[Pips]

Originally posted by Thingol:
<STRONG>I think that bearing the Ring was a much more difficult task than the actual physical journey into and through Mordor. Just look at what the Ring did to Boromir, and he only saw it once and briefly at that. It is amazing that the Ring did not overcome Frodo much sooner. There is no way that anyone in Middle Earth could have willingly cast the Ring into Mount Doom; not Gandalf, not Aragorn, not Elrond, not even Sam. Frodo's character is certainly more complex than Sam. Sam is a fairly static character, he starts out totally devoted to Frodo and remains so. Sam's perception of the world is altered only slightly, certainly not to the extent that Frodo's was. Frodo is a dynamic character who grows throughout the book. At the beginning of the Fellowship he wished Bilbo had killed Gollum, but at the end he tells Sam to forgive Gollum. Frodo's experience with the Ring has such a profound effect on him that he can not remain in the Shire. Sam's wounds are merely physical, which are soon overcome, Frodo's afflictions are much deeper. Sam embodies the themes of loyalty, friendship, and devotion in The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is certainly the story of Sam in that those themes play an important role in the book. However, I believe that the main theme is the inevitable change that comes about with the defeat of evil and the passage of time. Frodo is certainly the more complex character, he is changed by his experiences with the Ring. The Lord of the Rings is a story about Frodo and the fading of the past. The Lord of the Rings is the greatest adventure story ever told, but that alone is not what makes it great. It is not the epic tale that keeps me coming back to The Lord of the Rings, it is the imagery and the language that is associated with the theme of change, and the sadness that comes along with change, that really moves me. The profound melancholy that permeates The Lord of the Rings is derived from Frodo’s struggle with the Ring, not Sam’s heroics and total devotion to Frodo. Nothing against Sam, but Frodo's mental struggle is by far more difficult (and in my opinion more important to the book) than Sam's physical struggle.

[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: Thingol ]</STRONG>

I agree 100%!!