Sam the gardener the servant The Shire

Arnthro

Arnthro

Active Member
Last night's field trip portion of the class started with an awesome discussion about Sam:

Was Sam made Frodo's servant by Gandalf for the adventure meaning he wasn't a servant initially rather the gardener only? Sam being welcomed into Bag End and learning from Bilbo at a young age was mentioned and other literary comparisons to various close master/servant relationships or master and the kin of the servants.

If the Shire is a functioning anarchy, what then does it mean to be a servant in The Shire? It was mentioned last night how in "the Hobbit" Bilbo does his own dusting, dishwashing, etc. hinting at the point that Hobbits might not have in house servants. Brandy Hall is seemingly staffed with family members for example.

This all brought me (Bilanxmond on Discord) to ask if a traditional British servant would throw an apple at Ferny. The answer, "Probably not." and "It doesn't matter."

It is no question that Sam is Frodo's servant on the quest. AmbrosiusAurelianus#4331's post about how servants prepare for the worst case scenarios so they are ready to help (Sam already thinking they are on the way to Mordor) is a great read on Sam's mindset near Weathertop.

Sam is a loyal friend. I've always wondered, deep in Sam's psyche, from his childhood, is he a servant? Of course, this is the American in me that has been a little obsessed with this notion (the servant/master relationship of Sam and Frodo) having no personal experience, in the least, as it pertains to servants and their masters.
(although it MUST be the American in me that says I would never personally want to be a servant or a master of one)

But as we all well know, Sam is so, so, so much more than a title

Not to be on par with a Lady Philosophy answer or Book of Job ending....but I believe that in lore-hall-questions-for-corey ForthDauntless3 said it best, "I still think we just call Sam a cheerful hobbit and be done."
 
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In the shortcut across Woody End, the one morning when they wake up, Pippin doesn't seem to think twice about ordering Sam to make breakfast and draw bathwater, and Sam (still half asleep) seems to think himself delinquent for not having done these things already. I have always thought that Sam was more than a gardener, more like a butler or general all around servant-of-all-trades. And when the cover story for Frodo's removal from Bag End was being spread around, it was said that Sam was going to Crickhollow to "do for" Mr. Frodo, again seemingly in a much more comprehensive fashion than just looking after the garden.
 
No One in Particular said:
In the shortcut across Woody End, the one morning when they wake up, Pippin doesn't seem to think twice about ordering Sam to make breakfast and draw bathwater, and Sam (still half asleep) seems to think himself delinquent for not having done these things already.
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I think that was said more in jest than anything else, and you'll notice that when Frodo returns from his stroll (having turfed Pippin out of bed) both Pippin and Sam are getting their breakfast ready.
 
I believe "Sam thinking himself delinquent" hints that being a servant isn't necessarily instinctual for Sam because, prior to Gandalf's assignment, he was the gardener. I still think ForthDauntless3 said it best, ".......call Sam a cheerful hobbit and be done."
 
....just to add.... what I believe the cheerful hobbit and be done with it essentially means, to me, is that Sam is Sam (which is what I meant by arriving at Boethius/Job type conclusion).
 
Sam does seem to have been more than just the gardener, as in Mordor there is reference to his waking Frodo up in the mornings. I read this as Sam being responsible for breakfast and possibly washing up the dinner dishes from the previous night, though not necessarily. I expect Frodo also cooked his own lunch and dinner, as cooking is a common hobbit skill, and Bilbo seemed to have been cooking for himself in The Hobbit. But I don’t think Frodo and Sam were particularly close before the quest began. Sam was not part of the birthday dinner the night before they left, and Frodo seems to be learning as much about Sam as the rest of them. I was struck by Frodo’s silence after the Gil-galad verse as well — could he have been astounded again by another example of Sam’s hidden depths? And was he also perhaps recalling Bilbo reciting that poem to him as well? It would account for his lack of response to Strider’s reference to Bilbo.... he was lost in his own thoughts.
 
Interesting!!

I read Sam's relationship with Bilbo (as stated by the Gaffer) as a long one that was established when Sam was a little hobbit child ("Elves, sir.")
It certainly takes awhile to learn one's letters. So, Frodo may not be best buds with Sam at the begging of Fellowship, and there is the age gap, but I gotta think that Frodo has witnessed or even been a part of Bilbo's literary sessions along with Sam. My take is that Frodo may not exactly know what verses Sam has memorized but, to me, Frodo is not surprised by it.

