Tolkien Quotes: A Cheerful Hobbit

Sam said nothing… he knew that words of his were useless. And after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed.

Sam is, and always has been, my favorite Lord of the Rings character. My admiration for Aragorn, Gimli, and Boromir has risen the older I’ve gotten, I adore Éowyn and Éomer, Merry and Pippin are fantastic, the elves are beautiful, I will fight a duel for Denethor, and I’ve identified strongly with Frodo over the past couple years— but Sam holds the most special place in my heart. This passage explains one of the reasons why.

Sam has agreed to stay by Frodo’s side, and thus he stays. Hope is not really part of the equation; he focuses on the right thing to do at this moment, regardless of the outcome. He is a hobbit of honest deeds, putting one foot in front of the other with courage. He postpones despair as long as he can, and, when it finally overtakes him in the sixth book, this is how he reacts:

But even as hope died in Sam, or seemed to die, it was turned to a new strength. Sam’s plain hobbit-face grew stern, almost grim, as the will hardened in him, and he felt through all his limbs a thrill, as if he was turning into some creature of stone and steel that neither despair nor weariness nor endless barren miles could subdue.

The trait that I love most about Sam is his undying loyalty. He and Frodo don’t begin the story as friends, but as servant and master— and although that dimension to their relationship never goes away, it deepens into the kind of friendship that everybody needs but is all too rare: unconditional, unwavering love.

Sam is a hobbit of small ambition but great strength, the most wonderful friend anyone could ask for. No matter what, he will always be my favorite.

~Lisa Shafter