Gaffer Gamgee and the Dignity of the Poor

In the opening pages of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins is given the honorific "gentlehobbit", in part, because he addresses his gardener as Master Hamfast and respectfully consults his expertise on the subject of root vegetables. The Gaffer signals with this speech that he is quite aware of own dignity, and appreciates it being acknowledged. In painting "Inside Number 3 Bagshot Row for Tea", I hoped to extend the invitation not only to have a rare look inside a hobbit hole, but also to think about the family life of the Gamgees which produced Sam - the favorite character of so many Tolkien readers.

Gaffer Gamgee doesn't think much of Sam's adventures into the wider world and has no apparent aspirations for his children to become rich or famous. What would his priorities have been for his family? I hoped to show them being met here, in the sunny front room of this terrace smial in S.R. 1390. Like any good gardener, Hamfast is polishing his tools by the fire. His wife, Bell Goodchild, is putting the finishing touches on the hearty tea. The couple would be in their early sixties and are surrounded by a fine family.

If you've ever harvested your own new taters, you'll understand why Hamson is admiring a sack of them with while Daisy shells fresh peas. Halfred comes in the door with young carrots and a pail of cream (perhaps the Widow Rumble grazed a cow on her roof?) and May carefully balances the tea tray with its large, hospitable teapot. The baby of the family, Marigold, has been picking wild strawberries, and a ten-year-old Samwise is beautifying the table with flowers. In fact, the whole dwelling bears evidence of the gardener's profession, even to the ivy that's been trained to grow over the rafters.

Even a humble hobbit hole means comfort

The smial is small. A spacious common room , a pantry, three bedrooms, and a bath make up its entirety, and set it apart from the big hole atop The Hill. Yet, for the Gamgees, life is pleasant and respectable. They may not have much in the way of luxuries, but there is the security of a home, plenty to eat, and an honored place in the community.

These are the poor of the Shire, and the very fact that it is the local custom to refer to all elders as gaffers and gammers hints at a social fabric in which the close relationship between neighbors is a binding one.

Mister Baggins may dine with silver and crystal tableware, sport gold buttons, and have treasure from his adventure, but he hasn't extracted any of this from his employees to the extent that they go hungry and homeless while he luxuriates. In the Third Age Shire, only Sharkey and the ruffians evict families and develop policies for starving them. They do not merit the title "gentle".

The Makings of Sam Gamgee

Out of this decent society comes Sam, who has grown up knowing what it is to be both loved and humble, and to value these qualities enough to be willing to sacrifice himself if it will protect the Shire's quiet way of life. Sam, who is under no obligation to try to right the situation with his employer's Ring, goes all the way to the end with Frodo. It's not just out of love for him, but out of a developing sense of protecting the dignity of all the free folk of Middle-earth, rather than see them dominated by a dark lord.

Many readers feel that Samwise is the greatest hero of The Lord of the Rings. His loyalty, courage, and selflessness are magnificent, making it quite intolerable to imagine him and his neighbors being exploited and disregarded by some deranged ruling power. J.R.R. Tolkien shows us a class system, of sorts, in the Shire, but it isn't one in which the rich deprive the poor of the basic necessities of a good life in Middle-earth. As a result, many readers would gladly move to Eriador in a heartbeat.

It's good to think about how a society can create a Samwise. It's good mithril mail against marketing that tells us it's acceptable when "the poor" can't afford a small home, decent food, having children if they want a family, or having security in old age. If we think of some ruffian telling Sam he doesn't deserve a snug smial of his own, or a plate of taters, or to have the joy of playing with Elanor, little Frodo, Goldilocks, and all the rest, we hopefully see just how wrong that is. Like the Gaffer, we don't "hold with it" and we owe Professor Tolkien so much for the insight.

Both Bilbo and the Gaffer had the grace to recognize one another's dignity. It's essential common ground, but where can we find it today? If the way of the world right now has worn you out, the Gamgees are welcoming you in for tea in this video short. Perhaps imagining a better society is the first step to creating one.