Sam's Debate and the Voice of Despair

[Knight of Gondor]

I recently picked up Fellowship of the Ring to verify some fact (I forget now what it was) that was in confusion in my mind from the movie. Naturally, I could not put it down (wish I'd started at the beginning) and am now with Frodo and Sam again at the foot of Mt. Doom. (This is probably the eighth or ninth time I've read it.)

I'm curious about the debate that Sam had with himself. Sam ended it with the viciously loyal note "I'll get there if I leave everything but my bones behind, and I'll carry Mr. Frodo up myself, if it breaks my back and heart. So stop arguing!"

This appears to be a crescendo of an internal argument that took place with Sam on a couple of instances.

My question is, was Sam really just battling his own inner doubt, or was there some external evil at work? I ask mostly because, right at the end of the last debate, the ground shakes and there is a brief flash of light. In most cases in Lord of the Rings, when the weather or elements show some sign, there is external supernatural powers at work. (IE, Meduseld/Theoden's healing, Helm's Deep, Pelennor, etc.) It would seem that Samwise was victorious over this doubt, internal or external, and the enemy suffered a defeat.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Hmm need to read that part again...
but from what I remember...
I didn't think of it that way but I suppose thats a valid point, Sam may very well have been battling Sauron's evil force, but if he was then wouldn't Sauron know that Sam, Frodo, and The Ring were in Mordor?

[Gothbogg the Ripper]

I think that it was just Sam talking to himself. I mean, Frodo wasn't much of a conversationalist by that point was he?

[Mithadan]

Although Sam had borne the Ring for a short period of time, I doubt that the Ring or any other evil will played any part in Sam's debate. Rather, it was simply an internal dialogue brought on by extended weariness, deprivation and suffering. It could be summarized as "I can't go any farther... I must go on."

To the contrary, to the extent any external force was at work, it was likely a product of those who live in the West. Once Sam resolved to carry Frodo, he found that Frodo was light and was no great burden to him. While the West no longer was directly acting in Middle Earth as a physical presence, other than through the Istari, we cannot discount the ability and desire of the Valar to influence events. There are several mentions of Frodo having "fair" dreams while struggling along towards his goal. So maybe Lorien or others of the Valar had some hand in inspiring Sam to go on?

[Finduilas]

I think that the atmosphere of Mordor carried despair. I think that the will of Sauron had so perverted the air, rock, and earth that anything there against his will would find it difficult to function.

I will give this more thought, and see if I can come out with a more comprehensible post.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

This appears to be a crescendo of an internal argument that took place with Sam on a couple of instances.

A real grammatical pet peeve of mine, and most musicians':

Increasingly we see and hear 'crescendo' completely misused when what is meant is 'climax.' Crescendo 'increase' is a direction to add more volume or get louder- it is the process of getting 'bigger' which leads up to a climax: NOT the climax itself. Its opposite is decrescendo or diminuendo- getting softer.

The English cognate, crescent, was originally an adjective which by common use in the phrase 'crescent (waxing) moon' came to be a noun for the shape itself.