Littlemanpoet -- Great comments. Just one or two observations.
The question of when Sam learned the lesson of pity and mercy towards Gollum ......
I absolutely agree that Sam is able to internalize the lesson, at least to some limited degree, only after he has the experience of wearing the Ring and realizing its potential for misery and corruption. But I would also say that Sam and Gollum would never have even reached that point on the slopes of Mount Doom without Frodo functioning as a teacher and ameliorating force on both their personalities. It was Frodo's concrete example that began to put the seeds in Sam's mind so that, when he wore the Ring, he was open to the possibility of growth. Ganadalf had functioned in a similar way for Frodo in the earliest part of the story.
Sam initially found Frodo's decisions regarding Gollum incomprehensible, mistaking his kindness for blindness, or so the text tells us. Frodo's decision not to bind Gollum, and to accept his oath as legitimate, to offer him food from their limited stores (which Gollum rejected as he was not able to eat lembas); Frodo's later actions to protect Gollum from Faramir at the fish pond -- all these helped prepare Sam's mind for learning the later lesson.
And one of the most poignant scenes to me was where Frodo awoke refreshed:
Quote:
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He had been dreaming. The dark shadow had passed, and a fair vision had visited him in this land of disease (me--perhaps similar to that he had experienced at Tom's?). Nothing remained of it in his memory, yet because of it he felt glad and lighter of heart.....Gollum welcomed him with dog-like delight. He chuckled and chattered, cracking his long fingers, and pawing at Frodo's knee. Frodo smiled at him. "Come!" he said. You have guided us well and faithfully....
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Those final sentences, to me, are absolutely astounding, especially the smile that arose from Frodo's heart. Never could I imagine Sam doing this, no matter how long he wore the Ring. Sam heard and saw this whole exchange, and how very strange it must have seemed to him. In fact, Sam replied gruffly to Gollum just a few sentences later: "Get on with you!...Let's get it over!" But all this had to be like water on a rock, slowly wearing into his subconscious.
On the other point, I can definitely see Frodo, Gollum and Sam functioning in a variety of configurations, sometimes as a triad and sometimes in various pairings. And, yes, you can see the three of them as different aspects of one hero. Nar talks about some of this. I think it is far more insightful and accurate to view these three characters in terms of a series of shifting configurations rather than trying to figure out some artificial formula supposedly to determine whether Frodo or Sam is the "real" hero of the quest.
sharon, the 7th age hobbit
p.s. Just saw your latest post on the possibility of a "quadruple" configuration which would include the Ring. The one problem I see is this: the Ring is essentially one-dimensional because it is a great evil and, like Sauron, could be sneaky and shifty and mighty but presumably lacks imagination or even gradations of "not good."
The one thing that make Sam and Frodo and Gollum so fascinating in these chapters is that all three, yes even Gollum, have some potential for both good and evil in their soul. Of course, the portion of good and evil is mixed so differently in each of these characters. It's not hard to look at Frodo and Sam and find evidence of failings in their souls: Sam's lack of mercy and his shortsighted nature; Frodo's tendency to fall into despair both during and after the quest. And you can see tiny seeds of possible goodness in Gollum in his attitudes and treatment of Frodo. But how would the Ring fit in here since it is so one-dimensional. You could however, analyze its impact on each of these characters individually and as a group. But is it possible to go further than this and postulate a quadruple configuration? It would have to be a configuration of a slightly different type than those we've discussed before. sharon, again
Anyone else have any ideas on any of this??? I'd still like to hear whether other people react to Sam and Frodo the way I talked about a few postings back: a close personal identification leaning towards one or the other characters, not just based on the book, but stemming from their own personal values and feelings about life, i.e., the man of our world who serves man (Sam) versus the man of spirit who serves a dream (Frodo)
[ May 10, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]