There's a moving scene in The Return of the King where Sam and Frodo are lying on the slopes of an exploding Mount Doom. As you will recall (spoiler alert, if you don't!) Frodo and Sam have made their way from the beautiful and verdant Shire through perils and dangers of all kinds. Frodo decides at the last second that he can't throw the ring into the Crack of Doom and destroy the power of the evil. The greedy Gollum eventually bites off Frodo's finger (!) and falls into the pit himself, thus unwittingly ending his own life and saving the world as the ring is destroyed.
But what I love is that Frodo is now free, and while their deaths seem imminent, they are at peace - the journey is complete, the task is finished, and the evil threat has subsided.
For me, the best moment is when Frodo, his arm around Sam, says - I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.
The story is about Sam and Frodo (in that order). About their friendship. About real, self-sacrificing love. About two people who are willing to die for each other, but more importantly, are willing to LIVE for each other. It's a delightful and powerful thing, one we don't often think about. When you are in your darkest moments, when life is tortuous and difficult and arduous, when you feel so utterly alone and despondent, and above all, when you feel just at the very end of your rope, you find out who your friends really are.
Here. At the end. Of all things.
Comments