Hero - A Part to Play

[butterfly]

It always bothers me a bit when people call Sam the real hero of LotR.

Is there now a one-hero limit per story?

I would say that Sam is a real hero of LotR. I would say the same of Gandalf and of Aragorn and of Eowyn and Merry and Pippin and Faramir.

There are three applicable definitions of 'hero'.

a) A man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
Which is shown by so many in this trilogy.

b) The principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
And I would say by this definition that Frodo is the hero of LotR (this definition is commonly linked more to the word 'protagonist').

c) Someone who fights for a cause
Which, again, covers a wide range of characters and motivations.

The other two definitions that I found are the classical definition, which is just about ability, heritage, and great deeds (Aragorn as hero), and the sandwich definition.

Now, my definition of hero tends to be more a and c, whereas I do think of b as a protagonist. Under my definition - yes, Sam is most definitely a hero, but he is not the only one and there's no way that he could have ever undertaken the quest without Frodo. Frodo is his reason for going. Frodo is the cause that he fights for, with the Shire in there, too, yes, but it's mostly All About Frodo and getting him there and back again.

Is Frodo a hero? In the final, most vital moment, he breaks and claims the ring. In the end, he can't cast it into the fire and he doesn't stop longing for it after it is destroyed. But he got the ring to the mountain - to the very fires of Mount Doom. Because he does break in the moment of decision, I would say that he wasn't a hero in the end. But that doesn't mean that he wasn't the right choice to carry the ring.

Pippin and Merry are definitely heroes. Merry makes it possible for Eowyn to slay the Witch King and Pippin saves Faramir's life and lights the first beacon - thus saving all of Gondor. And Billy Boyd is gorgeous, which has nothing to do with being heroic, but it doesn't hurt. Yowza.

Gandalf brings the turn of the tide many times. Aragorn also saves Gondor's ass when he brings the Army of the Dead. Eowyn, as previously noted, slays the Witch King. Faramir, who we are shown time and again as so longing for his father's approval, goes against that in TT to do the right thing and give Frodo and Sam their chance.

What every hero needs, though, is a reason to fight. A reason to go on. They need to know that there are things in the world worth fighting for. That's what Frodo lost at the end. One of the times that I was closest to actually crying was when Frodo said he couldn't remember what things in the Shire had been like or what food tasted like. Frodo got lost because he couldn't remember why he should fight, because the ring and the want for the ring were blocking out all the reasons that he'd taken the burden onto himself in the first place.

Sam always had his reason for fighting right in front of him, in the form of Frodo. The times that he seemed to despair were because he didn't have that reason with him anymore.

Merry and Pippin (and Gandalf, in many ways) all fight to save the Shire - which is, of course, a symbol of all that is green and good in the world. Aragorn fights for what he has claimed as his people (in the end of Fellowship) and also to save the woman that he loves (which I didn't mind as an addition - in Fellowship, Arwen gives her grace to Frodo, so it makes sense that she would be bound to him and thus the ring). Eowyn fights for her people and for her right to defend that which she loves.

I think that they're all heroes and that there isn't a need to narrow it down to one - because they all needed each other to save Middle-Earth. Not one of them could have done it alone.

And that's as it should be.

Comments

ITA, but...

[sizequeen.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I agree with this, although I understand why people say that Sam is the "real" hero of LOtR. Sam is a humble, simple soul who never thirsted for adventure (Bilbo) or hijinks (like Pippin and Merry)or any kind of life outside of the Shire, but he unhesitatingly takes on the burden of caring for Frodo. Unlike Merry and Pippin who have each other, Sam is not only alone in carrying Frodo, but he has to deal with the added burden of the treacherous Gollum and the shifting loyalities and depression plaguing Frodo. Sam never loses himself and never seems to be reluctant (unlike Aragorn) to shoulder his responsibilities. Not that Aragorn is a slacker, but I sense a reticence in him even at the end, up until Arwen shows up. In the end, Sam inherits the best of the world that the various races fought to protect from Sauron. Somehow, it feels like he is the biggest winner. Does that make sense? It feels like Sam is the person, we as the audience, are supposed to admire most and aspire to be. Aragorn and the elves are too high, Frodo too damaged, and Merry and Pippin weren't as challenged as Sam. Sam faces terrible challenges with few physical/emotional/experiential resources and yet has the most ideal ending. That's why he feels like the "real" hero in this group.

