[Luthien_ Tinuviel]

I've wondered about that myself. And although I'm biased in this direction, I'm inclined to say Sam. If you look closely, you may notice an apparent shift in the focus of the story. Whereas Fellowship primarily deals with Frodo's thoughts, emotions and concerns, somewhere (I'm not quite sure where) in Towers there is a shift in the Sam-ward direction, and by ROTK it's as much or more about Sam as it is about Frodo. One might venture to guess that the story makes a large Sam-centered shift during or directly after Shelob's lair, perhaps because those few chapters deal almost solely with Sam. One might say that as Frodo loses strength, Sam gains it. So the focus of the book seems to change as Sam gains determination and perseverance. Just a thought, though. Can you tell I love Sam? I think I made it obvious. But even Tolkien identified Sam as the "chief hero" in Letters, so I don't think I'm too far astray.