Lord of the Rings Question: Is Samwise Gamgee Gay?

[The Devil Man]

Uhhh... this Topic is actually meant to be serious.

I was watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King after I finished watching Mission Impossible 3 last night, and one thing I always hated about Sam Gamgee is the way he just slobbers and worships the ground Frodo walks on.

I really hate it

My 2 favourite scenes in the Trilogy, indeed, in ANY FILM, EVER!, is:

1: When Gollum tricks Sam with the bread thingy, and Frodo tells Sam to go home and Sam just starts crying like a buffoon.

And...

2: When they are at Mount Doom and Gollum bashes Sam's thick skull with a rock.

I LOVED that!

But I was thinking more on the books which I read again last year for the 100th time. Sam is a much more likeable character in the books and isn't all over Frodo like he is in the films. However, he does adore Frodo a little too much, so it got me wondering.

Is Samwise Gamgee gay?

Do you think that Sam's affections for Frodo were Professor J R R Tolkein's way of discussing homosexuality?

Because absolutely no other character comes close to the neediness and stalkerish tendencies of Samwise Gamgee in the trilogy, or in The Hobbit. No one! Sam is just so clingy. He kinda seems like a stereotype Gay character to me, much like Homosexual Victorians were portrayed in the 19th Century England (like Oscar Wilde for example. Oscar Wilde was all over his young lovers and very camp indeed)

So what do ya think?

[theundeadhero]

No. At the end of the series he marries the girl from the birthday party he saw at the beginning of the series.

[Resha]

NO. Jesus I hate it when people say this, and they always do. Oscar Wilde, unlike John Ronald Reuld Tol-ki-en, was gay, if I recall correctly. So he'd have had more reason to portray his people (Dorian Gray etc etc etc) gay than otherwise.

Maybe it appears so in the movies, but I am entirely sure that's not how Tolkien wanted to represent it -- he had all this wonderful ideas for Sam and Rosie, and he even wrote snippets about their married life and their kids and stuff, and he wanted to tag it onto the end of RoTK, but his editors wouldn't let him. And if you read those snippets with Elanor and stuff, they're brilliant. ...he's very much in love with Rosie and his kids...!!!!!

[Yuna-Lenne]

I have to say, 'cause I've said it many times before, he does seem gay in the film. But like theundeadhero said, he gets married to, and talks a fair bit about, Rosie. Seems to love her very much, plus he has children. Therefore I'll assume he's not. Maybe in the film version, they were trying to show stereotyping guys who show their feelings as gay isn't accurate...weird conclusion. O.o'

[The Devil Man]

No. At the end of the series he marries the girl from the birthday party he saw at the beginning of the series.

He could be bisexual.

Lets not forget that homosexuality was frowned upon and was an imprisonable offence in the late 19th/early 20th century. Maybe Tolkein was trying to play a cunning game against the authorities. (I might be wrong, but I think homosexual literature could get you in serious trouble even in the 1960's!)

Maybe he was showing Sam's homosexuality as much as he could, but then protected himself because by having Sam marry Rosie, he could say 'Sams' not gay, just an over-protective servant, and look! He gets married in the end!'

Bisexual perhaps?

[Peter_20]

I found the whole thing beautiful.
I mean, these days guys aren't "supposed to love another guy", and I hate that crap.
Sam loves Frodo, that's it; he loves him as a friend.

[The Devil Man]

I found the whole thing beautiful.
I mean, these days guys aren't "supposed to love another guy", and I hate that crap.
Sam loves Frodo, that's it; he loves him as a friend.

Sam doesn't love Pip or Merry as much. Or even Rosie for that matter. It's just Frodo, Frodo, Frodo.

And similarly, Frodo doesn't worship Sam as nearly as much Samn worships Frodo.

And, lest we forget, Pip and Merry are great friends with Frodo AND Sam.

[Peter_20]

I found the whole thing beautiful.
I mean, these days guys aren't "supposed to love another guy", and I hate that crap.
Sam loves Frodo, that's it; he loves him as a friend.

