The lands of Mordor have long been tainted by the evil that dwells there, and is a treacherous place to travel through for the Ringbearer, not only because of the dozens of orcs and Sauron’s servants who reside there, but also because of the actual atmosphere itself. Boromir even says at the Council of Elrond “The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.” So it comes as little surprise that by the time Sam and Frodo reach the edges of Mount Doom, they are exhausted beyond recall, and delirious with the sickening intoxication of the place.
Earlier on in the journey, the two hobbits managed to shake off Gollum, after he led them into a trap at Shelob’s lair, and Sam had to rescue Frodo from the tower guarded by the Silent Watchers. But as they get close to their goal, Gollum reappears from nowhere, leaping onto Sam and sending him sprawling, before gauging at Frodo’s eyes and throat to try to get to the One Ring. A struggle ensues, in which Frodo and Gollum fight bitterly. In a daze, Sam struggles to his feet, and as he turns to try and help Frodo, he is confronted with a vision. Dreams and visions are common throughout the trilogy, and often come to the characters as warnings or guidance for the dangerous times ahead, such as the vision that came to Faramir about the Ring, or the dreams that came to the Hobbits in the house of Tom Bombadil.
It is unclear if the vision presented to Sam is this same magical variety that is trying to warn him or steer him during the quest, or if it is instead a sort of fever-dream, wrought from the weakened state of his body and mind from their weeks of hardship. Either way, when watching Frodo and Gollum struggle, Sam sees "a crouching shape, scarcely more than a shadow of a living thing, a creature now wholly ruined and defeated, yet filled with a hideous lust and rage; and before it stood stern, untouchable now by pity, a figure robed in white, but at its breast it held a wheel of fire." This vision is highly symbolic, because it uses the colors of light versus dark, good versus evil, that have been shown already throughout the series. It is clear from the vision that a great struggle of will and power is occurring, but just what sort of power is the question.
Many Lord of the Rings fans believe that this vision of Sam’s represents the brink of Frodo’s salvation, at which point he hangs in the balance between being consumed by the ring forever like Gollum, or of being able to get rid of it and free himself from eternal torment. There are many parallels between this vision, and two particular scenes that have already been shown. The first is of Gandalf and the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, and the second is of Saruman and Grima. These two counterparts of course have very different outcomes, and very different relationships to honor and justice, and doing what is right.
In the case of Saruman and Grima, Saruman represent’s the ‘figure robed in white’ and Grima is the ‘crouching shape, barely more than a shadow of a living thing.’ In this relationship is revealed the white wizard, who was once so full of care for the world, love of living things, and a sense of right and wrong.
However, Saruman is the perfect representation of the Ring’s corruption, and what can happen to a once pure heart when it gives into the evil temptation. Grima too, was once a noble man of Rohan, but was tainted by his own lust for Eowyn, and the promise that he would share in the rewards and the prosperity if Saruman won. In their relationship, with Saruman towering over the sniveling Wormtongue, Sam is shown a parallel to Frodo towering over Gollum, and warned of the outcome of his dear friend’s ruin if the ring is not destroyed.
On the other hand, the vision could represent Gandalf’s fatal battle with the Balrog. Gandalf fell from the bridge of Kahazd- Dum in the fight against this deadly enemy, and unbeknownst to the hobbits at the time, came back to Middle Earth as Gandalf the White. Here is shown Gandalf as the ‘figure robed in white’ and the Balrog as the ‘crouching shape, barely more than a shadow of a living thing.’
Gandalf in this sense is known by all to be the true White wizard, the wizard who stands for love and compassion, who dies to save his friends, and who defeated a great evil, both in terms of the Balrog, and also in terms of resisting the ring, even when it was offered to him freely. Therefore, this version of Sam’s vision is foretelling what will happen if the Ring is destroyed: Frodo will return to himself as the good person he once was, and Sauron, the great evil, will be defeated like the Balrog. The vision represents the two possible paths ahead of them, and the fate of the world depends on which path they take.
