Overall I see this passage as Tolkien's attempt to put the reader into
Samwise's shoes... er, into his furry feet that is! The reader has been
dying know what it's like to wear the Ring for the first time. We've seen
the wraith-vision from Frodo's point of view before, and heard about its
effects on the visible world. Although we've seen some of its
psychological effects such as when Frodo struggled with it and Sauron'e Eye on
Amon Hen, we haven't gotten inside the head of a new Ringbearer to hear what
the siren call of power is like. This wonderful passage lets us see what
an ordinary individual might feel if he or she put on the Ring and felt its
tug. I'll go through the questions as I can:
Q: What are your thoughts on the Ring’s reaction to having its home in
sight?
The Ring's effect is greater now than ever. It has an inner homing
beacon, so to speak, and is tempting Sam to use it so that it will be
discovered.
Q: What are your thoughts on Tolkien using Sam instead of Frodo to show
the effects of the Ring?
Tolkien perhaps wanted to give the reader (i.e., an outsider) a glimpse at what
the Ring does to its bearers. Frodo has had the Ring for a fair amount of
time now, so his responses to it are quite complex, as Bilbo's and even
Gollum's would be. Sam, who has had very little exposure to the Ring thus
far, is a good surrogate for the reader to suggest what the Ring would do to a
new victim.
Q: Does establishing the effects of the Ring through Sam effectively
carry through the rest of the story and onto Frodo for the reader?
The reader has as clear an understanding of the Ring's effect on Frodo as Sam
does, which is not a lot in the end. No one can fully enter Frodo's mind
under the full influence of the Ring by that point in the story becuase it has
been gnawing at him for so long. Yet we, like Sam, have at least a vague
sense of what it is doing to him on the inside from that brief fantasy
episode. That gives us enough to empathize with Frodo, perhaps, when he
claims the Ring as his own in the Cracks of Doom.
Q: What do you think about Sam’s power fantasy?
The Ring acts on the deepest desires of its bearer at that time; it is liek the
devil in that it appeals to the deepest wants of its prey. Gollum wanted
to be the Emperor of Fish and Bilbo wanted to the master thief. Boromir
wanted to save Gondor by any means possible. The Ring is able to exploit
the weaknesses of its bearers and insinuate itself into their minds that
way. Sam, in a way like Gollum, has simpler desires (thought not selfish
desires): He wants to ride Middle-earth of evil and wants to return to
being a gardener, so the Ring helps him to envision the end of evil and the
birth of a huge garden (I guess he'd paint the mountain ranges white to make a
picket fence around his supergarden!). Sam, though, has the kind of sense
that enables him to pull back from the brink before it is too late. If he
had kept the Ring on longer, he might have given in to temptation. Sam is
able to resist the lure of power in the end.
All I have time for, but great questions on one of my favorite
passages!
Orthanc