Re: ITA, but...

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I think that part of it is that I'm with Frodo so much - I mean, the first time that we see him, he's reading. Sam is one of the most admirable characters, but Frodo is who I identify with the most. Sam never does lose himself and I can't quite grasp what that's like. To be so steady. Pippin is also easier for me to identify with, because his story is one of growing up - trading a bit of innocence for wisdom and courage.

But it's really more of a pet peeve thing - being bothered by just an article. And yet, I can't stop it from bothering me that little bit.

Agree mostly, but--

[honorh.livejournal.com]

I think Frodo is a hero, even though he fails at the end. There's no shame in being ultimately conquered by something much more powerful than oneself. That Frodo managed to get it so far, realizing that it was destroying him, is indeed heroic.

As for the rest, ITA. The story has many heroes, not just one. Sam may be my favorite, but I love them all.

BTW, while Billy Boyd doesn't do that much for me ordinarily, when he sang . . . whoo!

Re: Agree mostly, but--

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I do, actually, pretty much agree with you - I was kinda working off the question - if Frodo isn't a hero, does that make Sam the hero? But I can argue the Frodo question either way. And in the end, 'hero' is just a word - what matters is what he did and what he was willing to give up. And he got so far - if he hadn't carried the ring there, no one would have.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I think a part of it, is that it's hard for people to recognize what a burden it must be to carry that weight. Sam had the ring on and it didn't bog him down all that much, right...

But that's only a part of the story. PJ doesn't really cover it, but this victory is something that Aragorn's life has been completely devoted to. He's spent over sixty years knowing that he's the last of his line, and in many ways, the last hope of his people (and the waning elves) against Sauron. And has been told by Elrond that he can't marry the woman he loves unless he is King again, but to also know that such victories come at the cost of Arwen losing the last of her family - people she has spent centuries with.

Or Frodo. Knowing that everyone looks to him. Even Sam. There is a pressure on Frodo that Sam just doesn't have to face. Knowing that his quest is more important than anything else. That making a trip home doesn't matter if he can't destroy the ring. It's a question of roles. Somebody has to be able to prepare for the aftermath and eventualities. Somebody else has to know that there are no acceptable alternatives to success.

It's far easier to be Legolas or Gimli, fighting and battling, but ultimately only being a small part of the team. Far easier. They're still heroes, but they don't have to carry the weight.

My perspective is somewhat different, because I approach less as a "fan" and more as a scholar. In war and life, there are many heroes. It's true that Gollum scored something of an "own goal" for Evil, but even this is set in motion because Frodo is merciful enough to spare him.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

And Sam only had the ring for a little while, though he had had it around him for quite awhile. In a way, though, it can be compared to Frodo trying to give the ring to Galadriel - he'd been carrying it for a while and been around it's presence even longer, considering that Bilbo carried it with him. And he was willing to give it up to the council in Riverdale, though we see him connecting to it physically at that point.

Sam hadn't had to deal with carrying that kind of evil on his skin for that long - it takes a while for the ring to corrupt the halflings, we do see that, and Sam didn't have it on for long enough.

And that's it, exactly - there are so many essential things, so many people needed to destroy the ring and save middle-earth.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

I think it could probably be argued that being as close as they were (and I think that, as well as length of time, contributed to the effects of the ring) Sam might have had the most... hmm, intense... experience with the ring for such a short time bearing it. Then again Frodo's initial times with it on were pretty exciting... but owning it at first, that was quiet, as such things go, because he didn't wear it.

But still, it wasn't much time, and I suspect motives do make a considerable difference at first. And I did love that the vision it offered Sam ended up making him laugh, but if you can't be blamed for what tempts you (as opposed to for doing it) then you can't necessarily be credited if what tempts you happens to be rather absurd when exaggerated to world dominion (though he still gets credit for noticing).

I'm rambling. I'm rather inclined to say that Sam is definitely a real hero of LotR, and probably in the running for the best sidekick ever, and yes he darned well can do both. ;)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, he's definitely both a hero and a sidekick - you can tell by all the carrying he does.

I'm bothered as well, and it happens so often

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Heroism comes in so many variants in this tale. And I love the story for giving us many heroes, not just one.

Re: I'm bothered as well, and it happens so often

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Exactly - heroism comes in far more than one package.