Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, and the Call to Discipleship
With graduation approaching, I’ve been reflecting on how much I’ve changed in the past four years, and at the same time how much of my high school self is still in me. I recently reread my Common App personal essay—the piece of writing that got me into Cornell, and in many ways acted as my mission statement for college. The last few paragraphs read:
“Last fall, I watched the Lord of the Rings movies for the first time. I was in awe of Sam Gamgee’s loyalty to Frodo. Towards the end of the story, Frodo is irritable, moody, and generally unpleasant to be around. Despite this, Sam sticks with him through the worst of circumstances. He seems to realize that Frodo’s gloominess is only a temporary characteristic caused by the ring.
Every time I’ve started at a new school, I have wished for a Sam Gamgee: someone who will be my friend even though I am a hollowed-out version of myself. Someone who will see past the melancholy to my creativity and thoughtfulness. In the past, people have reached out to me like this, but last year no one did. It took me a while to recover from the shock of moving, so I didn’t start to come out of my shell until February. Then the coronavirus shutdown started, and I lost contact with most of my acquaintances.
In this pink-haired girl, I saw myself: vulnerable, hurt, and lonely. I don’t want her to go through what I went through, and am still going through. I want to be that person who reaches out and talks to her even though she seems dejected. I am still Frodo, but right now I want to be Sam.” [1]
As I have grown in faith, I have come to realize why this Lord of the Rings analogy appeals to me so much. (Frodo and Sam’s scenes were still my favorites when I rewatched the trilogy this winter.) Each of these hobbits demonstrates sacrificial love that mirrors Jesus’ love for us. (Side note: I have not read the books, so this interpretation is based on the movies. Don’t come for me, diehard fans.)
Jesus Is the True and Better Frodo
In The Lord of the Rings, the ordinary Frodo Baggins volunteers to carry the One Ring through the dangerous land of Mordor in order to destroy it and save his fellow hobbits from its malicious power. Although he eventually succeeds, the journey is costly. Frodo travels in constant fear of being attacked by various evil creatures, and the Ring itself inflicts psychological damage on him. He sacrifices almost his whole being because he loves the Shire and the hobbits in it. He is forever scarred by bearing the burden of the Ring.
The comparison to Jesus is somewhat obvious. Jesus willingly took on the burden of our sins and the wrath of the Father in order to save us. He endured maximum suffering, and His resurrected body still bore the scars of the cross when He appeared to his disciples in John 20. But Jesus is an even better hero than Frodo. He was tempted by the devil, but unlike Frodo, who is eventually overcome by desire for the Ring and only destroys it by chance, Jesus never capitulated to the allure of worldly power. Furthermore, Jesus suffered perfectly and patiently, with none of Frodo’s anger or meanness.
We Are Also Frodo
Remembering that Jesus bore a heavy burden for us is crucial, because we are Frodo, too. We all carry burdens that can feel like they are draining the life out of us. To give one example, it’s easy to see the Ring as a metaphor for depression. Frodo’s growing irritability, forgetfulness, hopelessness, and lack of appetite throughout the story are classic depressive symptoms. The Ring comes close to destroying his friendship with Sam, and when he returns to the Shire, he feels warped in ways that distance him from his community. Additionally, (once he makes the initial choice to carry the Ring) Frodo has no way to escape this responsibility. No one can carry it for him. He just has to endure.
Jesus commands us, “take up [your] cross and follow me.” [2] Whether our crosses are chosen or forced upon us, we know that Jesus is not asking us to do anything He hasn’t already done. The prophet Isaiah writes, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” [3] He is with us in our suffering. We do not have to endure alone. Furthermore, the book of Hebrews reminds us to “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” [4] Because Jesus sacrificed His own comfort to show the Father’s love to the world, we as His disciples are called to do the same, even if some days that just means stubbornly continuing to live when life feels utterly meaningless.
Jesus is the True and Better Sam
Jesus’ deep understanding of pain is part of what makes Him the perfect comforter and an even better friend than Samwise Gamgee. As friends go, Sam is just about the best you could ask for. When Frodo tries to strike out on his own, Sam follows him into a river even though he can’t swim. Sam cooks for Frodo and offers encouraging words, saying, “There’s good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.” [5] Although Frodo almost kills Sam a few times, Sam risks his life to save Frodo. But even Sam’s loyalty has its limits. When Frodo accuses Sam of wanting to steal the Ring and tells him to go home, Sam turns back instead of continuing to follow Frodo. He is unable to stomach his friend’s betrayal.
This is where Jesus proves His love to be greater even than Sam’s love for Frodo. As Sam is near Frodo in his Ring-induced malaise, Jesus is “near to the brokenhearted.” [6] He pursues us and refuses to abandon us, promising, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [7] But unlike Sam, our betrayal never becomes too much for Jesus. No matter how many times we turn against Him by sinning, He is always willing to forgive us.
We Are Also Sam
Since Jesus has been the perfect friend to us in our sin, we are called to be excellent friends to the lost and broken around us. We should give to those who can’t give back, just as Sam takes care of Frodo when Frodo is mistrustful and ungrateful towards him. We should reach out to those who are on the margins of society in the same way that Sam continues to love Frodo when his trauma makes him an outsider in the Shire. We should also encourage others in the way Sam encourages Frodo, since Jesus tells us that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” [8] We have been saved by Christ, and because of this we are visible reminders of the hope that God offers.
And just as Jesus carries our burdens, so we are to “bear one another’s burdens.” [9] Near the end of the hobbits’ journey to Mount Doom, Frodo collapses, weakened by the long journey and the Ring leeching the life out of him. Sam utters his famous line—“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”—as he lifts Frodo onto his back and starts to carry him up the mountain. [10] Sometimes, as with mental illness, we can’t directly help our friends escape their suffering. But we can take care of them physically, which might be exactly what they need in a given moment.
The call to follow in Jesus’ footsteps is a call not only to endure suffering like He did, but also to follow Him in reaching out to those in need of comfort. We are always Frodo on some level, but we are asked to simultaneously be Sam. This would be an impossible task, except that God is with us. Through the Spirit, we are strengthened to become not only more like Sam Gamgee, but we are ultimately “being transformed into [Jesus’] image with ever-increasing glory.” [11]
SOURCES
[1] Becking, Katherine. “Common Application Personal Statement,” 2020.
[2] Matthew 16:24 ESV
[3] Isaiah 53:4 ESV
[4] Hebrews 12:3 ESV
[5] The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New Line Cinema, 2002.
[6] Psalm 34:18 ESV
[7] Matthew 28:20 NIV
[8] Matthew 5:13 ESV, Matthew 5:14 ESV
[9] Galatians 6:2 ESV
[10] The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. New Line Cinema, 2003.
[11] 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV