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Sam's heart was that of the quintessential Hobbit
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Hobbits had a natural mistrust of all things strange and unpredictable
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This is an excellent point Finwe. Who of us isn't afraid of strange and unpredictable things? And that fear would be greatly magnified by the fact that Sam is a simple hobbit on a quest of utmost importance to the entire free world.
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Frodo, on the other hand, was more accepting, because he had grown up with Bilbo's stories and Bilbo himself.
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Frodo was greatly influenced by Bilbo, but I don't believe that this is why he trusted Gollum. After all, his Uncle could not be called "trusting" towards the poor wretch in any sense of the word. I think Frodo's opinion differing from Sam's was a result of the Ring. He pitied Gollum, knowing better than anyone truly what the miserable creature had gone through bearing the awesome burden of the Ruling Ring (and for 500 years, no less!). Sam could not possibly have understood this, having a simple mind that could not grasp such matters, and having had no experience with the Ring himself (as of then). He therefore saw Gollum as just another treacherous creature, at worst as bad as an orc or minion of Sauron and at best an untrustworthy individual.
[ July 17, 2003: Message edited by: Lord of Angmar ]