Who was Sam talking to?

[Romana the Llama]

I saw a discussion online that I cannot stop thinking about and would like to get your thoughts on. Of course I'm not sure the etiquette on posting links, so I can add one later should you (or anyone else) be interested.

In "The Choices of Master Samwise" in The Two Towers, there is a quote that starts with Samwise speaking:
"'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.'
'I wish I wasn't the last,' he groaned. 'I wish old Gandalf was here or somebody. Why am I left all alone to make up my mind? I'm sure to go wrong. And it's not for me to go taking the Ring, putting myself forward.'
'But you haven't put yourself forward; you've been put forward. And as for not being the right and proper person, why, Mr. Frodo wasn't as you might say, nor Mr. Bilbo. They didn't choose themselves.'"

The bold text doesn't really fit with how Samwise speaks throughout the series, he has a pretty recognizable voice.

Then when they are actually in Mordor, the following quote is also brought up:
"He could not sleep and he held a debate with himself. 'Well, come now, we've done better than you hoped,' he said sturdily. 'Began well anyway. I reckon we crossed half the distance before we stopped. One more day will do it.' And then he paused.
'Don't be a fool, Sam Gamgee,' came an answer in his own voice. 'He won't go another day like that, if he moves at all. And you can't go another day like that, if he moves at all. And you can't go on much longer giving him all the water and most of the food.'
'I can go on a good way though, and I will.'
'Where to?'
'To the Mountain, of course.'
'But what then, Sam Gamgee, what then? When you get there what are you going to do? He won't be able to do anything for himself.'
To his dismay Sam realized that he had not go an answer to this. He had no clear idea at all. Frodo had not spoken much to him of his errand, and Sam only knew vaguely that the Ring had somehow to be put into the fire. 'The Cracks of Doom,' he muttered, the old name rising to his mind. 'Well, if Master knows how to find them, I don't.'
'There you are!' came the answer. 'It's all quite useless. He said so himself. You are the fool, going on hoping and toiling. You could have lain down and gone to sleep together days ago, if you hadn't been so dogged. But you'll die just the same, or worse. You might just as well lie down now and give it up. You'll never get to the top anyway.'
'I'll get there, if I leave everything but my bones behind,' said Sam. 'And I'll carry Mr. Frodo myself, if it breaks my back and heart. So stop arguing!'
At that moment, Sam felt a tremor in the ground beneath him, and he heard or sensed a deep remote rumble as of thunder imprisoned under the earth. There was a brief red flame that flickered under the clouds and died away. The Mountain too slept uneasily."

There was a bit of discussion on if the arguing voice was perhaps Sauron or the Ring.

As to the second quote, I think it lines up with the Ring more than Sauron, as if Sauron know about Sam he would know that the Ring was in Mordor and not with Isildur's heir and the armies of men. When he does become aware of his Ring being brought towards its destruction he is surprised. I believe the Ring able to call out to others in its attempt to find a transport home back to its master. It also has a history of speaking to Frodo in a voice that sounds like his own.

The first quote, however, gives me pause when pondering the voice. It instead calls to not giving up hope and to continue on in face of adversity. As someone pointed out in the original discussion, it could still be the Ring. Despite the tone of carrying on, it could be argued that its goal of the scene is just to have Sam pick it up. To claim it. But I don't know. While the voice doesn't fit well with Sam's speaking voice could it actually be himself that he is arguing with? And then which is really him, is he the one arguing 'let's go forward despite it all' harkening back to how the Council talked when he was hidden overhearing their discussion a la Elrond's "nor indeed to let any handle it, save members of the Company and the Council, and only then in gravest need", and the fearful voice despairing not his own? Or could this be a bit of influence from a Valar? Someone even proposed it could be Galadriel.

Who do you think best fits the bill of who the voice is?
I'd be interested to hear from yourself and others on the matter.

 

[Odola]

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.'

Humans, and hobbits are included, have a generalised morality and a sense of danger and and broad anticipation of possible outcomes which they usually express in propabilities. Sam sees that if he does not take the ring up now their quest is over - the orcs will find it. Sam here has two impulses - to accept the resposibility for the whole world because he is only person left standing or to hide behind his lower rank and use it as an excuse to refuse it. His humility which accepts his rank and lower position speaks in his "lower-class voice". But that is not to mean that he is completely limited by it in his very core. It makes sense that the more general impulses that are not limited by social rank or class would not use Sam's usual lower-class vernacular.

It being the ring makes little sense as there are orcs nearing who would bring it straight to its orignal source of immense power - voluntarily or not. And any orc offers the ring a power greater than Sam - even for the interim. Why would the ring choose a person which is so little usefull or attractive for it, given that there is a much more attractive alternative nearby?

[Of course there are other possible explanations - but those do go beyond the text. E.g. from a Catholic perspective the sentence above would be how an inspiration for one's guardian angel would be perceived by a person in urgent need. But - as said - this goes far beyond the text itself.]