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Just thinking about Sam's Ring fantasy - if it was his own rather than an idea created by the Ring to tempt him, does this shed a new light on this 'humble servant', the simple gardener? Has Sam this whole other aspect to his character? What does this tell us not only about him, but about Hobbit society generally. Sam, it seems, is not someone who simply accepts his place in society unthinkingly. He has concieved of himself, on some level (whether or not he was fully conscious of it) as a leader, a commander.
In the end he does become a 'leader' - he becomes Mayor of the Shire. But he is elected, given that position by others, rather than taking it for himself. This reminds me of what happens to Gandalf. He rejects the power to be gained by claiming the Ring & as a result he is sent back by Eru after his death in Moria with enhanced power, but this is also power conferred on him, rather than power taken by him. It seems that those who claim power they do not deserve (Saruman, Sauron &, let's face it, Frodo) fall & are broken, left powerless, while those who refuse the temptation to claim power & dominion end up in possession of it.
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