True Hero: Frodo or Samwise?

[Galendor]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

I always could easier relate myself to Frodo than to Sam. So I would say this depends.

Yes, I agree, I may have over-generalized. I think I also felt more connected to Frodo than to Sam. But it seems like some people find Sam more relatable, and some here even think Sam is the true hero of LOTR. I disagree.

In clearer response to the primary thread question: it is clear to me that, if one must choose, Frodo is the main hero in the classical sense, not Sam. Frodo did not have to be the Ring-bearer. If Frodo had not volunteered to personally bear the Ring to Mordor, it is doubtful that Sam would have stepped forward and offered to do it. I think Sam would have been more than happy to forget the whole thing, turn around, and head back to the Shire. Then none of the hobbits would have been in the story beyond Rivendell. And I think it is clear that Frodo ultimately suffered more than Sam. Frodo's choice to undertake a suicide mission, and his greater suffering for that choice, make him the classical hero of the story. But that is not to say Sam was not also heroic.