After leaving the Fellowship at Parth Galen, Frodo and Sam have only each other to depend on. While Merry and Pippin meet the Ents, and Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, and Gandalf begin the battle for Middle-earth, the two hobbits must make their slow, painful way to Mordor. The landscape is forbidding, and they have little hope of getting into the Black Land, let alone getting out again. Where their friends follow the path of outward heroism in battle, for Frodo and Sam, heroism must come through endurance, the dogged determination to complete their task regardless of the obstacles.
Their first obstacle is simply finding the path — a metaphorical representation of the confusion that besets everyone on his or her journey through life. What is the right way? Aragorn had to face this dilemma as leader of the Fellowship, but the choice must ultimately be made by each person alone. The reduction of the quest to Frodo alone emphasizes this point. Sam's presence as a servant and friend, however, keeps the importance of friendship and support as well. Although the burden of the Ring is his, Frodo knows quite well that he could not succeed alone.
