Samwise Gamgee is possibly the most important character in The Lord of the Rings, and there are a few key reasons why. Sam is one of the four main hobbits of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, trumped in fame only by one Frodo Baggins. Played by Sean Astin, Sam Gamgee had a huge part in the story.

Helping to defeat the evil at hand in the later part of The Lord of the Rings timeline, Sam stands proud among Lord of the Rings heroes from all the story’s ages. From the First Age tales of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1977 posthumous release, The Silmarillion, to The Return of the King, LotR serves knights galore. But only Sam could do what Sam did.

The movies represented this perfectly. While J.R.R. Tolkien’s landmark novel was released in three parts between 1954 and 1955, Peter Jackson’s movies hit screens just after the millennium. By The Return of the King’s ending, it was clear that Sean Astin was indispensable in the trilogy, and Sam was the most critical of all the Fellowship.

Sam Insisted On Bringing Bill The Pony On The Quest

Samwise Gamgee was instrumental in bringing Bill the Pony along on the quest to destroy Lord of the Rings’ One Ring. The novel went into far more detail than the movies about Sam’s relationship with Bill. Sam rescued Bill from Bill Ferny, a Bree-lander who was an ally of Sauron’s. This was key to the Fellowship’s success.

In his kindness, reaching out to living things beyond even his own species, Sam showed a depth of love that brought him closer to destroying the ring than others in the Fellowship. With no noble aspirations, Sam appeared to judge all life by the same standards. These powerful principles kept Sam by Frodo’s side. Meanwhile, Bill was essential as a pack animal.

Sam Had Some Of Lord Of The Rings’ Best Character Development

Peter Jackson changed The Two Towers substantially, but both the novel and movie showed Sam changing a lot. Released in 2002 and based on part two of the novel, The Two Towers started to show Sam becoming the hero he would end the trilogy as. Sam went from a gardener to the last one standing out of all the Fellowship.

The members of the Fellowship of the Ring all underwent different development, some more in the books, and some more in the movies. Aragorn changed more in the movies than in the books, while Sam effectively shifted from a reasonably small-minded country bumpkin to a bona fide warrior across the board. Astin was a marvel to watch in this role.

Samwise Is The Eyes Of The Reader/Viewer

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his Hobbits as the most relatable characters in The Lord of the Rings. This isn’t necessarily what one might expect, given that they aren’t human, while humans actually do play a big part in the story. But the humans in the story each represent something different. For example, the Rohirrim are Tolkien’s idea of early Britons.

Meanwhile, Aragorn and the Gondorians represent a noble Elvish strain of Men, a destiny for world-leading greatness, and the marriage of the tribes needed for it. Sam was the most Hobbit-like of all the Hobbits in the sense of his representing the everyman. No Hobbits had knightly aspirations – they wanted a simple life. But Sam had the humblest beginnings.

Samwise Wasn’t Tempted By The One Ring

The One Ring contained the essence of Lord of the Rings’ Sauron himself, corrupting those near it, but it couldn’t corrupt Samwise Gamgee. Sam was near incorruptible because he was Sauron’s opposite – no lofty goals, no dreams of world domination, and no need to control others. Sam was a simple soul with simple needs – love and a safe home.

Being so far from Sauron, the ring had few footholds in Sam. As such, Sam was capable of being near the ring for far longer than some of the most powerful characters in The Lord of the Rings. In this sense, he was more needed in the Fellowship than both its humans combined. Each member of the team was vital, but Sam was special.

Samwise Grew The Most Courage Between The Beginning & End

It wasn’t just character development that made Sam’s character great to watch, but the way he explored the very concept of being a hero. Sam’s courage grew with each movie in the trilogy. He started out as someone who had never left the Shire, but he boldly did so, and nurtured his sense of adventure with every step.

Sam was set on seeing the Elves, a thought that often saw him through his indecision and inner conflict about setting out on the journey with Frodo. Sam was always keen on adventure, but had no real idea what he was in for. Fortunately, he got over his fear and rose to each challenge with shocking bravery.

Samwise Was A Working-Class Hobbit

Sam was the only working-class member of the Fellowship of the Ring, which is worth noting, even if just for social context. J.R.R. Tolkien was unusually progressive for his time. Writing in the 1950s, Tolkien was ahead of his time in writing a rebellious character like Éowyn, but Tolkien ensured diverse representation across gender and class.

As Frodo’s gardener, Sam is different from the other people in the Fellowship of the Ring. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are royalty, and Boromir is the Gondorian political equivalent of this. Gandalf is one of Lord of the Rings’ Maiar, a sacred species, and Frodo, Merry, and Pippin all come from wealthy estates. Sam represents the working class.

Sam Carried Frodo When He Couldn’t Walk Any More

Sam has more skills than are often acknowledged, including brute strength. He was significantly ᴀssisted by Galadriel’s gifts, like all the Fellowship. But he could fight too. He may not have been trained like Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli had, acquiring skills with a sword over hundreds of years. However, he certainly fended off Shelob with a sword.

Sam’s strength came into play towards the end of The Return of the King. With Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, and Boromir all having drifted off to their various fates, Frodo and Sam were the last two Fellowship members left on the intended course. Frodo’s body gave up at one point, so Sam carried him, proving himself indispensable.

J.R.R. Tolkien Acknowledged Sam As The Tale’s True Hero

Samwise was referred to by J.R.R. Tolkien as the story’s “chief hero“ in a letter to his editor. If this isn’t enough to prove that Sam is the most important member of the Fellowship, nothing is. Tolkien went to war and came to understand the concept of batmen, who accompanied officers into battle and served under them no matter what.

Sam reflected this concept for Tolkien, as is evident from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Sam acts like a WWI batman, following Frodo in extreme loyalty, come hell or high water. Sam didn’t seek glory, like Boromir. Even Aragorn did, to a certain extent, although this was out of duty. But Sam was a hero without expecting thanks or reward.

Samwise Gamgee Is A Ring-Bearer

It is easy to forget that Samwise is one of Lord of the Rings’ few Ring-bearers. Sam couldn’t hope to reach the magical ability of someone like Gandalf, who handled the ring briefly. Frodo carried the One Ring most of the way to Mount Doom but Sam carried it when Frodo was out of action, captured by Shelob.

This is one of the greatest responsibilities, horrors, and honors that can be bestowed in The Lord of the Rings. Sauron, the Lord of the Rings himself, was the most powerful Ring-bearer, creating a high standard for the small category of beings in Middle-earth with the label. Sam was the Fellowship’s backup Ring-bearer with the most responsibility.

Frodo Baggins Wouldn’t Have Got To Mount Doom Without Sam

Ultimately, The Lord of the Rings’ main character, Frodo, would never have completed his mission without Sam. The whole Fellowship was put in place to help Frodo get to Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring, but only Sam was left by Frodo’s side before long. Frodo would have died without Sam to rescue him from Shelob and the Orcs.

Frodo would have been left starving and weak on the slopes of Mount Doom if Sam hadn’t been there. Sam also cooked, navigated, and provided the use of Galadriel’s hithlain rope. Frodo could barely finish The Lord of the Rings’ mission by himself, needing Gollum to bite the ring off his finger to end it. But with Sam, he was empowered.