Frodo Baggins is the protagonist of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is a hobbit from the Shire, a race of small people who enjoy a simple and pastoral life away from the troubles of the rest of the world. However, despite his lack of experience in travel, battle, or adventuring, Frodo has volunteered to take Sauron’s Ring to Mordor so that it can be permanently destroyed in Mount Doom. In The Two Towers, Frodo’s character arc involves him growing into a more majestic and wiser person as he begins to understand that his quest will almost certainly require self-sacrifice. In this book, Frodo transforms from a naïve and fun-loving hobbit into a mature and world-weary hero.

The change in Frodo’s personality and demeanor is often noted by Sam throughout The Two Towers. Sam notices that Frodo appears older and more tired than before, but also suggests that he seems more powerful and awe-inspiring as a result. When Frodo is asleep, Sam observes:

Frodo’s face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiselling of the shaping years was now revealed in many fine lines that had before been hidden, though the identity of the face was not changed (638).