Sam doesn't love Pip or Merry as much. Or even Rosie for that matter. It's just Frodo, Frodo, Frodo.

And similarly, Frodo doesn't worship Sam as nearly as much Samn worships Frodo.

And, lest we forget, Pip and Merry are great friends with Frodo AND Sam.

Well, I guess Sam felt a great responsibility to protect Frodo, and he was probably more open with his feelings.
Also I think it was a bit exaggerated in the movies.

Besides, he can't be full-blown gay, simply because he marries Rosie.
Of course, he could be bisexual, but that doesn't change the fact he was in love with Rosie, so he most likely wouldn't be hitting on another person whatsoever, and certainly not a childhood friend in the middle of a vital mission.

[Mirage]

I found the whole thing beautiful.
I mean, these days guys aren't "supposed to love another guy", and I hate that crap.
Sam loves Frodo, that's it; he loves him as a friend. :)

Sam doesn't love Pip or Merry as much. Or even Rosie for that matter. It's just Frodo, Frodo, Frodo.

And similarly, Frodo doesn't worship Sam as nearly as much Samn worships Frodo.

And, lest we forget, Pip and Merry are great friends with Frodo AND Sam.

Well, I guess Sam felt a great responsibility to protect Frodo, and he was probably more open with his feelings.
Also I think it was a bit exaggerated in the movies.

Besides, he can't be full-blown gay, simply because he marries Rosie.
Of course, he could be bisexual, but that doesn't change the fact he was in love with Rosie, so he most likely wouldn't hit on another person whatsoever, and certainly not a childhood friend in the middle of a vital mission. :)

Some gay men do that just to cover up their gayness.

[Peter_20]

I found the whole thing beautiful.
I mean, these days guys aren't "supposed to love another guy", and I hate that crap.
Sam loves Frodo, that's it; he loves him as a friend.

Sam doesn't love Pip or Merry as much. Or even Rosie for that matter. It's just Frodo, Frodo, Frodo.

And similarly, Frodo doesn't worship Sam as nearly as much Samn worships Frodo.

And, lest we forget, Pip and Merry are great friends with Frodo AND Sam.

Well, I guess Sam felt a great responsibility to protect Frodo, and he was probably more open with his feelings.
Also I think it was a bit exaggerated in the movies.

Besides, he can't be full-blown gay, simply because he marries Rosie.
Of course, he could be bisexual, but that doesn't change the fact he was in love with Rosie, so he most likely wouldn't hit on another person whatsoever, and certainly not a childhood friend in the middle of a vital mission.

Some gay men do that just to cover up their gayness.

Anyone in the entire Tolkien story who doesn't show signs of "straightness" could be homosexual.
For Tolkien fans, let's consider this: Fëanor had seven sons, and he only had one grandson (Celebrimbor, Curufin's son).
So, it's fully possible that at least one of his other sons was homosexual, because none of them had any children.

[White Raven]

This thread makes me think of one of my favourite movie quotes of 2006. I'll just quote what Kevin Weisman says because what Randal says is quite explicit and would ruin it's magic if I censored it:

Hobbit Lover: "Hey *explicit*, Sam and Frodo aren't gay! They're hobbits!"

And for all of those that have seen this movie, I totally agree with Randal's argument.

[escobert]

No, I don't think he is gay, and why would it matter anyways? It wouldn't change the story at all.

[The Devil Man]

No, I don't think he is gay, and why would it matter anyways? It wouldn't change the story at all.

Its nothing to do with the quality of the story, it's to do with whether Professor J R R Tolkein was subtly discussing homosexuality with his portrayal of Samwise Gamgee.

And it would matter, because that means that Lord of the Rings has even greater sub-texts then we initially realised.

I am going along with the theory that Samwise Gamgee is a confused bisexual who marries Rosie to cover up his feelings for Frodo and stop the whisperings in The Shire.

Ya.

[Breine]

You don't have to be gay to love a person of your own sex... Then everybody's gay.

[Bart's Friend Milhouse]

I don't think Sam Gamgee is gay, just an emotional and likeable character