Lord of the Vocations IVb: Samwise Continued

When Sam believes Frodo to be dead in Cirith Ungol, he again struggles with his vocations. What is the job that he has been given to do? Is he meant to remain permanently by Frodo’s side, or is Sam the new Ring-bearer?

‘What am I to do then?’ he cried again, and now he seemed plainly to know the hard answer: see it through. Another lonely journey, and the worst.
‘What? Me, alone go to the Crack of Doom and all?’ He quailed still, but the resolve grew. ‘What? Me take the Ring from him? The Council gave it to him.’
But the answer came at once: ‘And the Council gave him companions, so that the errand should not fail. And you are the last of all the Company. The errand must not fail.’
... ‘Let me see now: if we’re found here, or Mr. Frodo’s found, and that Thing’s on him, well, the Enemy will get it. And that’s the end of all of us, of Lorien, and Rivendell, and the Shire and all... No, it’s sit here till they come and kill me over master’s body, and gets It; or take It and go.’ He drew a deep breath. ‘Then take It, it is!’ ("The Choices of Master Samwise")

When Sam has the Ring, it tries to tempt him using his gardener’s vocation. What the Ring hasn’t counted on is that Sam’s devotion to Frodo is the vocation that will keep him sane throughout the duration of his task– not to mention his own humility. So when the Ring tells him that all he needs to do is put it on, and the vale of Gorgoroth will become a garden of flowers and trees and bring forth fruit, this was the result: "In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command" ("The Tower of Cirith Ungol").

Sam is to be admired because when it comes to his calling, he sees it through. As the first vocation post noted, it’s often the long waiting and the daily drudgery that are our crosses to bear in our individual vocations; the temptation is to take the easy way out and do our own thing rather than to wait patiently. But after Sam has seen it through, has completely denied himself for the sake of Frodo and the quest, something strange happens. Think back to that scene in Return of the King when the Ring has finally been destroyed. Frodo is relieved and exhilarated. "It’s gone! It’s done!" Sam looks weary and almost in despair. "Yes, Mr. Frodo. It’s over now." As Frodo begins to recall his wonderful memories of the Shire, having just been relieved of his great burden, Sam is sad and pensive. For the first time perhaps ever, Sam is realizing just what he has given up in order to fulfill the quest. As Frodo glories in finally being able to remember things like Gandalf’s fireworks and the party lights, Sam is silhouetted against the "lights of reality"– the lava and the fireballs which surround them and, for all he knows, will most certainly kill them. They will never see the Shire again. Sam grieves for a vocation that he has every reason to believe that he will never have: the vocation of husband. The quest is over: now there is no hope, nothing to drive Sam onward. He has finally hit the wall of despair. When Frodo sees this happening to Sam, we get to see the wonderful effect of the original roles of the two hobbits returning. Once again, Sam is the simple, awkward hobbit that needed a nudge in the direction of Rosie by his friend; and once again, Frodo is the consoling master who encouraged Sam to take that first dance, and to take that step out of the cornfield that would lead him ‘farther away from home than I’ve ever been.’ Did I mention what a beautiful scene this is??

And finally, the grand and bittersweet conclusion of the story is tied up with Sam’s vocations. At first, Sam returns to Bag End to live with Frodo, continuing to look after him. But then he and Rosie decide to get married–what to do? As Sam said, he felt "torn in two." Companion and servant of Frodo, or husband? For awhile it looks like Sam is going to have it both ways, when he and Rosie move into Bag End. But then Frodo announces that he is leaving, and Sam realizes with a jolt that he can’t come. Frodo tells him:

‘Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot be always torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do’ ("The Grey Havens"). Frodo goes on to list off a bunch of different callings that Sam will have: husband, father, mayor, heir to Frodo, the most famous gardener in history, and keeper of the Red Book, so that future generations will ‘remember the Great Danger and so love their beloved land all the more’ (notice Frodo’s Shire-loving popping up again here!). He adds, "The last pages are for you, Sam." Frodo isn’t departing into the West just for his own healing, but largely for Sam’s well-being. He is giving Sam that "bit of garden of his own" that Sam never had, having looked after Mr. Frodo’s bit of garden all this time.

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Faramir: ‘You are a new people and a new world to me. Are all your kin of like sort? Your land must be a realm of peace and content, and there must gardeners be in high honour.’
‘Not all is well there,’ said Frodo, ‘but certainly gardeners are honoured.’ ("The Window on the West")