I also like in the Grey Havens chapter Frodo to Sam, "...But you are my heir: all that I had and might have had I leave to you. ..."

Sam has many titles throughout the course of his life but always remains a cheerful hobbit.
 
I had to go look this up, but Sam is 12 years younger than Frodo: not a very large difference, especially considering Frodo is 22 years older than Pippin, the youngest. After reading through the above (very late I know), I really do wonder why the interactions between Sam and Frodo are so different from Frodo and Merry/Pippin.

I think it might be a compound reason, both some semblance of a master/servant relationship and Sam's very different personality. In recent sessions we see several examples that point to a more pessimistic sort of personality from Sam, compared to Merry and Pippin. Possibly from his upbringing, and not being well-to-do; or possibly from all of the (many presumably tragic or sad) stories he has consumed by either reading or being told to him by Bilbo.

Either way, I know for myself, I am a bit of a mirror when it comes to my friends - I become more talkative and exuberant when among people pf that type, and more subdued when with friends of that type. I'm sure everyone experiences that to some degree. It seems like Frodo is generally a pensive and quiet person, but becomes more talkative and exuberant when with Merry and Pippin. However Sam, just being around Frodo regularly from a young age, has probably had the best opportunity to observe Frodo's natural personalty and has come to quietly understand it, perhaps a little more than Merry or Pippin. When Frodo turns quiet around Merry and Pippin they lose some patience with him, but Sam lets him be.

Sam would have closely seen how Frodo reacted after Bilbo disappeared, and observe how he slowly becomes more detached and Bilbo-like, walking alone at night under the stars etc. Possibly Sam feels protective of Frodo after he's left alone at Bag End, and though he's "the gardener", really does take care of Frodo - probably not exactly like a servant, but similar. So at the beginning of the quest Sam knows Frodo very well, and Frodo knows Sam fairly well, and they grow into a much deeper friendship as they travel together.

Yes, a bit like Alfred and Batman. ;D
 
We Americans are so funny with our twitchiness about "servant" and "master" language. Change it to "employee" and "employer" and suddenly everything is fine—even though the latter is often either exactly the same kind of relationship or potentially worse in that any social ties or expectations are diminished.
 
Tom Shippey has written about the relationship between Frodo and Sam, describing Sam as Frodo's 'batman', in the early 20thC British military context. Batmen were drawn from the ranks and assigned to officers. In WW1 a batman would be the officer's close companion through the ordeal they both faced, his valet, and, in many cases, his confidant. The position was a reflection of the old civilian class system, of course.

We're coming up to Armistice Day. I've been watching a three part documentary on BBC4, WW1: The Last Tommies, and thinking about my forebears who fought in both world wars.
 
I finally listened to a podcast talking about the batman influence!!! It totally improved my understanding of their relationship big time. Like many other readers, Sam is my favorite.
 
Arnthro said:
I finally listened to a podcast talking about the batman influence!!! It totally improved my understanding of their relationship big time. Like many other readers, Sam is my favorite.
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Perhaps my first exposure to the concept was the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy Sayers.
Wikipedia said:
Lord Peter is often assisted by his valet and former batman, Mervyn Bunter; his good friend
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PBS has done a few nice TV series' of these novels.
 
My favorite example of the difference between the hobbits comes at the Prancing Pony when Barliman asks their names, and Frodo says "Mr Took and Mr. Brandybuck...and this is Sam Gamge. My name is Underhill." Sam doesn't rate a "mister."
 
Steve Melisi said:
My favorite example of the difference between the hobbits comes at the Prancing Pony when Barliman asks their names, and Frodo says "Mr Took and Mr. Brandybuck...and this is Sam Gamge. My name is Underhill." Sam doesn't rate a "mister."
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On the other hand, it might be that Merry and Pippin are known to be the heirs to their fathers, and news that the heirs to the two Great Families of the Shire were in Bree might spread like wildfire. The name of Gamgee might be famous among Hobbit gardeners, but nobody else would even know the Gaffer, never mind his youngest son.

I think this is just another layer of obscurity that Frodo is attempting to apply.
 
Hm... but surely it would have been even more effective to give everyone, except maybe Sam, a pseudonym? 'Mr. Banks' and 'Mr. Bolger' would arouse even less attention.

Then again, the name 'Mr. Underhill' roused unwanted attention from actual Underhills...
 
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