At the very climax of the journey, Tolkien describes his characters as “two small dark figures, forlorn, hand in hand upon a little hill, while the world shook under them, and gasped, and rivers of fire drew near.” The entire epic arc of The Lord of the Rings is based on the inseparable bond between Frodo and Sam as they repeatedly face almost certain death in their quest to return the “One Ring” to the volcanic furnace of Mount Doom. He’s like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow.
The deep, undying affection between the two hobbits is made even more explicit in an another scene, while Sam is observing an inner light in Frodo while he sleeps. It was not enough for him to find his master, he had still to try and save him. Sam felt that he could sit like that in endless happiness but it was not allowed. “Well, you have now, Sam, dear Sam,” said Frodo, and he lay back in Sam’s gentle arms, closing his eyes. … “Then I wasn’t dreaming after all when I heard the singing down below, and I tried to answer? Was it you?” “I can hardly believe it,” said Frodo, clutching him. “You’re not dreaming at all, Master,” said Sam. “It’s Sam, I’ve come!” He half lifted his master and hugged him to his breast. Frodo, my dear!” cried Sam, tears almost blinding him. At last Sam finds Frodo, who’s completely naked, “lying as if in a swoon on a heap of filthy rags.” Sam is ecstatic: In another moment of great difficulty, “Sam still holding his master’s hand caressed it.” During one particularly harrowing scene, Frodo is abducted by orcs, and Sam must make his way through an orc stronghold in order to rescue his friend. For example, while Frodo is ill and unconscious for days with a severe stab wound, Sam almost never leaves his side, holding his hand continuously.
Throughout the story, the two hobbits are openly affectionate, often described as sleeping together, holding hands, even sobbing with feelings of affection for one another. Whether they’re fleeing winged serpents, battling a giant spider, or escaping from murderous orcs, Sam is always at Frodo’s side, repeatedly risking his own life to protect that of his master. He is Frodo’s ever-present servant, bodyguard, champion, and inspiration. The homoerotic aspects of this motif of male partnership are strikingly evident in Tolkien’s novel, in which Sam is portrayed as much more than just a close friend to Frodo. What’s more, this primary transformative relationship occurs in the context of many other abiding same-sex attachments-whether between hobbit and wizard, elf and dwarf, man and elf, or hobbit and man-that contribute to the hero’s accomplishment of this mission. Tolkien and its recent cinematic adaptation, a hobbit named Frodo Baggins is able to realize his potential as a hero and save the world from ruination only by relying on the loving bond he develops with his steadfast companion, Samwise Gamgee. In both the original three-part novel by J.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS gives a significant purpose and meaning to enduring male-male partnerships that many more overtly gay narratives do not.