's power was at its highest when it was near the crack of Doom, where it had originally been forged. So Sam might have had an unpleasant surprise; the Ring might have felt much more powerful and its pull more alluring than it had the last time he held it.

Plus, Tolkien clearly says in his Letters that no being in Middle-earth could voluntarily throw away the Ring, unless that being was "perfect", i.e., had no flaws or shadows in his heart. Now, I like Sam a lot, but I wouldn't call him perfect. Just witness his attitude towards Gollum which was much less charitable than that of Frodo. My guess would be that Sam would not be capable of tossing the Ring once he had it in his possession. Remember how hard it was for Frodo to toss it into the fireplace at Bag End when Gandalf told him to do it, and this was before he even understood the nature of the Ring.

Plus, I think Tolkien is trying to say something here about the nature of human effort and of providence. It was the job of Frodo to get the Ring up to the crack of Doom, which he did, despite enormous sacrifice and suffering. But human effort can only do so much. Providence had to intervene and make sure that the final step came about. It was the pity shown by Bilbo, Frodo, and even Sam at the end which allowed providence to operate and use Gollum as an instrument to discard the ring. I think Tolkien felt that human beings can only do so much. There are certain things beyond our limited capabilities. And this was one of them. sharon, the 7th age hobbit